Fermuar bozuk.

The zipper is broken.

Breakdown of Fermuar bozuk.

• olmak: to be
• bozuk: broken
• fermuar: the zipper

Questions & Answers about Fermuar bozuk.

Where is the verb “is”? Why is there no verb in the sentence?

Turkish can make a full sentence with a noun/adjective + subject and no verb. This is called a nominal (equational) sentence. So Fermuar bozuk literally means “Zipper broken,” which is how Turkish says “The zipper is broken.”
If you need tense, you add it to the predicate:

• Past: Fermuar bozuktu (was broken)
• Reported past: Fermuar bozukmuş
• Future: Fermuar bozuk olacak

Can I say Fermuar bozuktur instead? What’s the difference?

Yes. -dır/-dir/-dur/-dür is an optional copular suffix. Fermuar bozuktur sounds more formal, general, or inferential (“I conclude the zipper is broken”)—less common in everyday speech. Neutral, conversational Turkish prefers Fermuar bozuk.

How do I make it negative?

Use değil for nominal predicates:

• Present negative: Fermuar bozuk değil (not broken)
• Past negative: Fermuar bozuk değildi
• Reported past negative: Fermuar bozuk değilmiş
• Future negative uses ol-: Fermuar bozuk olmayacak

How do I ask “Is the zipper broken?”

Add the question particle mi/ mı/ mu/ mü (it follows vowel harmony and is written separately):

• Fermuar bozuk mu? Past question: Fermuar bozuk muydu?
  (Notice the past marker attaches to the question particle: mu + ydu.)

Where are “the” or “a”? Why does Turkish omit articles?

Turkish has no articles like “the” or “a.” Fermuar can mean “the zipper” or “a zipper” depending on context. To specify:

• “this/that”: Bu/Şu/O fermuar bozuk.
• If you really mean one-of-many, you can say Bir fermuar bozuk, but that usually means “One (of the) zippers is broken,” not just “a zipper.”

What’s the word order here? Could I say Bozuk fermuar?

As a sentence, it’s Subject + Predicate: Fermuar (subject) + bozuk (predicate adjective).
Bozuk fermuar is not a sentence; it’s a noun phrase meaning “a broken zipper.”

Is bozuk the right “broken”? How does it differ from other words like kırık, yırtık, or arızalı?

• bozuk: not functioning/defective/out of order (zippers, machines, instruments, electronics, systems). Also “spoiled” in a broad sense.
• kırık: physically broken into pieces (a glass, a bone).
• yırtık: torn (clothes, paper).
• arızalı: faulty/defective (more formal/technical).
  For a zipper, bozuk is the most natural; you can also say it’s sıkıştı/takıldı (stuck) if that’s the issue.

How do I say “My zipper is broken” or “The jacket’s zipper is broken”?

• “My zipper is broken”: Fermuarım bozuk.
• “The jacket’s zipper is broken”: Ceketimin fermuarı bozuk.
• “Its zipper is broken” (of something already mentioned): Fermuarı bozuk.
  Note the possessive suffixes: -ım/-im/-um/-üm for “my,” -ı/-i/-u/-ü for “its,” plus the genitive on the owner (-in/-ın/-ün/-un).

How do I say “The zipper got broken” (an event) versus “is broken” (a state)?

• State: Fermuar bozuk.
• Event: Fermuar bozuldu (“the zipper broke/got broken”).
  The verb is bozulmak (to break down/spoil).

How do I make it plural: “The zippers are broken”?

• Natural: Fermuarlar bozuk. Using plural on the predicate (bozuklar) is usually reserved for emphasis or for human subjects (and can sound like “they are the broken ones”). For objects, keep the predicate singular: Fermuarlar bozuk.

How do I pronounce the sentence?

• Fermuar: three syllables, fer-mu-ar. The u and a are pronounced separately (no diphthong). Stress is typically on the last syllable: fer-mu-AR.
• bozuk: two syllables, bo-zuk, with final stress: bo-ZUK.
  Turkish “r” is tapped/flipped; all vowels are pure and short.

How could I say this politely in a shop when returning an item?

• Pointing to an item: Bunun fermuarı bozuk. (The zipper of this is broken.)
• As a complaint: Fermuarı bozuk çıktı. (It turned out the zipper was broken.)
• Adding politeness: Üründe fermuarla ilgili bir problem var.

How do I talk about other zipper problems?

• “The zipper is stuck”: Fermuar sıkıştı or Fermuar takıldı.
• “The zipper won’t open/close”: Fermuar açılmıyor/kapanmıyor.
• “The teeth are broken”: Dişleri kırılmış.
• “It came off the track”: Raydan çıktı.

Can I add degree words like “very” or “completely”?

Yes:

• Çok bozuk (very broken/very faulty)
• Tamamen bozuk (completely broken)
• For a worsening process: İyice bozulmuş (has really deteriorated).

Is there grammatical gender involved?

No. Turkish has no grammatical gender. Fermuar is just a noun; pronouns and adjectives don’t change for gender.

Where does the word fermuar come from?

It’s a loanword (ultimately from French). It’s the standard, everyday Turkish word for “zipper.” There isn’t a common native alternative; in tech contexts, English “zip” exists but refers to file compression, not clothing.