Breakdown of Hayvanat bahçesinde fil ve zürafa var.
var
there is / existent
ve
and
fil
elephant
zürafa
giraffe
hayvanat bahçesi
zoo
Questions & Answers about Hayvanat bahçesinde fil ve zürafa var.
Why are fil and zürafa singular when the English translation says "elephants and giraffes"?
When talking generally about a species or category of something existing, Turkish usually leaves the noun in the singular form before var (there is/are). While English naturally uses the plural ("there are elephants"), Turkish speakers simply say fil var to mean "the elephant species exists here".
How exactly is the word hayvanat bahçesinde built?
The base word is the noun compound hayvanat bahçesi (zoo). To say "at the zoo", we need to add the locative suffix -de (in/at). However, because bahçesi ends in the possessive suffix -si, you must insert the buffer letter -n- before attaching any location endings. This results in hayvanat bahçesi-n-de.
I know hayvan means "animal". What does the -at at the end of hayvanat mean?
Hayvanat is an old Arabic borrowing that means "animals" (a plural form). In everyday modern Turkish, you will always use hayvanlar for "animals". However, hayvanat bahçesi (literally "garden of animals") is a fixed, traditional phrase, so it kept the older word.
Would it be wrong to use the plural and say filler ve zürafalar var?
It wouldn't be strictly wrong, but it sounds less natural for a general statement. Using the plural makes it sound like you are referring to specific, distinct groups of elephants and giraffes, rather than just pointing out the types of animals the zoo has on display.
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