Questions & Answers about Çocuk akıllı ama tembel.
How does the word ama work in this sentence?
ama means "but". Just like in English, it joins two contrasting ideas. Here it connects the two opposite adjectives akıllı (smart) and tembel (lazy) directly, without needing to repeat the subject or a verb.
Where is the word for "is" in this sentence?
Turkish doesn't have a direct equivalent for the word "is". For the third person (he, she, it), the "to be" verb is usually just implied. So, Çocuk akıllı literally translates to "Child smart", but the full meaning is "The child is smart".
The translation says "The boy", but doesn't çocuk just mean "child"?
Yes, çocuk generally means "child" or "kid" and doesn't specify a gender. In real-life context, you usually know who is being talked about, so translating it as "The boy" or "The girl" is very common. If you need to specifically say "boy", you can use erkek çocuk.
What does the -lı part of akıllı do?
akıllı comes from the noun akıl (mind or intelligence). The suffix -lı means "with" or "having". So, adding it to the noun turns it into an adjective meaning "with intelligence" or "smart".