Learn Hardcore Turkish: Otomobil küçük ama kullanışlı.

In Turkish, the present-tense copula is usually omitted. Instead, an adjective placed after a noun serves as the predicate. So Otomobil küçük literally means “Car small” → “The car is small.”

Why are küçük and kullanışlı placed after otomobil instead of before it?

Here they function as predicate adjectives describing otomobil. Predicate adjectives follow the noun. If you want them attributively (“small car,” “practical car”), you put them before: küçük otomobil, kullanışlı otomobil.

What does ama mean and how is it used?

Ama means “but” or “however.” It’s a coordinating conjunction used to join two contrasting clauses. In this sentence it contrasts the car being small with it being practical.

What is the suffix -lı in kullanışlı, and how does it work?

The suffix -lı/-li/-lu/-lü attaches to a noun or verb-noun (like kullanış “use, usability”) to form an adjective meaning “with,” “having,” or “characterized by.”
kullanış + ‑lı → kullanışlı (“useful,” literally “with usability”).

How does vowel harmony determine which form of this suffix to use?

Turkish vowel harmony rules:

After a or ı (back unrounded), use -lı
After e or i (front unrounded), use -li
After o or u (back rounded), use -lu
After ö or ü (front rounded), use -lü
Since kullanış ends in ı, you add -lı, giving kullanışlı.

Why aren’t there articles like “a” or “the” before otomobil?

Turkish does not use indefinite (a/an) or definite (the) articles as in English. Nouns appear without articles, and context clarifies definiteness.

Do adjectives in Turkish agree with number or gender?

No. Turkish adjectives are invariable. They don’t change form for singular vs. plural or masculine vs. feminine. küçük and kullanışlı stay the same whether otomobil is singular or plural.

How would you make the sentence plural, and what changes?

To pluralize otomobil, add -ler → otomobiller. The adjectives remain unchanged:
Otomobiller küçük ama kullanışlı = “Cars are small but practical.”

Can I switch the word order to say Küçük otomobil ama kullanışlı?

No – that makes küçük an attributive adjective (“small car”) rather than a predicate, turning the phrase into a noun phrase, not a full sentence. To express the same idea as a complete clause (“The car is small but practical”), keep the original order: Otomobil küçük ama kullanışlı.