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Questions & Answers about Bahçede oturmak güzel.
Why does this sentence use oturmak instead of just the verb otur?
The suffix -mak (or -mek) turns a verb into a noun. The root otur just means "sit" (like a command). By adding -mak, it becomes oturmak, which means "to sit" or "sitting". In this sentence, it acts as the subject: the act of "sitting" is what is nice.
Doesn't oturmak usually mean "to sit"? Why is it translated as "sitting"?
In English, we can say "To sit in the garden is nice" or "Sitting in the garden is nice." Both are correct, but "sitting" often sounds more natural. Turkish uses the exact same -mak form for both ideas. When a verb is the subject of a sentence like it is here, you can usually translate it with an "-ing" ending in English.
Where is the word for "is" in this sentence?
There isn't one! In Turkish, simple statements describing how something is in the present tense often don't need a word for "is" for the third person (he/she/it). Bahçede oturmak güzel literally means "In the garden sitting nice." The "is" is naturally understood by the listener.
Let's review the first word. Why is it bahçede and not just bahçe?
Bahçe is the root word for "garden". The -de at the end is a location suffix meaning "in", "on", or "at". Without it, the sentence would mean "Garden sitting is nice," which is a bit broken. Adding -de properly makes it "in the garden".