Learn Hardcore Turkish: Salatalık çok taze; yoğurtlu salataya çok yakışıyor. - The cucumber is very fresh; it goes very well with a yogurt salad.

Turkish has no articles, so salatalık can mean “a cucumber,” “the cucumber,” or “cucumbers” in a generic sense. To be explicit, say bir salatalık (a cucumber) or salatalıklar (cucumbers).

Is salatalık related to salata?

Yes. It’s historically salata + -lık (a noun-forming suffix meaning “for/related to”), originally “something for salad.” It’s now lexicalized as the word for “cucumber.”

Is there another word for cucumber, and does it sound rude?

The other common word is hıyar. It’s perfectly correct but also a slang insult (“idiot”), so many people prefer salatalık in casual conversation. For small pickling cucumbers you’ll hear kornişon.

What does yoğurtlu mean? How does the -lu suffix work?

-lI/-li/-lu/-lü means “with/that has,” chosen by vowel harmony. yoğurt + -lu → yoğurtlu = “with yogurt / yogurt-based.” Examples: sütlü kahve (coffee with milk), peynirli börek (cheese pastry).

Why is it salataya and not salata?

The verb yakışmak (“to suit; to go well with”) takes the dative case -A (harmonizing to -a/-e). Since salata ends in a vowel, add the buffer y: salata + (y)a → salataya = “to the salad.”

Why not salatada (“in the salad”)?

-DA is the locative (“in/at/on”). Yakışmak expresses suitability “to/for” something, so it governs the dative (-A), not the locative.

Could we say salatayla instead of salataya?

Not with yakışmak, which selects the dative. If you want to use -la/-le or ile (“with”), switch verbs: Yoğurtla iyi gider (“It goes well with yogurt”) or Yoğurtla harika olur (“It turns out great with yogurt”).

What is the subject of yakışıyor in the second clause?

It’s still salatalık. Turkish drops subject pronouns when understood. You could say O, yoğurtlu salataya çok yakışıyor (“It …”), but o is optional.

Why is yakışıyor (present continuous) used instead of yakışır (aorist)?

yakışıyor highlights a current/specific situation: “it’s really going well (now/this time).”
yakışır states a general truth/habit: “it goes well (in general).” Both are correct; choose based on meaning.

What does çok do here, and is repeating it okay?

Çok intensifies: çok taze = “very fresh,” çok yakışıyor = “really suits/goes great.” Repeating it is natural. Alternatives: gayet, pek, bayağı, epey.

Is the semicolon necessary?

It’s stylistic. A semicolon neatly links two related independent clauses. A period is also fine: Salatalık çok taze. Yoğurtlu salataya çok yakışıyor. A comma alone is not standard for joining two full clauses.

Can yoğurtlu salata refer to a specific dish like tzatziki?

It’s a generic “yogurt-based salad.” If you mean the yogurt–cucumber dip, say cacık. Example: Salatalık çok taze; cacığa çok yakışıyor.

How would I say “Cucumbers are very fresh; they go great in a yogurt salad”?

Plural subject version: Salatalıklar çok taze; yoğurtlu salataya çok yakışıyor. With inanimate plural subjects, keeping the verb singular is very common. … yakışıyorlar is also possible but less common in everyday speech.

Is there a hidden “to be” in Salatalık çok taze?

Yes. Turkish uses a zero copula in the present: [subject] + [adjective] = “[subject] is/are [adjective].” A formal/definitive variant adds -dır/-dir: Salatalık çok tazedir.

How do I pronounce ğ in yoğurtlu?

Turkish ğ is a “soft g”: it lengthens or smooths the preceding vowel; it isn’t a hard g. In yoğurt, the o is slightly lengthened; no separate consonant sound is inserted.

Can I change the word order?

The neutral order is yoğurtlu salataya çok yakışıyor (goal in dative + degree + verb). You can move emphasis words like gerçekten/çok around the verb, but putting çok before yoğurtlu would change the meaning to “very yogurt-y salad.”

Any near-synonyms for yakışmak in food talk?

iyi gider (ile/−la): “goes well (with)” → Yoğurtla iyi gider.
uymak (dat.): “to match/suit” → Yoğurtlu salataya iyi uyar.
harika/çok güzel olur: “turns out great” → Yoğurtla harika olur.