Learn Hardcore Turkish: Evli komşularımız kiracıya sıcak çorba verdiler. - Our married neighbors gave the tenant hot soup.

Evli means "married" and functions as an attributive adjective modifying komşularımız. In Turkish, adjectives come before the nouns they modify, so evli komşularımız means "our married neighbors."

How is komşularımız formed, and why is the plural before the possessive?

It’s built as: komşu + lar + ımız = neighbor + plural + our = "our neighbors."

In Turkish, the order is root + plural + possessive.
Vowel harmony applies: after -lar, the possessive becomes -ımız (not -imiz), because the last vowel before it is the back vowel a.
Without the plural: komşumuz = "our neighbor."
You can add the pronoun for emphasis: Bizim komşularımız = "our neighbors (as opposed to someone else’s)."

Why is the verb verdiler plural? Could it be verdi instead?

verdiler = ver- (give) + -di (simple past) + -ler (3rd person plural), matching the plural human subject komşularımız.
With an overt plural subject, Turkish allows both plural and singular verb agreement: Evli komşularımız ... verdi is also grammatical.
Using -ler with human subjects often emphasizes the plurality or adds a slightly more formal/explicit tone. With non-human plural subjects, the singular verb is more common unless you personify them.

What does the ending in kiracıya do, and why is it -ya not just -a?

-a/-e is the dative case, meaning "to/toward."
kiracı ends in a vowel, so a buffer consonant -y- is inserted to avoid a vowel clash: kiracı + y + a → kiracıya.
The choice of -a (not -e) follows vowel harmony (last vowel in kiracı is the back vowel ı, so you use the back variant -a).

Does kiracıya mean "to the tenant" or "to a tenant"? How do I show definiteness?

The dative case itself doesn’t mark definiteness. kiracıya can be "to the tenant" or "to a tenant," depending on context. To make it explicit:

bir kiracıya = to a tenant
o kiracıya / şu kiracıya = to that tenant
kiracımıza = to our tenant (kiracı + mız + a)

Why doesn’t sıcak çorba take the accusative -ı here?

In Turkish, an indefinite direct object is left unmarked (no accusative). sıcak çorba is indefinite, so no -ı. If it’s specific/definite, you add the accusative:

Indefinite: Kiracıya sıcak çorba verdiler.
Definite: Kiracıya sıcak çorbayı verdiler. ("They gave the hot soup to the tenant.")

Can I change the word order? What changes in meaning?

Yes, Turkish allows flexible word order for emphasis (the focused element usually appears right before the verb).

Evli komşularımız kiracıya sıcak çorba verdiler. (Neutral; focus often on what was given: hot soup.)
Evli komşularımız sıcak çorbayı kiracıya verdiler. (Direct object is definite; focus shifts to the indirect object "to the tenant".)
Kiracıya sıcak çorba verdiler. (Subject dropped; "they" is understood.)
Sıcak çorbayı kiracıya evli komşularımız verdiler. (Focus on the subject: it was our married neighbors who gave it.)

Do adjectives agree in number with the noun? Why isn’t it evliler komşularımız?

Adjectives in Turkish do not inflect for number or case when used attributively. So you use evli komşularımız, not evliler komşularımız.

evliler (with -ler) turns the adjective into a noun meaning "the married ones": Evliler kiracıya sıcak çorba verdiler = "The married ones gave the tenant hot soup." That’s a different structure.

Can you break down every word morphologically?

Evli = married (adjective)
komşu + lar + ımız = neighbor + plural + our → "our neighbors"
kiracı + y + a = tenant + buffer y + to → "to the tenant"
sıcak = hot (adjective)
çorba = soup (noun)
ver + di + ler = give + past + they → "they gave"

How would I say "Our married neighbor (singular) gave the tenant hot soup"?

Evli komşumuz kiracıya sıcak çorba verdi.

What’s the difference between Evli komşularımız and Komşularımız evli?

Evli komşularımız = "our married neighbors" (evli is an attributive adjective inside a noun phrase).
Komşularımız evli = "our neighbors are married" (evli is a predicate adjective, forming a full clause).

How do I make both objects clearly definite?

Direct object: add accusative → sıcak çorbayı
Indirect object: use a determiner or a possessor
- o kiracıya = to that tenant
- kiracımıza = to our tenant Example: Evli komşularımız o kiracıya sıcak çorbayı verdiler.

Is it okay to say Bizim evli komşularımız? Isn’t that redundant?

It’s grammatical and common. The possessive suffix in komşularımız already encodes "our," so bizim is optional and adds emphasis or contrast: Bizim evli komşularımız (our married neighbors, not someone else’s).

How would I indicate quantity, like "a bowl of hot soup"?

Use a measure word:

bir kase sıcak çorba = a bowl of hot soup
iki kase sıcak çorba = two bowls of hot soup
biraz sıcak çorba = some hot soup

Are there any pronunciation tips for letters in this sentence?

Yes:

ş = sh (as in "shoe"): komşu → "kom-shu"
ç = ch (as in "chop"): çorba → "chor-ba"
ı (dotless i) = a close/back unrounded vowel (like the a in "sofa" in many accents): sıcak → roughly "suh-jak"
c = j (as in "jam"): kiracı → "kee-RAH-juh" Turkish stress is typically on the last syllable: kom-ŞU-la-rı-MIZ, ki-ra-CI-ya, ver-Dİ-ler.

What if I want to say "Apparently they gave hot soup..."?

Use the inferential (reported) past:

Kiracıya sıcak çorba vermişler. Simple past (direct witness) is verdiler; inferential (hearsay/inference) is vermişler.