Learn Hardcore Turkish: Tiyatro yakında.

The verb “is” is understood from context.
This type of sentence (noun + adjective/adverb) is called a nominal sentence in Turkish, and it doesn’t need an explicit “to be” in the present tense.

Why is there no the or a in front of tiyatro?

Turkish doesn’t have articles like the or a / an.

The bare noun tiyatro can mean:

the theater
a theater
theatre (in general)

Which one it means depends on context, not on a word like the.
So Tiyatro yakında will usually be understood as “The theater is nearby.” in a normal context where you are talking about a specific theater.

Does yakında mean nearby or soon? How do I know which one?

Yakında is a bit ambiguous because it has two main uses:

Spatial (location) – near / nearby
- Tiyatro yakında. → The theater is nearby.
- Here, yakında answers “Where?” → Near (here).
Temporal (time) – soon
- Gösteri yakında. → The show is soon.
- Here, yakında answers “When?” → Soon.

You understand which meaning is intended by context:

If you are talking about places, yakında = nearby.
If you are talking about times or events, yakında = soon.

So Tiyatro yakında most naturally means “The theater is nearby.” (a location), unless earlier context makes it clear you mean a performance.

What is the difference between yakın and yakında?

Both come from the root yakın (near), but:

yakın = near (adjective)
- Tiyatro yakın. → The theater is near.
- Yakın arkadaşım. → My close friend.
yakında = nearby / soon (adverb with the -da ending)
- Tiyatro yakında. → The theater is nearby.
- Film yakında. → The film is soon.

So:

yakın: describes a noun (adjective).
yakında: describes the situation (adverb, “at/near in space or time”).

In everyday speech, Tiyatro yakın and Tiyatro yakında can both mean “The theater is near/nearby”, and both are acceptable.

Is Tiyatro yakın also correct? What’s the nuance compared to Tiyatro yakında?

Yes, Tiyatro yakın is grammatically correct.

Very roughly:

Tiyatro yakın.
Sounds a bit more like: The theater is close (in distance).
(yakın as an adjective.)
Tiyatro yakında.
Sounds a bit more like: The theater is nearby / in the vicinity.
(yakında as an adverb.)

In everyday casual speech, many speakers don’t make a strong distinction here; both are common.

Can I say Yakında tiyatro instead of Tiyatro yakında? Is the word order flexible?

You can say Yakında tiyatro, but the emphasis changes and it sounds incomplete unless the context is clear.

Tiyatro yakında.
Neutral word order → The theater is nearby.
Yakında tiyatro.
Emphasizes yakında (“nearby / soon”). It sounds like:
- Nearby, there is a theater. (if you’re talking about places)
- or Soon, (there will be) a theater (performance). (if you’re talking about events)

In Turkish, the most neutral pattern for this meaning is:

[Subject] [description] → Tiyatro yakında.

Putting Yakında first is possible but more contextual and emphatic.

How do I say “The theater is not near.”?

You normally negate the adjective/adverb:

Tiyatro yakın değil. → The theater is not near.
Tiyatro yakında değil. → The theater is not nearby.

değil is used to negate nominal sentences (sentences without a normal verb like go, come, see).

So the pattern is:

[Noun] [adjective/adverb] değil.
- O mutlu değil. → He/She is not happy.
- Tiyatro yakında değil. → The theater is not nearby.

How do I say “The theater is very near.”?

You add an intensifier like çok (very):

Tiyatro çok yakın. → The theater is very near.
Tiyatro çok yakında. → The theater is very nearby / really close.

Other common intensifiers:

epey yakın / bayağı yakın → quite close
pek yakın (more written/old-fashioned) → very close

The sentence structure stays the same, you just add the intensifier before yakın / yakında.

Does tiyatro refer to a specific theater building, or to theatre as an art form?

tiyatro can mean both, depending on context:

A theater building / venue
- Tiyatro yakında. → The theater (building) is nearby.
Theatre as an art form
- Tiyatro seviyorum. → I like theatre.

Context usually makes it clear. If you want to be very explicit:

tiyatro binası → the theater building
tiyatro salonu → the theater hall
tiyatro sanatı → the art of theatre

But in everyday talk about directions, tiyatro by itself is normally understood as “the theater building.”

What is the -da at the end of yakında? Is it the same as the -da in okulda (at school)?

The -da / -de / -ta / -te ending is the locative suffix, meaning “in / at / on”.

okul → okulda = at school
ev → evde = at home

With yakın, the same suffix creates yakında, which behaves like an adverb:

yakın (near) → yakında (in a near place / nearby; also “soon” in time)

So yes, it is the same suffix, but with yakın it has become a common fixed form with both place and time meanings.

How would I ask “Where is the theater?” and how does Tiyatro yakında fit as an answer?

The standard question is:

Tiyatro nerede? → Where is the theater?

Possible answers:

Tiyatro yakında. → The theater is nearby.
Tiyatro şurada. → The theater is there (a bit away).
Tiyatro ileride. → The theater is further ahead.
Tiyatro sağda / solda. → The theater is on the right / on the left.

So Tiyatro yakında is a perfectly natural, slightly vague answer to Tiyatro nerede?

How is Tiyatro yakında pronounced and where is the stress?

Pronunciation (roughly, in English-like spelling):

Tiyatro → tee-YAH-troh
yakında → yah-kuhn-DAH

Stress:

tiyA-tro (stress on -ya-)
ya-kın-DA (stress on the last syllable -da)

Put together: tiyA-tro ya-kın-DA.

The ı in yakında is the Turkish undotted ı, a sound similar to the e in “the” or a in “sofa”, not like English ee or eye.

Can I add this/that and say things like Bu tiyatro yakında?

You can grammatically say Bu tiyatro yakında, but it’s a bit unusual and may sound unclear out of context.

More natural patterns:

To talk about this theater being near here:
- Bu tiyatro buraya yakın. → This theater is close to here.
- Bu tiyatro çok yakın. → This theater is very near.
To talk about a theater show happening soon:
- Bu tiyatro oyunu yakında. → This theater play is soon.
- Bu tiyatro gösterisi yakında. → This theater show is soon.

In other words, if you add bu / şu / o, it’s usually clearer to expand tiyatro into tiyatro oyunu / tiyatro gösterisi when you mean an event, or to specify buraya / bize / sana etc. when you’re talking about distance.