Word
Bu saat on dakika geri.
Meaning
This clock is ten minutes slow.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Questions & Answers about Bu saat on dakika geri.
Why does saat mean "clock" here? I thought we just learned it means "time" or "hour"?
The word saat is very versatile! Depending on the context, it can mean "clock", "watch", "hour", or "time". Since we are talking about a physical object being slow, saat here refers to the clock or watch itself.
Why is dakika singular when the number is on (ten)? Shouldn't it be plural?
In Turkish, whenever you use a number before a noun to state a quantity, the noun always stays in its singular form. So, it is always on dakika (ten minute), never on dakikalar.
Does geri literally mean "slow"?
Literally, geri means "back" or "behind". When talking about timepieces, Turkish describes a slow clock as being "behind" (geri) and a fast clock as being "ahead" or "forward" (ileri).
Where is the verb "is" in this sentence?
In simple descriptive sentences, the word for "is" or "are" is often invisible! The sentence literally translates to "This clock ten minute back". The "to be" verb is simply understood from the context.