Questions & Answers about Bu bina çok çirkin.
Where is the word for 'is' in this sentence?
In Turkish, the verb 'to be' (am/is/are) is often just a suffix attached to the end of a word. However, for 'he/she/it' (third-person singular), there is usually no suffix at all! You just put the subject (bu bina) and the adjective (çok çirkin) next to each other, and the 'is' is automatically understood.
How do we know bu means 'this' rather than 'this is'?
When bu is placed directly in front of a noun, it acts as a pointing word, making bu bina mean 'this building'. If you wanted to say 'This is a building', you would add bir (a/an) and say Bu bir bina.
How would the sentence change if I wanted to say 'This is a very ugly building'?
You would say Bu, çok çirkin bir bina. To say 'a building', Turkish uses bir bina. We don't use bir in our original sentence because we are describing a specific building ('this building'), not just 'a building'.
Does çok always mean 'very'?
Not always! Çok is a very flexible word. Before an adjective like çirkin, it means 'very' (çok çirkin = very ugly). But when used before a noun, it means 'many' or 'a lot of' (for example, çok bina means 'many buildings').
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