Questions & Answers about Sokak karanlıktı ve hava soğuktu.
Why do both karanlıktı and soğuktu use a 't' instead of a 'd' for the past tense suffix?
The past tense suffix is usually -dı, -di, -du, or -dü. However, if the root word ends in a hard, voiceless consonant (like the k in karanlık and soğuk), the d changes to a t to make it easier to pronounce.
Since both words end in 'k', why is one suffix -tı and the other -tu?
This is because of 4-way vowel harmony. You look at the last vowel of the base word to decide the vowel of the suffix. The last vowel in karanlık is ı, so the suffix becomes -tı. The last vowel in soğuk is u, so the suffix becomes -tu.
Where is the word for 'was' in this sentence?
In Turkish, 'was' or 'were' isn't a separate word. Instead, it is attached directly to the end of the noun or adjective as a suffix. Here, the suffixes -tı and -tu act as 'was', turning 'dark' into 'was dark' and 'cold' into 'was cold'.
The English translation says 'the weather', but doesn't hava just mean 'air'?
Hava translates to 'air', 'weather', or 'atmosphere' depending on the context. When talking about whether it is cold or hot outside, it is the standard word for 'weather'. Also, notice there is no separate word for 'the'—Turkish doesn't use definite articles, so hava means 'weather' or 'the weather' based on the sentence.
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