Breakdown of Bu ev çok büyük. Sekiz oda var.
bu
this
ev
house
büyük
big
çok
very
sekiz
eight
var
there is / existent
oda
room
Questions & Answers about Bu ev çok büyük. Sekiz oda var.
Why is it sekiz oda and not sekiz odalar?
In Turkish, when you use a number before a noun to say how many there are, the noun must always stay in its singular form. Because sekiz already tells us there is more than one, adding the plural ending -lar is actually grammatically incorrect.
I learned about the word tane for counting. Why isn't it used here as sekiz tane oda?
You can absolutely say sekiz tane oda. Using tane (which roughly translates to 'item' or 'piece') is very natural and common in spoken Turkish, but it is completely optional. Saying just sekiz oda is just as correct.
How does var mean 'there are'? I thought it meant 'to have'.
The word var literally translates to 'existent'. While Turkish uses it along with possessive endings to express that someone has something, its basic meaning on its own is simply 'there is' or 'there are'. Here, it just states that the eight rooms exist.
Why isn't there a verb for 'is' at the end of Bu ev çok büyük?
In simple present tense sentences that describe a noun, Turkish often completely drops the 'to be' verb. The phrase Bu ev çok büyük means 'This house is very big' all on its own, with no extra verb needed.
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