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Questions & Answers about Şu kediler güzel.
Why does kedi take -ler instead of -lar to make it plural?
This is because of 2-way vowel harmony. To choose between -lar and -ler, we look at the last vowel of the word. The last vowel in kedi is i, which is a front vowel. Words whose last vowel is a front vowel (e, i, ö, ü) always take -ler.
The word Şu usually means "that", but here it translates to "those". Why isn't it plural in Turkish?
In Turkish, when a pointing word like bu (this), şu (that), or o (that over there) comes right before a noun to describe it, it never takes a plural ending. The plural is only marked on the noun itself (kediler). So, you literally say "that cats".
Where is the word for "are" in this sentence?
Turkish doesn't use a separate word for "is" or "are" in simple descriptive sentences. By placing the subject (Şu kediler) and the adjective (güzel) together, the "are" is automatically understood.
Since "cats" is plural, shouldn't "beautiful" also be plural (güzeller)?
No, you don't need to add a plural ending to the adjective here. In Turkish, when the subject is an animal or an object and it is already plural (kediler), the describing word at the end (güzel) stays in its normal, singular form.
Since "cats" is plural, shouldn't "beautiful" also be plural ()?