Questions & Answers about Ayı kocaman ama tavşan küçük.
Why isn't there a word for "the" before ayı and tavşan?
Turkish doesn't have a definite article like the English word "the". A plain noun like ayı can mean "the bear" or "bears in general" depending on the context. If you wanted to say "a bear", you would usually add "bir" and say bir ayı.
Where is the verb for "is" in this sentence?
In Turkish, the "to be" verb for "is" or "are" (the third person) is often completely left out in everyday sentences. You could attach the factual suffix -dır or -tır to the adjectives to make kocamandır and küçüktür, but leaving it off is perfectly correct and very natural.
Does the word kocaman have anything to do with koca (husband)?
They share a very old root, but don't let it confuse you! While koca is usually taught as "husband" to learners, it is also an old adjective meaning "large" or "great". The suffix -man makes it emphatic, so kocaman means "huge" or "enormous".
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