To describe exactly who you are (and aren't) looking for at a speed dating event, you need to talk about personality traits. Turkish builds many descriptive adjectives directly from nouns using two incredibly common derivation suffixes.
The Privative Suffix: -sIz (Without)
To say someone or something lacks a quality, attach -siz / -sız / -suz / -süz to a noun. This follows 4-way vowel harmony and acts like the English suffix "-less".
For example, mantık (logic) becomes mantıksız (illogical), and tutku (passion) becomes tutkusuz (passionless).
| An illogical and passionless person is not suitable for me. | Mantıksız ve tutkusuz biri bana uygun değil. |
| Can a ruthless man love a passionless woman? | Vicdansız bir adam tutkusuz bir kadını sevebilir mi? |
The Habitual or Professional Suffix: -cI / -çI
To describe someone who habitually embodies a trait, does a certain activity, or holds a specific profession (like "-er" or "-ist" in English), Turkish uses the -ci suffix.
This suffix follows 4-way vowel harmony and consonant mutation:
- After vowels and voiced consonants: -ci, -cı, -cu, -cü
- After unvoiced consonants (p, ç, t, k, s, ş, h, f): -çi, -çı, -çu, -çü
For example, macera (adventure) becomes maceracı (adventurous). Because inat (stubbornness) ends in an unvoiced consonant, it takes the mutated form inatçı (stubborn).
| Tomorrow evening I am meeting a skeptical but adventurous woman. | Yarın akşam şüpheci ama maceracı bir kadınla buluşuyorum. |
| That man is very stubborn and illogical. | O adam çok inatçı ve mantıksız. |
Mixing and Matching Traits
Once you know these two suffixes, you can turn simple nouns into a wide vocabulary of personality traits. This is perfect for describing your compatibility with others, spotting çıkarcı (opportunist) people, or finding your ideal match.
| I am looking for an adventurous man, not a heartless person. | Kalpsiz birini değil, maceracı bir adamı arıyorum. |
| I hate opportunist and ruthless people. | Çıkarcı ve vicdansız insanlardan nefret ediyorum. |
| That comedian is making a tasteless joke. | Şu mizahçı zevksiz bir şaka yapıyor. |
