Breakdown of Dondurucu dolu; dondurucudan buz çıkarıyorum.
olmak
to be
dolu
full
-dan
from
çıkarmak
to take out
buz
the ice
dondurucu
the freezer
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Turkish grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Dondurucu dolu; dondurucudan buz çıkarıyorum.
Why is there no “is” in Dondurucu dolu?
Turkish often drops a separate “to be” verb in the present for third person. Nominal/adjectival predicates stand on their own:
- Dondurucu dolu. = “The freezer is full.” To negate, Turkish uses değil: Dondurucu dolu değil. For other persons, a copular suffix appears: Ben doluyum, Biz doluyuz, etc.
Can I say Dondurucu doludur instead? What’s the difference?
Yes. -dır/-dir is the copular suffix. It adds formality, emphasis, or a sense of general/definitional truth.
- Dondurucu dolu. Natural, conversational.
- Dondurucu doludur. More formal/emphatic (“It is indeed full” or “as a rule, it’s full”).
How is dondurucudan formed?
- Base noun: dondurucu “freezer”
- Ablative (from) suffix: -DAn Harmony/assimilation choose the right form:
- Last vowel is back (u) → use -dan (not -den).
- Previous sound is a vowel/voiced → use d- (not t-). Result: dondurucu + dan → dondurucudan = “from the freezer.”
Why is it buz and not buzu?
Turkish marks direct objects with accusative only if they are specific/definite. Bare buz is non-specific/partitive: “(some) ice.”
- Dondurucudan buz çıkarıyorum. “I’m taking out some ice.”
- Dondurucudan buzu çıkarıyorum. “I’m taking out the ice (the specific ice we have in mind).”
Could I say buz alıyorum instead of buz çıkarıyorum?
Yes, in everyday speech almak often means “to take (get)” and sounds natural: Dondurucudan buz alıyorum.
- çıkarmak = “to take out/remove (from inside),” emphasizes the out-of motion.
- almak = “to take/get/buy,” broader and very common. With a source (ablative), it won’t be misread as “buy.”
Is çıkartıyorum correct, or must it be çıkarıyorum?
Both are widely used. Çıkar- is the shorter, often preferred form; çıkart- is common in speech and not wrong. In most contexts they’re interchangeable.
What exactly is the tense/aspect of çıkarıyorum?
It’s present continuous: stem çıkar- + progressive -(I)yor + 1st sg -um → çıkarıyorum = “I am taking out.”
- Habitual/general: çıkarırım (aorist) = “I (usually) take out.”
- Past: çıkardım; Negative: çıkarmıyorum; Future: çıkaracağım.
Is the word order Dondurucudan buz çıkarıyorum the only option?
No, Turkish word order is flexible, with focus just before the verb:
- Dondurucudan buz çıkarıyorum. Neutral; slight emphasis on the source (“from the freezer”).
- Buz çıkarıyorum dondurucudan. Possible but less neutral; places tail info after the verb.
- With specific object: Buzu dondurucudan çıkarıyorum. Emphasizes the specific ice and its source. Default is to keep main elements before the verb.
How would I say “My freezer is full; I’m taking ice out of my freezer”?
Use possessive on both occurrences:
- Dondurucum dolu; dondurucumdan buz çıkarıyorum. Possessive 1sg -um on dondurucu, then ablative on the possessed form: dondurucu-m-dan → dondurucumdan.
Does dondurucu ever mean “freezing (cold)”? Could dolu mean something else?
Yes:
- dondurucu can be a noun (“freezer”) or an adjective (“freezing”): dondurucu soğuk = “freezing cold.”
- dolu can be “full” (adjective) or “hail” (noun). In this sentence it’s “full.” Without context, dondurucu dolu could look like “freezing hail,” but the second clause clarifies the meaning.
Is the semicolon natural here?
Yes. Turkish uses semicolons to link closely related independent clauses. You could also use a period:
- Dondurucu dolu. Dondurucudan buz çıkarıyorum. Or make the relation explicit:
- Dondurucu dolu; bu yüzden dondurucudan buz çıkarıyorum. (“…so I’m taking out ice.”)
If I want to mean “ice cubes,” how should I say it?
Use buz küpü (sing.) or buz küpleri (pl.):
- Non-specific: Dondurucudan buz küpleri çıkarıyorum.
- With a quantity: Dondurucudan birkaç buz küpü çıkarıyorum.
- Specific: Dondurucudan buz küplerini çıkarıyorum.
How do I make the sentence negative or a yes–no question?
- Negative adjective: Dondurucu dolu değil.
- Negative verb: Dondurucudan buz çıkarmıyorum.
- Yes–no question uses the question particle:
• Dondurucu dolu mu?
• Dondurucudan buz çıkarıyor musun? (2nd sg)
• Answer: Evet, çıkarıyorum. / Hayır, çıkarmıyorum.
Is there any difference between dondurucu and buzdolabı?
- Dondurucu = freezer (the freezing compartment/appliance).
- Buzdolabı = refrigerator (includes the main fridge; may include a freezer compartment).
For a standalone chest/box freezer, you may also hear derin dondurucu (“deep freezer”).