Questions & Answers about Kızlar ortaokulda.
Why does ortaokulda end in -da instead of -de, -ta, or -te?
The locative suffix means 'in', 'on', or 'at'. To choose the right form, we look at the last part of the root word. The last vowel in ortaokul is u, which is a back vowel, so vowel harmony dictates we use an a in the suffix. The last consonant is l, which is soft (voiced). Because it doesn't end in a hard consonant (like p, ç, t, k), we use a d instead of a t. That leaves us with -da.
Where is the word for 'are' in this sentence?
Turkish doesn't use a separate word for 'am', 'is', or 'are'. To say someone is at a location, you just attach the location suffix to the noun. You could add a plural 'to be' suffix at the very end (ortaokuldalar), but since the subject Kızlar already has the plural -lar, it is usually left off to avoid repeating it.
How do we know it means 'The girls' and not just 'Girls are at middle school'?
Turkish doesn't have a word for 'the'. When a noun is the subject of a sentence like this, context tells us if we are talking about specific girls or girls in general. Because stating 'girls (in general) are at middle school' doesn't make much logical sense, we assume the speaker means a specific group of girls.
Is ortaokul a compound word?
Yes! It is made up of the words orta (middle) and okul (school). Turkish uses compound words very often to create new meanings.
Learn Kızlar ortaokulda and more in Turkish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free