Log inSign up

Bahçedeki çiçekler güzel kokuyor.

Bahçedeki çiçekler güzel kokuyor.
The flowers in the garden smell nice.
FromLesson 67inHardcore Turkish
……

Breakdown of Bahçedeki çiçekler güzel kokuyor.

güzel
nice
bahçe
the garden
çiçek
the flower
-deki
in
kokmak
to smell

Questions & Answers about Bahçedeki çiçekler güzel kokuyor.

Could you break down bahçedeki into its root and suffixes?

Sure. bahçedeki consists of
• bahçe (garden) – the noun root
• -de – the locative case suffix meaning “in/at”
• -ki – the relative suffix turning “in the garden” into “which is in the garden”
So bahçedeki literally means “the one(s) which are in the garden.”

Why is there no apostrophe before -deki in bahçedeki?
In Turkish, only proper names (like city names or personal names) use an apostrophe before suffixes. Common nouns like bahçe take case and derivational suffixes directly, without an apostrophe.
Why is it çiçekler instead of çiçek?
çiçek means “flower.” To say “flowers,” you add the plural suffix -ler, giving çiçekler (“flowers”). We use the plural here because we’re talking about more than one flower.
What exactly does kokuyor mean, and why is it not just kokuyorlar?

kokuyor is the present continuous form of kokmak, which in Turkish is an intransitive verb meaning “to smell” (in the sense of giving off a scent). The suffix -yor marks the continuous aspect, and -u- is inserted to satisfy vowel-harmony rules (front vs. back vowels).

As for plurality: Turkish verbs only mark person, not number, at third person. The zero ending on kokuyor covers both “he/she/it is smelling” and “they are smelling.” You may optionally use kokuyorlar to stress “they,” but it’s not required when the subject (çiçekler) is clear.

Why is güzel (an adjective) placed in front of the verb kokuyor? Don’t verbs take adverbs?
In Turkish, adjectives can also function adverbially without any change in form. So güzel (“beautiful” or “nice”) modifies the verb kokuyor (“smells”), giving the sense “smells nice.” There’s no separate adverb form like güzelce needed in this context.
Why does Turkish use the present continuous (kokuyor) here instead of a simple present?
Turkish often uses the continuous aspect for current, observable actions or conditions—even for states English expresses with the simple present (“smells nice”). güzel kokuyor indicates “right now, it is smelling nice.”
What governs the word order in Bahçedeki çiçekler güzel kokuyor?

Turkish generally follows Subject–Object–Verb order, but all modifiers precede the word they modify. Here:

  1. Bahçedeki (modifier of the noun)
  2. çiçekler (subject)
  3. güzel kokuyor (predicate)
    Together they read smoothly as “The flowers that are in the garden are smelling nice.”

More from this lesson

tolerans aralığıTest sırasında tolerans aralığını ölçüyoruz.sağlamakTolerans aralığını genişletmek bazen mekanizmanın sorunsuz çalışmasını sağlar.test sonuçlarına dayanarakTest sonuçlarına dayanarak doktor tedavi planı yaptı.değerlendirilmekSunumdan önce rapor değerlendirilmek üzere müdüre teslim edildi.
AI Language TutorTry it ↗
“What's the best way to learn Turkish grammar?”
Turkish grammar becomes intuitive with practice. Focus on understanding the core patterns first — how sentences are structured, how verbs change form, and how words relate to each other. Our course breaks these concepts into small lessons so you can build understanding step by step.

Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor

Start learning Turkish

Master Turkish — from Bahçedeki çiçekler güzel kokuyor to fluency

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods.

  • ✓ Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
  • ✓ Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
  • ✓ Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
  • ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions
Start learning Turkish freeBrowse the full course