Questions & Answers about Çorbanın kokusu çok iyi.
How does the definite noun compound work here to mean "the smell of the soup"?
To say "the [Noun B] of the [Noun A]", Turkish uses a "Genitive + Possessive" structure. The owner (çorba) gets the genitive suffix (-nın), and the owned thing (koku) gets the possessive suffix (-su). Literally, it translates to "the soup's its smell".
Why is there an -n- in çorbanın instead of just adding -ın?
The genitive suffix is usually -ın, -in, -un, or -ün. However, since çorba ends in a vowel, we have to add the buffer letter -n- to keep the two vowels apart. That's why it becomes çorba + n + ın = çorbanın.
Why does koku become kokusu? What does the -s- do?
The 3rd person possessive suffix (meaning "his/her/its") is usually a single vowel: -ı, -i, -u, or -ü. But just like with çorba, the word koku ends in a vowel. For the possessive suffix, Turkish uses the buffer letter -s- after a vowel. So, koku + s + u makes kokusu.
I don't see a word for "is" in this sentence. Why?
In Turkish, there is no direct equivalent for the verb "to be" (am/is/are) as a separate word. For the third person ("he/she/it is"), you can often just leave the adjective at the end of the sentence as it is. So, çok iyi on its own at the end simply means "is very good".
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