Questions & Answers about Bebek doğumdan beri hasta.
How do we form 'since birth' with beri in this sentence?
To say 'since' a starting point, Turkish uses the postposition beri. It must always follow a noun that has the ablative (from) suffix. Here, we add the suffix -dan to doğum (birth) to make doğumdan beri (since birth).
The English translation uses 'has been', but where is the verb in Turkish?
In English, we use 'has been' for a state that started in the past and continues today. In Turkish, you simply use the present state. Because the subject is 'the baby' (third person), there is no 'to be' suffix added to hasta (sick). The time phrase doğumdan beri already gives us the context that it started in the past and continues now.