Bugün rüzgar sert.

to be

Breakdown of Bugün rüzgar sert.

• bugün: today
• rüzgar: the wind
• sert: harsh

Questions & Answers about Bugün rüzgar sert.

Where is the verb “is”? Why is there no verb in this sentence?

Turkish often drops “to be” in the present tense for third person. In sentences with an adjective or noun as the predicate, there is a zero-copula. So Bugün rüzgar sert literally says “Today wind strong,” which means “The wind is strong today.” Other examples: Hava sıcak (The weather is hot), Kapı açık (The door is open). For other tenses you do mark it: Rüzgar sertti (The wind was strong), Rüzgar sert olacak (will be strong).

Should it be serttir instead of sert?

Not in everyday speech. The suffix -dır/-dir/-dur/-dür (copular) is optional and adds formality, emphasis, or a sense of general truth. With voicing assimilation it becomes -tir after a voiceless consonant, so: sert + dir → serttir. Use it when generalizing or sounding formal:

• Buralarda rüzgar genelde serttir. (Around here the wind is generally strong.)
  With a time adverb like bugün, dropping it is most natural: Bugün rüzgar sert.

How can Turkish say “the wind” without an article?

Turkish has no articles. Rüzgar can mean “wind” or “the wind” depending on context. If you need to make it specific, use a demonstrative: bu rüzgar (this wind), o rüzgar (that wind).

Can I change the word order?