Learn Hardcore Turkish: Çadırı birlikte kurduk, gece rüzgar yoktu. - We set up the tent together; there was no wind at night.

Çadırı birlikte kurduk = We set up the tent (a particular, known tent).
Çadır kurduk = We set up a tent (non‑specific) or did some tent‑setting in general.

Do we need to say Biz? Where can birlikte go in the sentence?

No. The ending -k in kurduk already says “we,” so Biz is optional unless you want emphasis/contrast. Word order is flexible:

Neutral: Çadırı birlikte kurduk or Birlikte çadırı kurduk.
With emphasis on the subject: Biz çadırı birlikte kurduk. Post‑verbal birlikte (e.g., … kurduk birlikte) is unusual outside special emphasis.

Is there a difference between birlikte and beraber?

They’re near‑synonyms meaning “together.” Birlikte can feel slightly more formal; beraber is more colloquial. Both are fine here. You can also say X ile birlikte = “together with X.”

How is kurduk formed, and what tense/person is it?

kur (set up) + -du (simple past -DI) + -k (1st person plural) → “we set up.”
Vowel harmony turns -di into -du after a back/rounded vowel.

Why is gece bare (no suffix)? Could we say gecede or geceleyin?

Time words like gece, sabah often act as bare adverbs: “at night,” “in the morning.” Gece rüzgar yoktu is the default. Gecede is possible for contrast or a specific night, and geceleyin is another adverb meaning “at night.”

Why is it yoktu and not değildi?

Existence/possession uses var/yok; their past forms are vardı/yoktu. Değil negates predicate nouns/adjectives (e.g., büyük değildi = “wasn’t big”), not existence. Rüzgar değildi would mean “It wasn’t wind,” which is a different structure.

Is rüzgar the subject here? Why doesn’t it take a case ending?

Yes, rüzgar is the subject of the existential clause. Subjects are unmarked for case in Turkish, so no ending is needed.

Could we say Rüzgar esmedi instead of Rüzgar yoktu?

Yes, but there’s a nuance:

Rüzgar yoktu = There was no wind (nonexistence).
Rüzgar esmedi = The wind didn’t blow (the action didn’t occur). Both are natural.

Why not plural rüzgarlar?

Weather phenomena are generally singular in Turkish when speaking generally: rüzgar yoktu. Plural rüzgarlar appears for countable instances or poetic effect.

Is the comma between the clauses correct? Could we add ve?

Yes, a comma commonly links two past narrative clauses: Çadırı birlikte kurduk, gece rüzgar yoktu. You can also say … ve gece rüzgar yoktu; both are fine.

Does çadırı necessarily mean “our tent”?

No. Çadırı just means “the tent” (definite). “Our tent” is çadırımız; in the accusative: çadırımızı. Turkish usually marks possession explicitly.

When do we use the buffer y with the accusative?

Use y if the noun ends in a vowel: araba → arabayı. If it ends in a consonant, no buffer: çadır → çadırı.

How is yoktu formed morphologically?

yok (there isn’t) + past copula idi → yok idi → contracted to yoktu. The i harmonizes to u after o, and d becomes t after the voiceless k.

Any pronunciation tips, especially for ı?

ç = “ch.”
ı is the undotted back vowel [ɯ], like the second vowel in English “roses” (approx.), not like i.
Çadırı ≈ cha-dɯ-Rɯ; rüzgar ≈ ryuz-GAR. Some write rüzgâr; pronunciation is the same for most speakers.

Could we use the evidential past, like kurmuşuz or yokmuş?

Yes, to show inference/hearsay/surprise:

Kurduk / yoktu = witnessed/simple past.
Kurmuşuz / yokmuş = apparently we set it up / there was apparently no wind.

Are other word orders possible for emphasis, like Çadırı biz birlikte kurduk?

Yes. Çadırı biz birlikte kurduk stresses that it was “we” who did it (not others). Biz çadırı birlikte kurduk also emphasizes the subject. The sentence without biz is the neutral choice.