Breakdown of Bu çok bulaşıcı bir virüs, değil mi?
bu
this
bir
a / an
değil
not
çok
very
mi
question particle (mı/mi/mu/mü)
virüs
virus
bulaşıcı
contagious
Questions & Answers about Bu çok bulaşıcı bir virüs, değil mi?
How does the suffix work in the word bulaşıcı?
It is formed by adding the suffix -ıcı to the verb root bulaş- (from bulaşmak). The -(y)ıcı / -(y)ucu suffix turns a verb into an adjective or noun that describes what something habitually does. Here, it creates an adjective meaning 'contagious' or 'infectious'.
What does the root verb bulaşmak mean on its own?
Bulaşmak is a very versatile verb! Literally, it means 'to smear', 'to spread to', or 'to infect'. Metaphorically, it often means 'to get involved in a bad situation' or 'to mess with someone' (for example, Bana bulaşma! means 'Don't mess with me!').
What is the difference between saying bulaşıcı virüs and bulaşan virüs?
Great question! Bulaşıcı (using the -ıcı suffix) describes an inherent, permanent characteristic: the virus is contagious by nature. If you used the present participle bulaşan (from bulaş- + -an), it would mean 'the virus that is currently infecting/spreading' in a specific instance, rather than describing its general type.
Why is the word bir placed after çok bulaşıcı?
In Turkish, when a singular noun has both an adjective and the indefinite article bir, the order is always Adjective + bir + Noun. So, 'a very contagious virus' translates to çok bulaşıcı bir virüs. If you placed it at the beginning (bir çok bulaşıcı virüs), it would sound like 'many contagious viruses' because birçok as one word means 'many' or 'several'.
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