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Questions & Answers about Bu bebekler küçük.
Why is it bebekler and not bebeklar?
The plural suffix in Turkish is either -ler or -lar, depending on the last vowel of the word. Since the last vowel in bebek is 'e', which is a front vowel, we use -ler to match it according to the rules of 2-way vowel harmony.
The translation says "These babies", but bu means "this". Shouldn't it be bunlar bebekler?
No, and this is a common trap! In Turkish, when a pointing word like bu (this) is used directly in front of a noun to say "these" or "those", the pointing word always stays singular. The plural suffix only goes on the noun itself, resulting in Bu bebekler (These babies).
Since the babies are plural, why doesn't the word for small (küçük) also get a plural ending like küçükler?
In Turkish, adjectives don't change to match a plural subject. Just like in English, we say "small babies", not "smalls babies". Because küçük is describing the babies, it stays in its base singular form.
Where is the word for "are" in this sentence?
Turkish doesn't use a separate word for "am", "is", or "are" in basic descriptive sentences like this. You simply state the subject followed by the adjective. Bu bebekler küçük literally translates to "These babies small", which is a complete, grammatically correct sentence in Turkish!