Breakdown of Sabah otobüs durağında sıkışıklık var.
sabah
morning
otobüs durağı
the bus stop
var
to be
sıkışıklık
the congestion
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Turkish grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Sabah otobüs durağında sıkışıklık var.
What does the suffix -da in otobüs durağında indicate?
The suffix -da is the locative case ending in Turkish. It marks “where” something is happening. So otobüs durağında literally means “at the bus stop.”
Why is there an -n- before -da in durağında?
That -n- comes from the third‐person possessive suffix -ı on durak (“its stop”), which turns durak into durağı, and then the locative -da attaches: durak + -ı (3rd-pss) = durağı, + -nda (locative) = durağında.
Why does the k in durak change to ğ in durağında?
Turkish has a consonant‐softening rule: when a final k is followed by a vowel in an added suffix, it becomes the voiced ğ. So durak + ı → durağı (not *durakı).
What is the root of sıkışıklık, and how is it formed?
The root verb is sıkışmak (“to become crowded/squeezed”). Adding the noun-forming suffix -lık (turned into -lık by vowel harmony) gives sıkışıklık, meaning “crowding” or “congestion.”
How does vowel harmony affect the suffix -lık in sıkışıklık?
Vowel harmony in Turkish makes the suffix match the last vowel of the stem. Sıkış ends with the unrounded back vowel ı, so -lık stays -lık (not -lık, -luk, or -lük with other stems).
What role does var play in the sentence?
Var is the existential verb “there is/are.” Placing it after a noun phrase expresses existence: sıkışıklık var = “there is congestion.”
Why is sabah (morning) left without a case suffix?
Time expressions like sabah often act adverbially in the bare form to mean “in the morning.” You could add a suffix (e.g. sabahleyin, sabah+-da), but it’s common and correct to leave it unsuffixed.
Is otobüs plural or singular here, and why?
It’s singular. In Turkish, a singular noun with a number or quantity marker gets no plural ending. Here there’s no explicit number, so otobüs durağında refers to “at the (one) bus stop.” To say “at the bus stops,” you’d pluralize: otobüs duraklarında.
Can you break down the entire sentence’s structure?
Yes.
- Sabah – time adverb “in the morning.”
- otobüs durağında – noun phrase with locative: “at the bus stop.”
- sıkışıklık – noun “crowding/congestion.”
- var – existential verb “there is.”
Put together: “In the morning at the bus stop there is congestion.”