Breakdown of Kalemliğin içinde iki tane kırmızı kalem var.
kalem
pen
iki
two
tane
piece / item
var
there is / existent
iç
inside
kırmızı
red
kalemlik
pencil case
içinde
inside, within
Questions & Answers about Kalemliğin içinde iki tane kırmızı kalem var.
How does the word kalem turn into kalemliğin here?
This word has two suffixes! First, we add the -lik suffix to kalem (pen) to make kalemlik (pencil case), because -lik often creates a word for a container that holds things. Second, we add the genitive (possessive) suffix -in. When we add a vowel suffix to a word ending in k, the k softens into a ğ, giving us kalemliğin.
Why do we need the genitive suffix on kalemliğin to show location?
In Turkish, spatial words like inside, under, or behind are built using possessive structures. You are literally saying at the interior of the pencil case. So, kalemlik takes the genitive suffix -in to mean of the pencil case, and iç (inside) takes the possessive suffix -i plus the locative suffix -de to mean at its inside.
If there are two pens, why is the word kalem singular?
In Turkish, whenever you use a specific number before a noun, the noun must remain singular. Because we already have the number iki, adding the plural suffix -ler is unnecessary. It is always iki kalem, never iki kalemler.
What is the purpose of tane in this sentence?
The word tane means item or piece. It is very common in Turkish to put tane after a number when counting physical objects. You could correctly just say iki kırmızı kalem, but adding tane sounds much more natural in everyday speech.
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