Kurs ücretli.

The course has a fee.

Breakdown of Kurs ücretli.

• olmak: to be
• kurs: the course
• ücretli: paid

Questions & Answers about Kurs ücretli.

Why is there no verb like “is” in “Kurs ücretli”?

Turkish often uses nominal sentences without an explicit “to be” in the present tense, 3rd person. The structure is simply Subject + Predicate: Kurs (subject) + ücretli (adjectival predicate) = “The course is paid.” There’s no need for a separate verb in this tense/person.

Does “Kurs” mean “the course” or “a course”? There’s no article.

Turkish has no articles like “a/the.” Kurs can mean “the course” if context has identified it, or it can be generic. If you need to be explicit:

• Bu kurs ücretli. = This course is paid.
• Bir kurs ücretli. = A course is paid. (Seldom used out of context; feels odd unless contrasting types.)

Why “ücretli” and not “ücret”? What’s the difference?

Ücret is a noun: “fee.”
Ücretli is an adjective: “with a fee, paid, fee-charging.”
In a sentence like this you need an adjective as the predicate: Kurs ücretli = “The course is paid.”

How is “ücretli” formed? What about vowel harmony?

It’s ücret (fee) + the adjectival suffix -li (“with, having”). The suffix obeys vowel harmony: -lı/-li/-lu/-lü. The last vowel in ücret is e (front, unrounded), so you choose -li: ücret + li → ücretli.

Is “ücretli” the opposite of “ücretsiz”? When do I use each vs. “değil”?

• Ücretli = paid.
• Ücretsiz = free (no fee).
• Ücretli değil = not paid. Both ücretsiz and ücretli değil work; ücretsiz is the concise antonym and sounds more natural in many contexts. Use ücretli değil when you’re negating a prior claim or contrasting: “It’s not paid (as you thought).”

What’s the difference between “Kurs ücretli” and “Ücretli kurs”?

• Kurs ücretli. is a full sentence: “The course is paid.”
• Ücretli kurs is a noun phrase: “a paid course.”
  Example: Ücretli bir kurs arıyorum. = “I’m looking for a paid course.”

How do I ask “Is the course paid?”

Use the question particle mi, written separately and harmonized:

• Kurs ücretli mi? More formal/polite:
• Kurs ücretli midir?

How do I say it’s not paid?

• Kurs ücretsiz. = The course is free.
• Kurs ücretli değil. = The course is not paid.
  Both are fine; ücretsiz is shorter and common.

When should I add the ending “-dir,” as in “Kurs ücretlidir”?

-dır/-dir/-dur/-dür can add formality, general truth, or speaker certainty/inference.

• Kurs ücretli. = neutral, everyday.
• Kurs ücretlidir. = more formal, emphatic, or matter-of-fact (e.g., in rules/policies).

Why not say “Kursun ücreti var” instead?

You can, but it shifts structure:

• Kurs ücretli. = The course is paid (adjectival predicate).
• Kursun ücreti var. = The course has a fee (existence/possession with var).
  Both are natural; pick based on what you want to emphasize.

How do I state the actual fee, like “The course fee is 500 TL”?

• Kurs ücreti 500 TL. (most common)
• Kurs 500 TL. (elliptical, also common in ads)
• More formal: Kurs ücreti beş yüz TL’dir.

What about plural: “Courses are paid”?

• Kurslar ücretli. = Courses are paid.
  Turkish often leaves the predicate adjective singular even with a plural subject. A formal version is Kurslar ücretlidir.

How do I put it in past, future, or reported speech?

Attach the copular/tense to the predicate:

• Past: Kurs ücretliydi. = The course was paid. (buffer -y- because ücretli ends with a vowel)
• Future: Kurs ücretli olacak. = The course will be paid.
• Reported: Kurs ücretliymiş. = Apparently the course is/was paid.
• Past negative: Kurs ücretli değildi.

Pronunciation tips for “Kurs ücretli”?

• u in kurs is a back rounded vowel [u].
• ü in ücretli is front rounded [y] (like French “u”).
• ç is “ch” as in “church.”
• ı (dotless) is a central vowel [ɯ], like a relaxed “uh.”
  Stress is typically on the last syllable: kur(s) üc-ret-Lİ.

Can “ücretli” mean “employee”? Is there ambiguity?

Yes, as a noun ücretli can mean “wage earner/salaried employee,” especially in socio-economic contexts: ücretliler = wage earners. In Kurs ücretli, context makes it an adjective (“paid”), so there’s no ambiguity.

Is “kurs” the same as “ders”?

Not exactly:

• Kurs: a course or training program (often extracurricular/short-term).
• Ders: a class/lesson (at school/university or a single lesson).
  So Kurs ücretli = that course is paid. Ders ücretli would mean a particular class/lesson is paid (e.g., private lesson).

How do I make it crystal-clear which course I’m talking about?

Use a demonstrative:

• Bu kurs ücretli. = This course is paid.
• Şu kurs ücretli. = That course (near you) is paid.
• O kurs ücretli. = That course (over there/previously mentioned) is paid.