Questions & Answers about Çorba için yaklaşık beş altı adet mantar lazım.
Why is there no word for "or" between beş and altı?
When estimating, Turkish simply puts two consecutive numbers together to express "or". So beş altı directly translates to "five or six" without needing a word for "or" (like veya).
Since beş altı already means "five or six", isn't adding yaklaşık (approximately) redundant?
It might seem redundant in English, but it is a very common and natural combination in Turkish. Using yaklaşık along with a sequential number estimate emphasizes that the amount is just a rough guess.
What is the purpose of the word adet in this sentence?
adet means "piece" or "item". While you could just say beş altı mantar, adding adet is very typical in recipes and shopping to refer to countable items, similar to saying "pieces of mushroom" in English.
Why isn't the plural suffix used on mantar since we are asking for multiple mushrooms?
This is a strict rule in Turkish: any noun following a number or a specific quantity must stay in its singular form. Therefore, it is always beş altı adet mantar, never mantarlar.
I don't see a word for "we" in the sentence. How does lazım translate to "we need"?