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Nükleer santral güvenli.

Nükleer santral güvenli.
The nuclear power plant is safe.
FromLesson 68inHardcore Turkish
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Questions & Answers about Nükleer santral güvenli.

What is güvenli doing in this sentence, and why is there no verb like “is”?
In Turkish, the present-tense copula “to be” is usually dropped. Here güvenli (“safe”) functions as the predicate adjective. The verb “to be” is understood rather than expressed, so Nükleer santral güvenli literally means “The nuclear power plant [is] safe.”
Why isn’t there an article like “the” or “a” before nükleer santral?
Turkish has no definite or indefinite articles. Context alone indicates whether something is definite or indefinite. Thus Nükleer santral güvenli can mean either “The nuclear power plant is safe” or “A nuclear power plant is safe,” depending on what you already know.
Why doesn’t nükleer santral take any suffix in this sentence?
As the subject of an equational (copular) sentence with an adjective predicate, nükleer santral stays in the nominative case and takes no case-ending. Only objects, possessives, locations, etc., need case suffixes.
How do I turn this into a yes/no question?

Add the question particle mi (in harmony with the preceding vowel) right after the adjective:
Nükleer santral güvenli mi?
That means “Is the nuclear power plant safe?”

How would I make the sentence negative?

Attach the negation –değil after the adjective:
Nükleer santral güvenli değil.
This says “The nuclear power plant is not safe.”

If I want to say “our nuclear power plant is safe,” what changes?

Attach the 1st-person-plural possessive suffix to santral:
Nükleer santralımız güvenli.
Here –ımız marks “our,” so it reads “Our nuclear power plant is safe.”

Can I use a more formal term for “power plant”?

Yes. enerji santrali (“energy plant”) is more formal/complete. You’d say:
Nükleer enerji santrali güvenli.

What’s the difference between güvenli and güvenilir?

güvenli means “safe” (free from danger); güvenilir means “reliable” or “trustworthy.”
So Nükleer santral güvenli = “The nuclear plant is safe,” while Nükleer santral güvenilir = “The nuclear plant is (proven) reliable.”

What’s the difference between Güvenli nükleer santral and Nükleer santral güvenli?

Güvenli nükleer santral is a noun phrase meaning “a safe nuclear power plant” (adjective + noun).
Nükleer santral güvenli is a full sentence: “The nuclear power plant is safe,” with güvenli as the predicate.

Sometimes I see adjectives ending in -dir, like güvenlidir. What’s that about?

The suffix -dir is a “definiteness/evidential” marker often used in formal or written Turkish.

  • Everyday spoken Turkish usually drops it: Nükleer santral güvenli.
  • In formal contexts you might see: Nükleer santral güvenlidir.

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