Questions & Answers about Üçüncü takım yarışmada çok başarılıydı.
How does the ordinal suffix work in üçüncü?
The suffix for ordinal numbers (first, second, third...) is -(I)ncI, which follows 4-way vowel harmony. Because the vowel in üç (three) is 'ü', the suffix takes its 'ü' form and becomes -üncü.
Why is there a -da at the end of yarışmada?
The word yarışma means 'competition'. The -da suffix is the locative case, which tells us 'where' something happens (in, on, or at). Together, yarışmada means 'in the competition'.
How does the word başarılı get its meaning?
It comes from the noun başarı, meaning 'success'. Adding the suffix -lı (which means 'with' or 'having') turns it into the adjective başarılı, meaning 'successful'.
Why is there a -y- before the -dı in başarılıydı?
When you add the past tense suffix (-dı or -di) directly to a noun or adjective that ends in a vowel, you must insert the buffer letter -y-. Since başarılı ends in the vowel 'ı', we add -y- before -dı to form 'was successful'.