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Questions & Answers about Ülkesinde çok mutlu.
Why is there an "n" in the middle of ülkesinde?
This is the special buffer letter n. Whenever you add a case ending (like in, on, to, or from) right after a third-person possessive ending (like -i, -sı, -ü, or -sü), you must put an n between them. Here, we have ülkesi (her country) plus -de (in). To connect them, we use the buffer n, making it ülkesinde.
Can we break down all the suffixes on ülkesinde? There seem to be two different buffer letters!
Exactly! The root word is ülke (country). First, we add the third-person possessive. Because ülke ends in a vowel, it takes the buffer s, becoming ülkesi (her country). Next, we add the locative suffix -de (in). Because we are attaching it to a third-person possessive, we must use the buffer n taught in this lesson. Altogether: ülke + s + i + n + de = ülkesinde.
How do we know it means "She is very happy" if the word o (she) isn't in the sentence?
In Turkish, subject pronouns are often dropped if the context is clear. The word ülkesi means "his, her, or its country". Without a wider context, this sentence could just as easily mean "He is very happy in his country." We simply chose "She" for the English translation here!
Where is the word for "is"? Shouldn't there be a suffix on mutlu?
In the third person ("he is", "she is", "it is"), you don't actually need a "to be" suffix for simple descriptions. While you could add the suffix -dur to make it mutludur, this sounds very formal or like a written fact. In everyday Turkish, just saying mutlu is a complete and natural way to say "she is happy".