Question 1

How do we form beşinci (fifth) from beş (five)?

Accepted Answer

The suffix for ordinal numbers (first, second, third) is -(i)nci. Because beş ends in a consonant and has the vowel 'e', we follow 4-way vowel harmony and add -inci.

Question 2

If the suffix is -(i)nci, why does the word for student (öğrenci) look like it has the same suffix?

Accepted Answer

That is just a coincidence! The word öğrenci comes from the verb root öğren- (learn) plus the person suffix -ci. It has nothing to do with the ordinal number suffix.

Question 3

Why is the negative part of almıyor spelled with an 'ı' instead of 'a'?

Accepted Answer

The base verb is almak (to get or take). Normally, the negative suffix is -ma. However, the present continuous suffix -yor changes a preceding 'a' or 'e' into a narrow vowel ('ı', 'i', 'u', or 'ü'). So, alma-yor becomes almıyor.

Question 4

When do we use veya for 'or', and when do we use yoksa?

Accepted Answer

We use veya in normal statements like this one (a prize or a medal). We use yoksa when asking a direct question that gives the listener a choice, like 'Is it a prize, or (yoksa) a medal?'.

Question 5

Why don't we say bir ödül veya bir madalya to mean 'a prize or a medal'?

Accepted Answer

In Turkish, you often drop the word bir (a/an) when talking about general, non-specific things as objects. Because we are talking about prizes and medals in general, the plain nouns are enough.

Beşinci öğrenci ödül veya madalya almıyor.

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