Question 1

Why is the order 'otel gibi büyük' instead of 'büyük gibi otel'?

Accepted Answer

In Turkish, the word gibi (like/as) always comes right after the noun it's comparing. So 'like a hotel' is otel gibi. The adjective describing the comparison comes last, giving us otel gibi büyük (literally 'hotel-like big').

Question 2

Since this lesson is about 'daha' (more), could I say 'daha otel gibi büyük'?

Accepted Answer

No, because gibi is used for things that are equal or similar ('as big as'), while daha is used when one thing is greater ('bigger'). If you wanted to say the house is bigger than a hotel, you would use daha and a completely different structure: otelden daha büyük (bigger than a hotel).

Question 3

Why is there no 'bir' (a/an) before 'otel'?

Accepted Answer

While you can say bir otel gibi, Turkish often leaves out bir when making a general comparison. You're comparing the house to the general concept of a hotel, not one specific hotel, so otel gibi sounds very natural.

Question 4

Where is the word for 'is' in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

For 'he, she, or it', Turkish often completely leaves out the 'to be' verb in simple descriptive sentences. Just placing büyük at the end of the sentence is enough to mean 'is big'.

Bu ev otel gibi büyük.

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