Learn Hardcore Turkish: Çay için şekerlik ve peçeteler hazır dursun. - Let the sugar bowl and napkins be ready for the tea.

The subject is şekerlik ve peçeteler (“the sugar bowl and napkins”). The predicate is hazır dursun (“let [them] stay ready”). Because these items are the subject, they stay in the bare (nominative) form—no accusative is used. If you switch to a transitive verb like hazır tut- (“to keep [something] ready”), they become objects and must take the accusative: Şekerliği ve peçeteleri hazır tut.

What does dursun mean grammatically?

Dursun is the 3rd-person imperative/jussive of durmak (“to stand/stay/remain”). It expresses a wish or instruction about a third person/thing: “let it stay” / “let them stay.” Formation: dur- (root) + -sun (3rd-person imperative/jussive, harmonized). It’s very common for giving mild, indirect instructions about inanimate things.

Why say hazır dursun instead of hazır olsun?

Hazır dursun = “let it stay/remain ready.” It implies the state should continue; the items should be kept ready at hand.
Hazır olsun = “let it be ready / get ready.” It focuses on becoming or being ready, not specifically on remaining in that state. In contexts like preparing a table, hazır dursun sounds more natural because you want those items to remain ready.

What’s the difference between dursun and kalsın?

Both can mean “let it stay/remain,” but:

dursun often suggests physically staying/being left somewhere (neutral, very common with objects).
kalsın can also mean “leave it as is/never mind” in conversation. Hazır kalsın works, but hazır dursun is the default idiomatic choice for objects being kept ready.

Is the sentence telling the objects to do something or a person?

It’s addressed to a person, but expressed via a third-person imperative about the objects. Turkish often uses this structure to give mild instructions: “Let the sugar bowl and napkins stay ready” implicitly means “Please keep the sugar bowl and napkins ready.”

Why is peçeteler plural but şekerlik singular?

Because you usually need multiple napkins but only one sugar bowl. You could say just peçete (singular) in a generic sense, but peçeteler makes it clear you mean “some napkins” (an unspecified plural set). Şekerlik is typically one item on the table.

Should the verb agree in number (e.g., dursunlar) since there are two items?

No need. Turkish verbs don’t obligatorily agree in number with the subject, and the 3rd-person imperative is normally used as dursun even for multiple inanimate items. Dursunlar is possible but sounds marked/odd here; plural verb marking is more common with human subjects (and even then optional).

What does çay için do, and why not çayın için?

İçin is a postposition meaning “for (the purpose of).” The normal pattern is: [noun/pronoun] + için.

With common/proper nouns: no genitive: çay için, Ali için.
With personal pronouns: genitive forms: benim için, onun için. So çayın için is wrong here; it would incorrectly add genitive to a common noun.

Could I say çaya instead of çay için?

Not in this meaning. -A (dative) means “to/toward,” which doesn’t convey purpose here. Çay için specifically marks purpose (“for tea”). Çaya would sound like “to the tea,” which is not what you want.

Is the word order fixed? Can I move çay için?

Word order is flexible. You can say:

Çay için şekerlik ve peçeteler hazır dursun. (purpose upfront, natural)
Şekerlik ve peçeteler çay için hazır dursun. (also natural) Fronting çay için highlights the purpose.

Could I say hazırda dursun or hazır bulunsun?

Hazırda dursun = “let it stand ready/on standby,” a bit more explicit/formal; fine.
Hazır bulunsun = “let it be present/available (ready),” more formal and common in written or official instructions. All three work; hazır dursun is the most neutral everyday choice.

Is there a more direct alternative to this phrasing?

Yes. For a direct command to the listener, use a transitive verb:

Şekerliği ve peçeteleri hazır tut. (“Keep the sugar bowl and napkins ready.”)
Şekerliği ve peçeteleri hazır et. (“Prepare the sugar bowl and napkins.”) These take accusative because the items are direct objects.

How would I add politeness?

Add lütfen or turn it into a question:

Lütfen çay için şekerlik ve peçeteler hazır dursun.
Çay için şekerlik ve peçeteler hazır dursun lütfen.
Şekerliği ve peçeteleri hazır tutar mısın? (“Would you keep the sugar bowl and napkins ready?”)

What does şekerlik literally mean and how is it formed?

Şekerlik = şeker (“sugar”) + -lik (a derivational suffix often meaning container/related to). So it’s “sugar container,” i.e., “sugar bowl.” This -lik/-lık/-luk/-lük suffix follows vowel harmony: şeker → şekerlik (e vowel → -lik).

Could I say şekerdan instead of şekerlik?

Yes, şekerdan is another word for sugar bowl, somewhat old-fashioned/regional. Şekerlik is the most common standard term today. You might also hear şeker kabı (“sugar container”) in some contexts.

How is peçete different from mendil?

Peçete = napkin (table/serving napkin; also paper napkin).
Mendil = handkerchief/tissue (for nose/hands), not a table napkin.
So for table settings, use peçete.

Why is there no copula suffix on hazır?

In Turkish, the 3rd-person present copula is zero with predicate adjectives/nouns: (X) hazır = “X is ready.” When you add dursun, it becomes a modal predicate: “let X stay ready.” You could also say as a plain statement: Şekerlik ve peçeteler hazır.

How would I negate or ask this as a question?

Negative: Çay için şekerlik ve peçeteler hazır durmasın. (“Let the sugar bowl and napkins not stay ready.”)
Yes/no question: Çay için şekerlik ve peçeteler hazır dursun mu? (“Shall the sugar bowl and napkins stay ready for tea?”)

Can I use ile instead of ve?

You can say şekerlik ile peçeteler, but in everyday speech ve (“and”) is more common for simple coordination. Avoid şekerlikle peçeteler here; that reads as “with the sugar bowl, (the) napkins…” and changes the structure.

Is the plural on peçeteler necessary?

Not strictly. Peçete (singular) can be used generically, but peçeteler makes it clear you mean multiple napkins ready to use. Both are acceptable; peçeteler is more practical in a real table-setting context.

What are the building blocks of the sentence?

Çay = tea
için = for (postposition marking purpose)
şeker-lik = sugar + container suffix (-lik) → sugar bowl
ve = and
peçete-ler = napkin + plural
hazır = ready (adjective)
dur-sun = stay + 3rd-person imperative/jussive (-sun)

Pronunciation tips: ç = “ch,” ş = “sh,” ay like “eye,” Turkish u like “oo” in “boot,” and the dotless ı in hazır is a close central vowel (like the ‘e’ in “taken” for many English ears).