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Questions & Answers about Onlar on dört öğretmen.
How do we build the number on dört (14)?
Turkish numbers in the teens are very logical! You just take the word for ten (on) and put the single digit right after it. So, on (10) plus dört (4) gives us on dört (14). Make sure to always write them as two separate words.
Since there are fourteen teachers, shouldn't öğretmen have a plural ending (öğretmenler)?
In English we say "fourteen teachers", but Turkish has a strict rule: if you use a specific number before a noun to say how many there are, the noun must stay in its singular form. Since on dört already tells us it's more than one, adding a plural ending to öğretmen would be redundant.
Where is the verb "are" in Onlar on dört öğretmen?
There isn't a specific word for "are" here! In basic Turkish sentences stating what something or someone is, the "to be" verb is naturally implied. Simply placing the pronoun Onlar (They) before the description is enough to make the full sentence.
Can I write the number as a single word, like ondört?
No, you should always leave a space between the words when writing compound numbers like on dört (fourteen) or on beş (fifteen). The only time Turkish speakers write them as one word is on bank checks to prevent people from squeezing extra digits in!