Questions & Answers about Dün toplantı çok kalabalıktı.
Why does the past ending on kalabalıktı start with a 't' instead of a 'd'?
The base word is kalabalık (crowded), which ends in the hard consonant k. In Turkish, when a suffix starting with d attaches to a word ending in a hard consonant (like those in the memory phrase Fıstıkçı Şahap), the d changes to a t. Then, because the last vowel in kalabalık is an undotted ı, the vowel in the suffix must also be ı to follow 4-way vowel harmony.
The lesson says the past ending is '-(y)DI'. Why isn't there a y in kalabalıktı?
The buffer y is only used when the base word ends in a vowel, to prevent two vowels from crashing together. Since kalabalık ends in a consonant (k), no buffer is needed. You just attach the suffix directly.
Could we translate kalabalık as the noun 'crowd' instead of the adjective 'crowded' here?
In Turkish, kalabalık can mean either the noun crowd or the adjective crowded. In this sentence, it acts as an adjective describing the meeting (toplantı). With the past ending attached, it means was crowded.
Can the time word dün (yesterday) go somewhere else in the sentence?
Yes, in Turkish, time words can also go right after the subject. You could say Toplantı dün çok kalabalıktı and it would still be perfectly correct. Putting dün at the very beginning just puts a little more focus on the time.
Learn Dün toplantı çok kalabalıktı and more in Turkish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free