Çocuklar evde güvende.

to be

Breakdown of Çocuklar evde güvende.

• evde: at home
• çocuk: the child
• güvende: safe

Questions & Answers about Çocuklar evde güvende.

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

In Turkish, present‑tense sentences that use “to be” (am/is/are) usually omit the verb in the 3rd person.

• Çocuklar evde güvende.
  Literally: Children home‑LOC safe‑LOC.
  The idea of “are” is understood from the structure of the sentence.

This kind of sentence is called a nominal sentence. In the present tense (for o / onlar = he, she, it / they), Turkish normally does not add a separate verb; context tells you it means “are.”

What does the ending -de mean in evde and güvende?

The ending -de / -da is the locative case, roughly meaning “in / on / at.”

• ev = house, home

• evde = in/at home

• güven = safety, trust
• güvende = in safety / in a safe state

So evde güvende together gives the idea “safe at home,” literally “in home, in safety.”

Is güvende an adjective like “safe,” or something else?

Grammatically, güvende is a noun (güven, “safety”) + the locative ending (-de).

• güven = safety
• güven
  • -de → güvende = in safety

However, in this sentence it functions like a predicate adjective: it describes the state of the children, just as “safe” does in English. So it’s a locative form used with an adjectival meaning: “(they are) in safety / safe.”

What is the difference between güvende and güvenli?

Both relate to “safety,” but they’re used differently:

• güvenli = an adjective meaning “safe” (having the quality of being safe)

  • Bu mahalle güvenli. = This neighborhood is safe.
  • Güvenli bir araba. = A safe car.

• güvende = “in safety,” i.e., in a safe situation / protected

  • Çocuklar güvende. = The children are safe / in safety (protected).

In Çocuklar evde güvende, güvende emphasizes their current state of being protected, rather than describing a general characteristic like güvenli would. You could say:

• Ev güvenli. = The house is safe (as a place).
• Çocuklar evde güvende. = The children are (currently) safe at home.

Why is it evde, not just ev?

Because you want to say “at home / in the house”, not just “house.”

• ev = house, home (basic form)
• evde = in/at the house, at home (locative form)

In Turkish, this “in/at” idea is usually expressed with a case ending like -de, not with a separate preposition like English “in” or “at.”

Could I also say “Çocuklar evde güvendeler” or “Çocuklar evdeler”? Are those correct?

Yes, both are grammatically correct:

• Çocuklar evde güvende.
• Çocuklar evde güvendeler. (adds -ler “they” to the predicate)
• Çocuklar evdeler.

Adding -ler to the predicate (güvende → güvendeler, evde → evdeler) is optional in 3rd person plural. It:

• emphasizes the plural subject a bit more, and
• is more common when the subject is human.

In everyday speech, Çocuklar evde güvende. is already perfectly natural and common; güvendeler is a little heavier but also fine.

Why is there no word for “the” in Çocuklar evde güvende?

Turkish does not have articles like “the” or “a/an”.

• çocuklar can mean “children” or “the children”, depending on context.
• evde can be understood as “at home” or “in the house/the home,” again from context.

So English must choose “the children” or “children,” but Turkish just says çocuklar, and the context tells you whether it’s specific (“the children”) or general.

Why is the subject just Çocuklar and not Onlar çocuklar or Onlar evde güvende?

In Turkish, subject pronouns are usually dropped when the subject is clear from the verb or from the noun.

• Çocuklar evde güvende.
  The plural ending -lar on çocuk already shows that the subject is they (children), so onlar is not needed.

You could say Onlar evde güvende, but that would usually mean just “They are safe at home”, without specifically mentioning that “they” are children. In normal, natural Turkish, you almost never say Onlar çocuklar evde güvende; that sounds redundant or clumsy.

Can I change the word order? For example: Evde çocuklar güvende or Çocuklar güvende evde?

Yes, Turkish word order is flexible, but the default / neutral order here is:

• [Subject] [Place] [Predicate] → Çocuklar evde güvende.

You can move parts for emphasis:

• Evde çocuklar güvende.
  Slightly highlights evde (“It’s at home that the children are safe,” maybe contrasting with other places).

• Çocuklar güvende evde.
  Sounds less natural; if used, it would stress evde at the end (“They’re safe — at home, specifically”).

For a beginner, it’s best to stick to Çocuklar evde güvende as the standard pattern.

How would the meaning change if I said “Çocuk evde güvende” instead of “Çocuklar evde güvende”?

• Çocuklar evde güvende. = The children / children are safe at home. (plural)
• Çocuk evde güvende. = The child / a child is safe at home. (singular)

The only change is number:

• çocuk = child
• çocuklar = children

Everything else in the sentence stays the same; Turkish does not change evde or güvende for singular vs. plural.

Why doesn’t çocuklar have any extra ending to show its role (subject, object, etc.)?

As the subject of the sentence, çocuklar stays in its basic (nominative) form:

• çocuklar (nominative plural) = children (subject)

Case endings (like -i for accusative, -de for locative, etc.) are used on objects or other roles, not on the basic subject:

• Çocuklar evde güvende. → çocuklar = subject
• Çocukları gördüm. = I saw the children. (çocukları is object → accusative -ı)

Could I say something like “Çocuklar evlerinde güvende”? What would that mean compared to “evde”?

Yes, and it changes the nuance slightly:

• Çocuklar evde güvende.
  = The children are safe at home. (at home, in general — context tells whose home)

• Çocuklar evlerinde güvende.

  • evleri = their house / their home
  • evlerinde = in their house, at their home
    = The children are safe in their (own) home.

So evde is a simple “at home/in the house”, while evlerinde makes it explicit that it is their home.