Word
Kitap okumak çok güzel.
Meaning
Reading a book is very nice.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Questions & Answers about Kitap okumak çok güzel.
Why does this sentence use okumak instead of a conjugated verb like okuyor?
The word okumak has the infinitive suffix -mak, which translates to 'to read' or 'reading'. We use this form because 'reading' is acting as a noun here (the subject of the sentence), rather than an action someone is actively doing right now.
Why is it -mak instead of -mek for the word okumak?
Turkish uses vowel harmony to decide which suffix to use. Because the last vowel in the verb root oku is a back vowel (u), the suffix must also use a back vowel (a), making it -mak.
The English translation says 'a book', so why isn't the word bir used in Turkish?
When talking about general habits or categories, Turkish leaves out the word bir (a/an). The phrase kitap okumak is treated like a general concept (literally 'book-reading'), rather than pointing out one specific book.
Where is the verb 'is' in this sentence?
Simple 'to be' statements in the third person (like he/she/it is) often don't require an actual verb word at the end of a Turkish sentence. Just placing çok güzel (very nice) directly after the subject makes the 'is' naturally understood.