Kırtasiye dükkânı bugün kapalı.

The stationery shop is closed today.

Breakdown of Kırtasiye dükkânı bugün kapalı.

• olmak: to be
• bugün: today
• kapalı: closed
• kırtasiye dükkânı: the stationery shop

Questions & Answers about Kırtasiye dükkânı bugün kapalı.

Why does dükkânı end in -ı? Is that the accusative case?

• It’s not accusative here; it’s the 3rd person possessive suffix used in an indefinite noun–noun compound: kırtasiye dükkân-ı = stationery shop.
• Pattern: Noun1 + Noun2-(s)I (3rd person poss). The first noun is bare; the second carries the possessive.
  • kahve fincanı = coffee cup
  • kitap dükkânı = bookstore
• Accusative would come after this possessive: kırtasiye dükkânı-nı (as a direct object).

Where is the verb to be? Why is there no is?

• In present-time equational sentences, Turkish usually drops a separate verb. An adjective or noun can be the predicate by itself: kapalı = is closed.
• A formal/assertive ending -dır/-dir/-dur/-dür can be added (see below), but it’s not needed in everyday speech.

What’s the difference between kapalı, kapalıdır, and kapalıydı?

• kapalı: is closed (neutral, everyday).
• kapalıdır: is closed (more formal, emphatic, written style, signage, or stating a general fact).
• kapalıydı: was closed (past state).

Why not say kapandı?

• kapalı states a current state: it is closed (the doors are not open).
• kapandı is an event: it closed, it got closed (the action of closing happened).
• So Kırtasiye dükkânı bugün kapalı = it is closed today, while … bugün kapandı = it closed today.

Can I move bugün around? Does word order change the meaning?

• All of these are fine, with slight emphasis changes:
  • Kırtasiye dükkânı bugün kapalı. (neutral)
  • Bugün kırtasiye dükkânı kapalı. (emphasis on today)
• Keeping the predicate (kapalı) near the end is the most natural. Putting bugün at the very end sounds odd in this sentence.

How do we know it means the stationery shop if Turkish has no articles?

• Turkish has no article like English the. Specificity comes from context and case marking.
• kırtasiye dükkânı can mean the specific stationery shop you both know about, or a generic one, depending on context.
• If you need an explicit a, use bir: Bir kırtasiye dükkânı…

Is bugün one word or two?

• bugün is one word and the standard spelling.
• You’ll often see two-word expressions like bu akşam (this evening), but bugün is fixed as one word.

How do I pronounce the dotless ı in kırtasiye and dükkânı?

• ı: a back, unrounded vowel with no exact English equivalent; think of the relaxed vowel in the second syllable of English “roses” or the a in “sofa,” but further back.
• Don’t pronounce it like English “ee” or “uh” too strongly; keep it short and neutral.
• For reference: i = “ee” (see), u = “oo” (food), ü = the French/German u (as in French tu, German über).

Why is there a circumflex in dükkân? Do I have to write it?

• The circumflex (â) signals a long vowel and/or palatal quality after certain consonants. In dükkân, it lengthens the a.
• In practice many people write dükkan without the circumflex. You’ll see both; formal writing prefers dükkân.

What’s the difference between dükkân and mağaza?

• dükkân: shop, typically smaller, independent.
• mağaza: store, often larger or a chain/brand outlet.
• You could say kırtasiye mağazası for a larger retail stationery store.

Can I just say kırtasiye to mean the shop? What about kırtasiyeci?

• Yes. In everyday speech, kırtasiye commonly means the stationery shop itself.
• kırtasiyeci is the shopkeeper, and by extension also the shop. All are widely understood.

How do I ask “Is the stationery shop closed today?”

• Use the question particle mi/mı/mu/mü (it harmonizes with the previous vowel):
  • Kırtasiye dükkânı bugün kapalı mı?
• Shorter, if context is clear: Bugün kapalı mı?

How do I say it’s not closed?

• Negate with değil:
  • Kırtasiye dükkânı bugün kapalı değil.
• Opposite adjective: açık (open).
  • Kırtasiye dükkânı bugün açık.

How do I make it plural: “Stationery shops are closed today”?

• Pluralize the second noun of the compound:
  • Kırtasiye dükkânları bugün kapalı.
• Colloquially, you can also say Kırtasiyeler bugün kapalı.

How do I add case endings to this compound (to, at, from the shop)?

• Add case to the second noun after its possessive, using the buffer n:
  • to the shop: kırtasiye dükkânı-na → kırtasiye dükkânına
  • at the shop: kırtasiye dükkânı-nda → kırtasiye dükkânında
  • from the shop: kırtasiye dükkânı-ndan → kırtasiye dükkânından
• The n appears because the 3rd person possessive ends in a vowel (-ı/-i/-u/-ü).

I’ve seen signs that say Bugün kapalıyız. How is that different?

• Bugün kapalıyız = We are closed today (first-person plural), the voice a business uses to speak about itself to customers.
• Kırtasiye dükkânı bugün kapalı = The stationery shop is closed today (a neutral third-person statement).