Learn Hardcore Turkish: Şarj kablosu kısa; masadan yatağa yetişmiyor. - The charging cable is short; it doesn’t reach from the table to the bed.

It’s the 3rd person possessive marker used to form an indefinite noun compound: şarj + kablo-su = “charging cable.” This is the normal way to say “X cable” in Turkish; it doesn’t imply real ownership. You can’t say şarj kablo. If you specify a possessor, you add genitive to it: telefonun şarj kablosu (“the phone’s charging cable”). Case or plural markers go on the second noun: şarj kabloları, şarj kablosuna, etc.

Why is there no “to be” after kısa? Should it be kısadır?

Turkish has a zero copula in the 3rd person for predicate adjectives and nouns. Şarj kablosu kısa is complete. Kısadır is also correct but more formal, emphatic, or gnomic (stating a general fact).

What do the endings in masadan and yatağa mean?

-DAn (ablative) = “from”: masa-dan = “from the table”
-(y)A (dative) = “to/toward”: yatak-a = “to the bed” “From X to Y” is typically expressed as X-Dan Y-A.

Why is it masadan, not masaden or masatan?

Vowel harmony chooses -dan (back vowel a) because masa has a back vowel. The consonant is d (not t) because -DAn uses t only after a voiceless consonant (e.g., park-tan, ağaç-tan). Since masa ends with a vowel, you get masadan.

Why is it yatağa, not yataka or yataga?

With vowel-initial suffixes, many stems ending in -k soften to -ğ: yatak + -a → yatağa. The ğ lengthens or smooths the preceding vowel; it isn’t pronounced like a hard “g.”

What’s the morphology of yetişmiyor?

yetiş- (reach) + -me- (negation) + -yor (progressive) → “is not reaching/doesn’t reach.” Because of -yor, the preceding vowel is harmonized: -mA + -yor → -mıyor/-miyor/-muyor/-müyor depending on harmony, here -miyor.

Does yetişmek only mean “to reach”?

No. Common uses:

Physical reach: Kablo yatağa yetişmiyor.
Catch up (to someone/something): Otobüse zor yetiştim.
Make it in time: Toplantıya yetişemedim. Don’t confuse with yetmek (“to be enough”). yetişmek ≠ yetmek.

Could I say yetişemiyor instead of yetişmiyor?

Yes, but it adds an “unable to” nuance: yetiş-e-me-yor = “cannot reach.” Yetişmiyor states the fact; yetişemiyor emphasizes inability (as if it tries but can’t). For a short cable, yetişmiyor is the neutral, idiomatic choice.

Would yetmiyor work here?

Yes, to focus on sufficiency: (Kablonun) uzunluğu yetmiyor (“its length isn’t enough”). You can also say Kablo masadan yatağa yetmiyor, but many speakers prefer to mention length explicitly with yetmek.

Are there other natural verbs besides yetişmek?

uzanmak (“to stretch/extend to”): Kablo masadan yatağa uzanmıyor.
ulaşmak (“to reach/arrive (at), to get to”): Kablo yatağa ulaşmıyor. (a bit more formal/neutral) All are understandable; yetişmek and uzanmak feel especially natural for a cable.

Why a semicolon? Could I use a comma or a period?

The semicolon links two closely related independent clauses. You could also write:

Şarj kablosu kısa, masadan yatağa yetişmiyor. (comma, slightly looser)
Şarj kablosu kısa. Masadan yatağa yetişmiyor. (two sentences, more detached) All are acceptable; the semicolon softly emphasizes the cause–result relation.

Why is the subject omitted in the second clause? Can I add o?

Turkish is pro-drop: the subject is clear from context and verb agreement. (O) masadan yatağa yetişmiyor would be grammatical but unnecessary unless you want emphasis on o (“that one”).

Why the dative yatağa and not the accusative yatağı?

Because yetişmek subcategorizes for a goal in the dative: you “reach to” something (X-a). The accusative -ı/‑i/‑u/‑ü marks definite direct objects; it’s not used for the goal of motion here.

Is kadar possible, as in “from the table up to the bed”?

You can use it with range/extent: Masadan yatağa kadar. It combines most naturally with uzanmak: Kablo masadan yatağa kadar uzanmıyor (“doesn’t extend all the way to the bed”). With yetişmek, kadar is not needed and is less idiomatic here.

Any quick pronunciation tips for the tricky parts?

ş = “sh” in “shoe”; j in şarj = “zh” in “measure”.
ğ in yatağa lengthens/smooths the preceding vowel; don’t pronounce a hard “g”.
-yor in yetişmiyor is one syllable “yor” after a harmonized vowel: ye-ti̇ş-mi-yor.
Stress in compounds tends to fall earlier: ŞARJ kablosu (main stress on the first word).