Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Turkish grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Maç çok sıkıcıydı.
Why is there a -y- in the middle of sıkıcıydı?
The word for boring is sıkıcı, which ends in a vowel. The past tense suffix for "was" is -dı. When you add this specific past tense suffix to a word ending in a vowel, you must use the buffer letter -y- to connect them. That gives us sıkıcı + y + dı.
Why is the suffix -dı and not -di or -du?
This follows 4-way vowel harmony. The last vowel in the word sıkıcı is ı. Because of this, the vowel in the suffix must also be ı, making it -dı.
How would I say "The match is very boring" in the present tense?
You would simply say Maç çok sıkıcı. For the "it" form (like a match) in the present tense, Turkish often doesn't need an "is" suffix at all. To change "is" to "was", we add the -(y)dı suffix.
Is maç related to the English word "match"?
Yes! Maç is a loanword. It actually came into Turkish from French, which originally borrowed it from English. Turkish spells it exactly how it sounds.