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Bugün ikinci el bir tabure aldım; galiba çok sağlam.

Bugün ikinci el bir tabure aldım; galiba çok sağlam.
Today I bought a second-hand stool; it’s probably very sturdy.
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Questions & Answers about Bugün ikinci el bir tabure aldım; galiba çok sağlam.

Why is it tabure and not tabureyi?

Because the object is indefinite (a stool). In Turkish, only definite/specific direct objects take the accusative suffix -(y)i.

  • Bir tabure aldım. = I bought a stool. (indefinite, no suffix)
  • Tabureyi aldım. = I bought the stool. (specific, with -(y)i)
  • Şu/O tabureyi aldım. = I bought that stool. (definite)
What is bir doing here? Is it “a/an” or “one,” and could I omit it?

Here bir functions as the indefinite article (“a/an”), not the numeral. You can often omit it and still have an indefinite reading:

  • Bugün ikinci el tabure aldım. = I bought a second-hand stool. (also natural) Including bir makes the singularity explicit and is very common in everyday speech. When bir is the numeral “one,” the meaning is contrastive or exact:
  • Bir tabure aldım, iki değil. = I bought one stool, not two.
Where does bir go with adjectives like ikinci el?

The default neutral order is [adjective phrase] + bir + [noun]:

  • ikinci el bir tabure Placing bir before the adjective is also possible, typically with a touch of emphasis or “one particular” nuance:
  • Bir ikinci el tabure aldım. (one second-hand stool)
Why is the verb at the end (aldım)?

Turkish is generally SOV (Subject–Object–Verb), so the finite verb comes last. Time words like Bugün tend to appear early.

  • Bugün ikinci el bir tabure aldım. (neutral)
  • İkinci el bir tabure bugün aldım. (focus on “today”)
  • Aldım ikinci el bir tabure. (poetic/marked, not neutral)
Does almak mean “to buy” here? Should it be satın almak?

Yes. In shopping contexts, almak commonly means “to buy.” satın almak is more explicit/formal but not required.

  • Bugün bir tabure aldım. = I bought a stool.
  • Bugün bir tabure satın aldım. (more formal/emphatic)
How is aldım formed?
  • Stem: al- (take/buy)
  • Past tense: -dı (vowel harmony after back vowel a → -dı)
  • 1st person singular: -m Because the stem ends in a voiced consonant (l), the past suffix uses d (not t): al-
    • -dı
      • -m → aldım.
What does galiba mean, and what are alternatives?

galiba ≈ probably / I guess / it seems (colloquial). Near-synonyms:

  • sanırım = I suppose/I think (more personal)
  • herhalde = probably; sometimes “of course” (context-dependent, can be sarcastic)
  • bence = in my opinion (no probability implied) Here: Galiba çok sağlam. = I think it’s very sturdy.
Where can galiba go?

It’s flexible:

  • Galiba çok sağlam. (initial)
  • Çok sağlam galiba. (final, casual)
  • Galiba bugün ikinci el bir tabure aldım. (qualifies the first clause)
  • Bugün ikinci el bir tabure aldım, galiba. (sentence-final hedge)
Why is there no word for “to be” in Galiba çok sağlam?

Turkish uses a copular suffix rather than a standalone “to be.” In 3rd person singular present with adjectives/nouns, the copula is zero:

  • (O) çok sağlam. = It is very sturdy. You may add -dır/-dir for deduction/general truth (more formal):
  • Galiba çok sağlamdır. = It’s probably sturdy (inferred). For 1st person you mark it: sağlamım, sağlamız, etc.
What nuances does sağlam have?
  • sturdy/solid, well-built: çok sağlam bir masa
  • intact/unbroken: telefon sağlam
  • reliable/sound (figurative): sağlam bir plan For “healthy,” prefer sağlıklı for people. Negation uses değil: sağlam değil.
Is the semicolon after aldım necessary? Could I use a comma or period?

All are fine:

  • ... aldım; galiba çok sağlam. (clearly separates related clauses; formal)
  • ... aldım, galiba çok sağlam. (very common)
  • ... aldım. Galiba çok sağlam. (neutral and clear)
How does çok work here?

çok = “very” before adjectives/adverbs; “many/a lot” before nouns.

  • Intensifier: çok sağlam = very sturdy.
  • With nouns: çok tabure aldım = I bought many stools. Alternatives: oldukça/gayet/epey sağlam (quite/very).
What exactly is ikinci el, and how do I use it?

A fixed adjective phrase meaning “second-hand/used.”

  • Spelling: two words (also seen as
    1. el
     in ads).
  • Placement: before the noun: ikinci el bir tabure
  • Suffixes go on the head noun: ikinci el tabureyi aldım (I bought the second-hand stool).
How is ikinci formed from iki, and what’s the general rule?

Ordinal numbers use the suffix -(I)nci/-ıncı/-inci/-uncu/-üncü with vowel harmony.

  • iki → ikinci
  • üç → üçüncü, beş → beşinci, on → onuncu
Why is it Bugün as one word? Can I write bu gün? How do I pronounce it?

Write it as one word: bugün (a fixed compound of bu + gün). Pronunciation:

  • u in bu is like “oo” in “boot.”
  • ü in gün is the front rounded vowel (like German ü). Approximate: boo-gyün.