Breakdown of Nereden mavi pantolon alıyorsun?
almak
to take, to buy
nereden
where from
pantolon
trousers
mavi
blue
Questions & Answers about Nereden mavi pantolon alıyorsun?
Why does mavi come before pantolon?
Just like in English, Turkish adjectives always come directly before the noun they describe. So "blue trousers" translates in the exact same order to mavi pantolon. Turkish adjectives also never change their endings to match the noun, making them very easy to use!
The English translation says "trousers" which is plural. Why doesn't pantolon have the plural ending -lar?
In English, words for things with two legs like "trousers" or "pants" are always plural. In Turkish, a pair of trousers is considered a single item, so it stays singular: pantolon.
What does the -den at the end of nereden do?
The base word nere refers to a place or "where", and the -den suffix means "from". So nereden literally translates to "from where". While English often splits this up and puts "from" at the very end of the question, Turkish builds it neatly into a single word.
I learned that the verb almak means "to take". Why is it translated as "buying" here?
The verb root al- is very versatile and is used for both "to take" and "to buy" depending on the context. When you are talking about getting clothes, groceries, or other goods from a place, it is naturally understood as "buying".