Breakdown of Kavşakta kuvvetli rüzgar tabelaları devirebilirdi.
rüzgar
the wind
-ta
at
kavşak
the intersection
kuvvetli
strong
tabela
the sign
devirebilmek
to be able to knock over
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Questions & Answers about Kavşakta kuvvetli rüzgar tabelaları devirebilirdi.
What does the suffix -ta in Kavşakta indicate?
It marks the locative case, meaning at the intersection. In Turkish you express “at/on” a place by adding -da/-de or -ta/-te to the noun. Since kavşak ends in the voiceless consonant k and has the back vowel a, the correct form is -ta (voiceless + back vowel).
Why isn’t there an indefinite article like bir before kuvvetli rüzgar?
Turkish has no direct equivalent of English a/an. You could say kuvvetli bir rüzgar to mean a strong wind, but when you talk about wind in general or want a more natural phrasing, you simply say kuvvetli rüzgar without bir.
Why is tabelaları used instead of tabelalar?
tabelaları is the plural definite-accusative form of tabela (sign). The plural marker -lar makes tabelalar, and the accusative marker -ı shows that these signs are the specific objects of the action (the wind could knock them down).
How do you decide which vowel to use in the suffix -ları (as in tabelaları)?
Turkish vowel harmony requires matching suffix vowels to the stem’s last vowel. tabelalar has the vowel a (a back vowel), so the accusative suffix uses the back-vowel variant -ı. That yields -ları: plural -lar + accusative -ı.
What kind of verb form is devirebilirdi, and what does it mean?
It’s the 3rd person singular past potential mood, meaning “could have (knocked down).” Morphologically:
• devir- (stem of “to knock down”)
• -e bil- (potential/ability marker)
• -ir (present stem for potential)
• -di (past tense)
Why does Turkish place the verb at the end of the sentence?
The default Turkish word order is SOV (Subject-Object-Verb). Adverbials (like locative phrases) come first, then the subject, then the object, and finally the verb. That’s why devirebilirdi appears at the very end.
Can I say Kavşakta tabelaları kuvvetli rüzgar devirebilirdi instead?
Yes. Turkish word order is flexible. Moving tabelaları before kuvvetli rüzgar shifts the emphasis onto the signs rather than the wind. Both versions are grammatically correct but highlight different parts of the sentence.
Are there synonyms for kuvvetli rüzgar?
Yes, you can also say:
• şiddetli rüzgar – violent or intense wind
• güçlü rüzgar – powerful wind
Choose the adjective that best fits the nuance you want.