Questions & Answers about Şoför kaba veya çok sinirli.
How does the word veya work in this sentence?
Veya means "or", and it connects words exactly like it does in English. In this sentence, it simply links two different descriptions of the driver: kaba (rude) and çok sinirli (very angry).
Where is the word for "is" in this sentence?
In Turkish, the present tense words for "am," "is," and "are" are usually attached to the end of a sentence as suffixes. However, for the "it/he/she" form ("is"), the suffix (-dir) is completely optional and is usually dropped in everyday speech. So, "The driver is rude" literally translates to just Şoför kaba.
What is the suffix on the end of sinirli (angry)?
The base word is sinir, which means "nerve." The suffix -li means "with" or "having." So, sinirli literally means "with nerves." Depending on the situation, it can mean "angry," "nervous," or "stressed."
Şoför sounds a lot like the English word "chauffeur." Is that a coincidence?
Not a coincidence! It is a loanword from French (just like the English word). Turkish spells borrowed words exactly as they sound using the Turkish alphabet, which is why the French "ch" becomes the Turkish ş (sh) sound.