Questions & Answers about Kapının kilidi yeni.
Why is it kapının instead of kapıın?
The word for door is kapı. To make it "the door's" (the genitive case), we add the suffix -ın. However, since kapı ends in a vowel and the suffix starts with a vowel, we must use a buffer letter. For the genitive case, that buffer letter is always -n-, making it kapının.
The dictionary says "lock" is kilit. Why is it spelled kilidi here?
This is an example of consonant mutation. When you add a suffix starting with a vowel (like the possessive -i here) to a word ending in p, ç, t, or k, that final letter usually softens. Here, the hard t in kilit softens to a d, becoming kilidi.
Why do we need the -i at the end of kilidi? Doesn't kapının already mean "the door's"?
In Turkish definite noun compounds, both words must have a suffix to link them together. The owner gets the genitive suffix (-nın) and the owned item gets the possessive suffix (-i). Even though English only marks the owner (with " 's "), Turkish requires both parts to be marked.
Where is the word for "is" in this sentence?
In Turkish, there is no separate word for "is". To say "is new" for a third-person subject (like "the door's lock"), you simply place the adjective yeni at the end of the sentence. The "is" is naturally understood from the context.
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