Learn Hardcore Turkish: Müzede giriş bugün bedava. - Entrance to the museum is free today.

Turkish often drops the present-tense “to be” in nominal sentences. So Müzede giriş bugün bedava literally reads “At the museum, admission today free.” The “is” is understood. You can optionally add the formal copula -dir: Müzede giriş bugün bedavadır (still “is free today,” but more formal/definitive).

What does the ending -de in Müzede do?

It’s the locative case suffix meaning “in/at/on.” Because of vowel harmony and consonant rules, it appears as -da / -de / -ta / -te. With müze (front vowel, final consonant voiced), you get -de: müzede = “at the museum.”

Should it be Müzeye instead of Müzede?

Müzeye giriş means “entry/admission to the museum” (dative case; very idiomatic when talking about admission).
Müzede giriş sets “the museum” as the location/topic: “At the museum, admission is free.” It’s grammatical and fine as a notice or announcement. If you want the most straightforward way to say “Admission to the museum is free today,” use Müzeye giriş bugün bedava/ücretsiz.

Is giriş a noun or a verb here?

A noun. Giriş is a deverbal noun from gir- (to enter) and means “entry/admission” (also “entrance” as a place, depending on context). Here it’s “admission.” The verb would be girmek (“to enter”).

Could I say Müzeye girmek bugün bedava?

It’s grammatical, but with an -mek verb as subject, Turkish prefers adjectives like ücretsiz over bedava. More natural:

Müzeye girmek bugün ücretsiz. Best and most idiomatic for signage: Müzeye giriş bugün ücretsiz/bedava.

What’s the difference between bedava, ücretsiz, parasız, and beleş?

ücretsiz: neutral/formal (“free of charge”).
bedava: common, casual.
parasız: “without money,” can sound a bit blunt/colloquial in this context.
beleş: slang/informal; avoid in formal contexts. For notices, ücretsiz is safest; bedava is fine in everyday speech.

Can I add -dir and say bedavadır/ücretsizdir?

Yes. -dir adds formality, generality, or certainty. A sign or official announcement might read Müzeye giriş bugün ücretsizdir. Without -dir feels more conversational.

Can I move the words around?

Yes; Turkish word order is flexible and affects emphasis. The predicate is bedava, so what comes right before it is focused.

Bugün müzeye giriş bedava. (Emphasis on “today.”)
Müzeye giriş bugün bedava. (Also highlights “today.”)
Müzede bugün giriş bedava. (Topic: at the museum; focus “today.”) All are acceptable; pick the one that matches your emphasis.

Do I need an article like “the” before “museum”?

Turkish has no articles like “the/a.” Müzede can mean “at the museum” (context supplies which museum). To be specific, you can use demonstratives: bu müzede (at this museum), o müzede (at that museum), or a proper name: Ayasofya’da (at Hagia Sophia).

Could/should I use var/yok instead?

You can rephrase with “fee exists/doesn’t exist”:

Positive: Müzeye giriş ücreti yok (“There is no admission fee.”)
Formal: Müzeye giriş ücreti bugün yoktur. Your original sentence states the same idea predicate-adjectively with bedava/ücretsiz.

How do I turn it into a yes/no question?

Add the question particle mi/mı/mü/mu to the predicate:

Müzede giriş bugün bedava mı? You can also front bugün for flow:
Bugün müzede giriş bedava mı?

How do I make it negative?

Use değil after the predicate adjective:

Müzeye giriş bugün bedava değil. Or state it positively with the opposite:
Müzeye giriş bugün ücretli.
Bugün giriş ücreti vardır. (more formal)

What’s the difference between müzeye giriş and müzenin girişi?

müzeye giriş: “admission to the museum” (the act/permission of entering).
müzenin girişi: “the museum’s entrance” (the doorway/entryway). So for fees/being free, prefer müzeye giriş or giriş ücreti (admission fee).

Why is de attached in Müzede and not written separately as müze de?

Attached -de/-da is the locative case suffix (“in/at/on”). The separate particle de/da (written apart) means “also/too.” Here we need the case suffix, so it must be attached: müzede.

Any pronunciation tips for this sentence?

ü in müze, bugün: front rounded vowel, like German ü or French u.
ş in giriş: “sh” sound.
Final -e in müze is a clear “eh.”
Vowel harmony influences suffixes: müze + de → müzede (front vowel, so -de, not -da).