Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Turkish grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Altmış kapı açık.
Why is it just kapı when the English translation says "doors"?
In Turkish, nouns always stay singular when they follow a number. Since the number altmış already tells us there is more than one, adding the plural ending -lar is unnecessary. It is always altmış kapı, never altmış kapılar.
Is the word for sixty, altmış, related to the word for six?
Yes! The word for six is altı. It can be slightly tricky to pronounce because learners often accidentally insert an extra vowel and say "altımış". Remember it is just two syllables: alt-mış.
Where is the word for "are" in this sentence?
Turkish doesn't use a separate word for "is" or "are" in the third person. To say "Sixty doors are open", you just place the subject (altmış kapı) right next to the adjective (açık).
Is açık a verb or an adjective here?
Here, açık is an adjective meaning "open" (describing the state of the doors). It comes from the verb root aç- (to open). Because Turkish usually puts the main action or state at the end, the adjective açık finishes the sentence.