Questions & Answers about Bu kahve fincanı çok küçük.
Why does the word for cup have an -ı at the end (fincanı)?
This is the core of the indefinite noun compound. In English, we just put two nouns together to say 'coffee cup.' In Turkish, when you join two bare nouns to make a new concept like this, the second noun must take a possessive suffix. Since fincan ends in a consonant, we add the 3rd person possessive suffix -ı (following vowel harmony) to make it kahve fincanı.
Why is the first word just kahve and not kahvenin?
Because this is an indefinite compound, meaning it describes a general category of cup, not a specific coffee's cup. When the first word (kahve) is left bare without a genitive ending like -nin, it acts as a type or label. It tells us what kind of cup it is, rather than showing true ownership.
Where is the verb 'is' in this sentence?
In Turkish, basic 'A is B' sentences often don't need a visible verb. The words çok küçük (very small) simply finish the thought. You can just put the subject (bu kahve fincanı) and the descriptive words (çok küçük) together to mean 'This coffee cup is very small.'
How would I say 'These coffee cups' using this structure?