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Questions & Answers about Çıkış kapalı.
Why is there no explicit to be verb in Çıkış kapalı?
Turkish allows nominal sentences, where a noun or adjective serves as the predicate without an overt to be verb in the present tense for third person. So Çıkış kapalı literally says “exit closed,” which is understood as “The exit is closed.”
- Third-person present copula is zero: Kapı açık (The door is open).
- With other persons, you add a copular ending: Ben öğrenciyim (I am a student), Biz kapalıyız (We are closed — e.g., on a shop sign).
When would I add -dır/-dir/-dur/-dür (as in Çıkış kapalıdır)?
The suffix -(d)Ir is an optional copular/epistemic marker. You use it for:
- Formal or written style (announcements, reports, signage).
- Emphasis or conveying certainty/generality.
- Disambiguation in complex sentences.
Here, Çıkış kapalıdır is more formal/emphatic than Çıkış kapalı. Vowel harmony applies: since the last vowel of kapalı is ı, you get -dır → kapalıdır.
How do I ask a yes/no question or make it negative?
- Yes/no question: add the question particle (written separately) with vowel harmony: Çıkış kapalı mı?
- Negative (with adjectives): use değil: Çıkış kapalı değil (The exit is not closed).
- Antonym: Çıkış açık (The exit is open).
How do I pronounce Çıkış kapalı?
- ç = ch as in church.
- ş = sh as in shoe.
- ı (dotless i) = a close, back, unrounded vowel; think the vowel in the second syllable of American English “roses,” but further back.
- Syllables: çı-kış ka-pa-lı.
- Default stress is usually on the last syllable: ka-pa-lı.
A rough approximation: “chuh-KISH kah-pah-LUH.”
Does kapalı change for plural subjects?
No. Predicative adjectives don’t agree in number or gender.
- Çıkışlar kapalı = The exits are closed.
Avoid kapalılar here; that form is only used when you mean “the closed ones” as a noun.
How do I express “the” or “an” in Turkish here?
Turkish has no articles like “the” or “a.” Context does the work. If you need to be specific, use demonstratives:
- Bu çıkış kapalı (This exit is closed).
- Şu çıkış kapalı (That exit [near you] is closed).
- O çıkış kapalı (That exit [over there] is closed).
You can use bir to mean “a/an” or “one,” but it’s usually unnecessary here unless you emphasize “one exit.”
Can I say Kapalı çıkış instead?
That changes the structure:
- Çıkış kapalı is a full sentence: “The exit is closed.”
- Kapalı çıkış is a noun phrase: “closed exit.” It labels a type of exit, not a statement. On signs, you might see either, but the sentence form clearly states a condition.
What’s the difference between kapalı, kapandı, kapatıldı, and kapanmış?
- kapalı: state — “closed.”
- kapandı: intransitive past — “it closed/has closed” (the event happened).
- kapatıldı: passive past — “it was closed (by someone).”
- kapanmış: evidential/reported past — “apparently it has closed/it seems it closed.”
- For past state: kapalıydı (it was closed).
How can I add a reason or timeframe, like “due to maintenance,” “temporarily,” or “currently”?
Common add-ons:
- Reason: … nedeniyle / … yüzünden (due to/because of).
- Temporarily: geçici olarak.
- Currently/at the moment: şu anda.
Examples: - Çıkış bakım nedeniyle kapalı.
- Çıkış geçici olarak kapalı.
- Çıkış şu anda kapalı.
You may also hear Çıkış bakımda (“The exit is under maintenance”).
How do I say “All exits are closed”?
- Tüm çıkışlar kapalı.
- Bütün çıkışlar kapalı.
- Using a pronoun: Hepsi kapalı. (They are all closed.)
How do I specify “this/that” exit or a particular one like “the one on the left”?
- Bu çıkış kapalı. (This exit is closed.)
- Şu çıkış kapalı. (That exit near you is closed.)
- O çıkış kapalı. (That exit over there is closed.)
- Soldaki çıkış kapalı. (The exit on the left is closed.)
- Ana çıkış kapalı. (The main exit is closed.)
Can kapalı take a case to mean “closed to X,” like “closed to the public”?
Yes. Kapalı often takes the dative (-e/-a) to indicate what it’s closed to:
- Halka kapalı (closed to the public).
- Ziyarete kapalı (closed to visitors).
- Araç trafiğine kapalı (closed to vehicle traffic).
- Üyelere kapalı (members only; closed to non-members).
Should I say Çıkış kapısı kapalı instead of Çıkış kapalı?
Use Çıkış kapısı kapalı when you specifically mean “The exit door is closed.”
- çıkış = exit (the way out).
- kapı = door/gate.
- çıkış kapısı = exit door.
So both are fine; choose based on whether you’re talking about the route (exit) or the physical door.
Anything special about capitalization and dots in Çıkış kapalı?
Yes. Turkish distinguishes dotted İ/i and dotless I/ı as separate letters. In uppercase, İ keeps its dot. So the all-caps version is ÇIKIŞ KAPALI, with two dotted İs and one dotless I. Preserve these for correct spelling.
Is writing without Turkish characters (like Cikis kapali) acceptable?
It’s common in informal texting but it’s incorrect and can confuse pronunciation and meaning. Correct forms use diacritics: ç, ğ, ı, İ, ö, ş, ü. Here, you need ç, ş, ı: Çıkış kapalı. Set up a Turkish keyboard if possible.
Any register or politeness tips for signs?
- Plain and common: Çıkış kapalı.
- More formal/polite: Çıkış kapalıdır. Lütfen diğer çıkışı kullanınız.
Other useful sign phrases: - Kapalıyız (We are closed — shops).
- Girilmez (No entry).
- Çıkış yok (No exit).
Also note other uses of kapalı, e.g., Hava kapalı (It’s overcast).