Breakdown of Meydanın köşesindeki çeşme, yolculara ferahlatıcı su veriyor.
su
the water
vermek
to give
köşe
the corner
-de
in
-a
to
-ki
that
-ın
of
ferahlatıcı
refreshing
meydan
the square
çeşme
the fountain
yolcu
the traveler
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Questions & Answers about Meydanın köşesindeki çeşme, yolculara ferahlatıcı su veriyor.
What does -deki do in köşesindeki and why isn’t it just köşede?
The suffix -de is the locative case (“in/on/at the corner”), so köşede means “at the corner.” Adding -ki turns that locative phrase into an adjective that directly modifies çeşme, roughly “the fountain that is at the corner.” Without -ki, you’d need a full relative clause: köşede olan çeşme (“the fountain that is at the corner”).
How is Meydanın köşesindeki built morphologically?
- meydan (“square”) + genitive suffix -ın → meydanın (“of the square”)
- köşe (“corner”) + possessive suffix -si (agreeing with meydanın) → köşesi (“the square’s corner”)
- locative -nde → köşesinde (“in/on the corner”)
- relative adjective -ki → köşesindeki (“that is at the square’s corner”)
All together it modifies çeşme as “the fountain at the square’s corner.”
What case is yolculara, and why is it used here?
yolculara is the dative plural form of yolcu (“traveler”). The dative case (-a/-e) marks an indirect object or “recipient.” Here it means “to the travelers” or “for travelers,” indicating who receives the water.
How is ferahlatıcı formed, and what does it mean?
From the verb ferahlatmak (“to refresh”), we attach the adjective-forming suffix -ıcı (with vowel harmony) to get ferahlatıcı, meaning “refreshing.” It modifies su, so ferahlatıcı su = “refreshing water.”
Why does the sentence put yolculara before ferahlatıcı su? Isn’t Turkish SOV?
Yes, Turkish is generally Subject-Object-Verb. Here the subject (topic) is Meydanın köşesindeki çeşme, then the indirect object yolculara, then the direct object ferahlatıcı su, and finally the verb veriyor. Indirect objects usually precede direct objects in Turkish word order.
Why is there no article like “the” or “a” before çeşme or su?
Turkish does not have definite or indefinite articles. Definiteness is inferred from context, word order, or verb aspect. Here it’s clear we’re talking about a specific fountain and its water, so no article is needed.
What is the function of the comma after çeşme? Is it mandatory?
The comma separates the descriptive noun phrase (Meydanın köşesindeki çeşme) from the rest of the sentence for a clearer pause or emphasis. In simple sentences it’s optional; it depends on style or clarity.
Why is the verb veriyor (“gives”) used here? Could you use another verb?
vermek (“to give”) is the most natural way to express “providing” or “dispensing” water from a fountain. You could say sunuyor (“offers”), but çeşme yolculara ferahlatıcı su veriyor is more idiomatic than sunuyor in this context.