Learn Hardcore Turkish: Tarçınlı çorba lezzetli.

In Turkish, the suffix -lI (which appears as -lı, -li, -lu, or -lü by vowel harmony) attaches to a noun to form an adjective meaning “with …”. Here tarçın means “cinnamon,” so tarçınlı literally means “with cinnamon.”

Why is the suffix written -lı and not -li in tarçınlı?

Turkish vowel harmony forces the suffix vowel to match the last vowel of the root word. Tarçın ends in the back unrounded vowel ı, so the suffix also uses the back unrounded -lı rather than -li.

Why is there no “to be” verb in Tarçınlı çorba lezzetli?

In Turkish, the present‐tense copula (“is/am/are”) is usually omitted in nominal or adjectival sentences. You simply state Subject + Predicate Adjective, and it’s understood as “Subject is Predicate.”

How is the word order for adjectives and nouns in Turkish?

– Attributive adjectives (ones that directly modify a noun) always precede the noun: for example lezzetli tarçınlı çorba means “tasty cinnamon soup.”
– When an adjective serves as the predicate of a sentence, it follows the noun (and there is no separate “to be” verb): Tarçınlı çorba lezzetli.