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Questions & Answers about Doktor hastanede.
Why does hastane take the -de suffix instead of -da?
The locative suffix means in, on, or at. It follows Turkish 2-way vowel harmony rules. Since the last vowel in hastane is an e, the suffix must be -de. If the last vowel were a back vowel like a or o, it would be -da.
Does hastanede mean in the hospital or at the hospital?
It can mean both! The Turkish locative suffix -de or -da covers in, on, and at. You just rely on the context to translate it naturally into English.
Where is the word for is in this sentence?
There isn't one! In Turkish, the third-person to be verb (is or are) is often left completely invisible. You just put the subject (doktor) and the location (hastanede) together, and the is is automatically understood.
Why is it translated as The doctor instead of just Doctor?
Turkish doesn't have a direct word for the. When a noun like doktor is at the beginning of a sentence acting as the subject, it is usually understood as a specific person or thing, so we naturally add the in English.