Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Turkish grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Bu kurabiye bayat.
Where is the verb “is”? Why is there no verb here?
Turkish uses nominal sentences. In the present tense for third person, there’s no overt “to be.” So Bu kurabiye bayat. is complete and means “This cookie is stale.” (For 1st/2nd person, you add endings: Ben yorgunum, Sen yorgunsun.)
Do I need to add the copular suffix -dır/-dir?
No. Bu kurabiye bayat. is the normal, neutral way. Adding it gives formality or an inference: Bu kurabiye bayattır. = “It must be stale / it’s surely stale.” Note the spelling with double t: bayattır, not “bayatdır.”
Why does the adjective come last? Can I front it?
In nominal sentences the predicate typically comes last. Bu kurabiye bayat. is neutral. You can front for emphasis: Bayat bu kurabiye. (emphasis on “stale”), but the neutral, most common order keeps bayat at the end.
How do I negate it?
Use değil: Bu kurabiye bayat değil. To soften: Pek taze değil, Biraz bayat.
How do I ask “Is this cookie stale?”
Use the question particle on the predicate: Bu kurabiye bayat mı? The clitic harmonizes (mı/mi/mu/mü). You can also front for emphasis: Bayat mı bu kurabiye?
How do I say “These cookies are stale”? Does the adjective agree?
Bu kurabiyeler bayat. Adjectives don’t agree in number or gender in Turkish, so bayat stays the same. Avoid adding -lar to the predicate; you don’t say “bayatlar” for non-human subjects.
What exactly does bayat mean? Is it “rotten”?
Bayat = stale (not fresh but usually still edible), often for bread, pastries, cookies. Antonym: taze. For spoiled/inedible, use bozuk, küflü (moldy), çürük/çürümüş (rotten). Metaphorically: bayat espri (stale joke).
How do I say “has gone stale” or “is getting stale”?
Use the verb bayatlamak (to go stale):
- Bu kurabiye bayatladı. (has gone stale)
- Bu kurabiye bayatlamış. (apparently/it seems it has gone stale)
- Bu kurabiye bayatlıyor. (is getting stale) You can also say bayat oldu (it became stale).
How do I mark past, inference, or conditional with the adjective?
- Past: Bu kurabiye bayattı (or bayat idi).
- Evidential/hearsay: Bu kurabiye bayatmış.
- Inference/formal: Bu kurabiye bayattır.
- Conditional: Bayatsa… (from bayat ise). Spelling note: final t doubles before these: bayattı, bayattır, bayatsa.
Which demonstrative should I use: bu, şu, or o?
- bu = this (near the speaker): Bu kurabiye bayat.
- şu = that (near listener/being pointed out/just mentioned): Şu kurabiye bayat.
- o = that (far/absent): O kurabiye bayat.
Can I insert bir here?
Not in this structure. Bu kurabiye = “this cookie” (specific). Bu bir kurabiye = “This is a cookie” (classification). You don’t say Bu bir kurabiye bayat.
How can I say this more politely in a café?
Use softeners and hedges:
- Kusura bakmayın, sanırım bu kurabiye biraz bayat.
- Pek taze değil galiba.
- Sanki bu kurabiye bayat.
How do I say “a stale cookie” and “the cookie tastes stale”?
- Attributive: bayat kurabiye (a stale cookie).
- Predicate about taste: Bu kurabiyenin tadı bayat.
- Smell: Bayat kokuyor.
How do I make comparisons, like “staler” or “stalest”?
Use daha for comparative and en for superlative:
- Bu kurabiye, şundan daha bayat.
- En bayat kurabiye bu.
Is there a difference between kurabiye and bisküvi?
Broadly, kurabiye = cookie (often bakery-style, crumbly). bisküvi = biscuit/cracker-type, usually packaged. There’s overlap in everyday use, and regional preferences vary.