Learn Hardcore Turkish: Bu odadaki mevcut sandalyeler yetmiyor. - The chairs available in this room are not enough.

It’s the suffix -ki attached to the locative form odada (in the room): oda + da + ki → odadaki, meaning “the one(s) in the room.” It turns a location phrase into an adjective that directly modifies a noun: odadaki sandalyeler = “the chairs in the room.”

Other examples: evdeki (the one(s) at home), buradaki (the one(s) here), soldaki (the one(s) on the left).
It’s written as one word with the host: not “odada ki” but odadaki. The suffix -ki does not change for vowel harmony.

How is Bu odadaki sandalyeler different from Bu odada sandalyeler?

Bu odadaki sandalyeler makes “in this room” an attribute of the noun: “the chairs that are in this room.”
Bu odada sandalyeler… uses “in this room” as an adverbial setting: “In this room, the chairs …” Both are acceptable here; the -ki version ties the location more tightly to “chairs,” while the -da version foregrounds the place as context.

What does mevcut mean here?

Mevcut means “available,” “present,” or “on hand” (literally “existing”). So mevcut sandalyeler ≈ “the chairs currently available/present.” It’s a bit formal but common.

As an adjective: mevcut değil = “not present/available.”
As a noun (different use): sınıf mevcudu 30 = “class size is 30.”

Can I omit mevcut without changing the meaning?

Yes. Bu odadaki sandalyeler yetmiyor is perfectly natural. Mevcut just emphasizes “the ones that are currently available/present” (e.g., maybe some are broken or borrowed; we mean the usable ones).

Why is the verb singular (yetmiyor) although sandalyeler is plural?

In Turkish, when the subject is non-human/inanimate or the verb describes a state (not a deliberate action), the verb usually stays in 3rd-person singular. Sandalyeler yetmiyor is the normal form. Using a plural verb marker is typically reserved for human agents in actions.

Is yetmiyorlar ever correct?

Not here. Sandalyeler yetmiyorlar sounds odd because chairs aren’t agents and yetmek describes sufficiency, a state. Use plural verb agreement mainly for people doing actions (e.g., Öğrenciler geldiler “The students arrived.”). Here: Sandalyeler yetmiyor.

How is yetmiyor formed?

Root: yet- (to suffice)
Negation: -me-
Present continuous: -iyor Combined: yet-me-iyor → yetmiyor (the e+i contracts to “mi” as usual). Affirmative would be yetiyor. Other forms: yetmedi (didn’t suffice), yetmez (doesn’t/won’t suffice, generic), yetmeyecek (won’t suffice).

What’s the difference between yetmiyor and yetmez?

yetmiyor (present continuous): “is not enough (right now / in this ongoing situation).”
yetmez (aorist): general truth, habitual, or prediction: “(generally) isn’t enough” or “won’t be enough.” Example: Bu odadaki sandalyeler yetmez can sound like a prediction (“These won’t be enough.”).

Could I say the same thing with different structures?

Yes, common alternatives:

Bu odada yeterince sandalye yok. (There aren’t enough chairs in this room.)
Bu odadaki sandalyeler yeterli değil. (The chairs in this room aren’t sufficient.)
More formal: Bu odadaki sandalye sayısı yetersiz. / Bu odada sandalye eksiği var.

Why not use var/yok in the original?

You can, but yetmek directly encodes “sufficiency.” With var/yok you need a quantifier like yeterince: Bu odada yeterince sandalye yok. Both are natural; yetmek is compact and idiomatic for “enough/not enough.”

Why is sandalyeler plural here? Could I use singular?

Plural fits because we’re talking about the total set of chairs. You’d normally use singular after quantifiers: yeterince sandalye yok, yeterli sandalye yok (with “enough/sufficient,” the noun stays singular). Without such a quantifier, sandalyeler is the natural subject.

Can I change the word order?

Yes; Turkish is flexible with emphasis shifts:

Bu odadaki sandalyeler yetmiyor. (neutral)
Mevcut sandalyeler bu odada yetmiyor. (emphasizes the location contrast)
Bu odada mevcut sandalyeler yetmiyor. (fronts the place) Avoid splitting odadaki; keep it together before its noun.

How do I pronounce the tricky words?

odadaki: oh-dah-dah-KEE (stress tends to fall on the -ki part)
mevcut: mev-JOOT (Turkish c = English “j” in “jam”)
sandalyeler: san-DAHL-ye-ler (light y, tapped r)
yetmiyor: YET-mee-yor (front vowels; “yor” like “yor” in “New York” without the k)

Could I replace “the chairs in this room” with a pronoun-like form?

Yes: Bu odadakiler yetmiyor. Here -kiler (“the ones (there)”) stands in for the noun. It works if the context already makes “chairs” clear.

Why bu and not şu or o?

bu: near the speaker / very immediate.
şu: near the listener or within shared visual range, or for contrast.
o: far away or previously mentioned/not visible. Any could be used depending on physical distance or discourse context: Şu odadaki…, O odadaki…

Is this the same ki as the conjunction ki?

No. Here it’s the suffix -ki (written together: odadaki). The conjunction ki is a separate word meaning “that/so that” or used for emphasis, and is written separately: Öyle yorgunum ki… (I’m so tired that…).