Köyde temiz bir kaynak var.

to be

Breakdown of Köyde temiz bir kaynak var.

• bir: a
• temiz: clean
• köy: the village

Questions & Answers about Köyde temiz bir kaynak var.

What does the suffix -de in köyde mean, and why is it -de rather than -da?

The suffix -de is the locative case marker, equivalent to “in/at” in English. It attaches directly to the noun. Turkish vowel harmony means that the suffix vowel matches the last vowel of the noun: köy has the front vowel ö, so we use -de (front), not -da (back).

Why isn’t there an article equivalent to the before köyde?

Turkish does not have a definite article like the. Definiteness is usually understood from context, word order, or additional suffixes (e.g. possessives), so you simply say köyde for “in the village.”

Why is bir placed after temiz in temiz bir kaynak instead of bir temiz kaynak?

In Turkish, adjectives come immediately before the noun, and the indefinite article bir normally sits between the adjective and the noun. So temiz bir kaynak literally “clean a spring,” which we render in English as “a clean spring.” Saying bir temiz kaynak isn’t ungrammatical, but it sounds stilted or poetic compared to the usual temiz bir kaynak.

Can you omit bir and say Köyde temiz kaynak var? What changes?