Question 1

This lesson is about the '-mIş' tense. Why isn't there a '-mIş' in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

That is a great observation! This sentence is in the simple present tense (is this fairytale good?). It is likely included in this lesson as a contrast to the reported past. If you wanted to use the lesson's grammar to ask 'Did you hear if this fairytale was good?', you would add the suffix to the question particle: Sence bu masal güzel miymiş?

Question 2

How does the word sence translate to 'in your opinion'?

Accepted Answer

Sence is formed by adding the suffix -ce to the pronoun sen (you). This suffix means 'according to' or 'from the perspective of'. Therefore, sence literally means 'according to you' or 'in your opinion'. You will also frequently see this used with 'I' to make bence (in my opinion).

Question 3

Why does güzel mean 'good' here instead of 'beautiful'?

Accepted Answer

While güzel strictly translates to 'beautiful', native speakers use it constantly to mean 'good', 'nice', or 'pleasant'. When talking about a story, a meal, an idea, or an experience, güzel is actually the most natural way to say it is enjoyable. You wouldn't typically use iyi (good) to describe a fairytale.

Question 4

Why is there no 'is' suffix here, like güzel midir?

Accepted Answer

In everyday conversational Turkish, the third-person 'to be' suffix (-dir or -dır) is usually dropped. Simply saying güzel mi? perfectly means 'is it good?'. Adding -dir here would make the question sound overly formal, factual, or like a written exam question.

Sence bu masal güzel mi?

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