Silgi masada.

to be

Breakdown of Silgi masada.

• masa: the table
• -da: on
• silgi: the eraser

Questions & Answers about Silgi masada.

Why is there no word for “is” in Silgi masada?

Turkish often drops a separate verb for “to be” in the present with third person. This is called a nominal sentence: subject + predicate.

• Subject: Silgi (the eraser)
• Predicate: masada (at/on the table, via the locative case) You can optionally add a formal/emphatic copula suffix: Silgi masadadır.
  For 1st/2nd person, Turkish uses copular endings: Masadayım (I am at the table), Masadasın (you are at the table).

What does the ending -da in masada mean?

It’s the locative case, meaning “in/at/on,” depending on the noun. With masa (table), masada usually means “on the table” (or “at the table” in contexts like restaurants).

How do I choose between -da/-de and -ta/-te?

Two rules:

• Vowel harmony picks the vowel: last vowel a, ı, o, u → -da/-ta; last vowel e, i, ö, ü → -de/-te.
• Consonant assimilation: after a voiceless consonant (ç, f, h, k, p, s, ş, t), use -t-; otherwise use -d-. Examples:
• masa → masada (ends with vowel; last vowel a → da)
• ev → evde (vowel e → de)
• kitap → kitapta (ends with p → ta)
• park → parkta (ends with k → ta)
• köprü → köprüde (vowel ü → de)