Breakdown of Sahilinde cankurtaran olan bir plajda yüzeceğiz.
bir
a / an
olmak
to be
yüzmek
to swim
sahil
coast, shore
plaj
beach
cankurtaran
lifeguard
Questions & Answers about Sahilinde cankurtaran olan bir plajda yüzeceğiz.
Why do we use olan here instead of var to say 'that has'?
In regular sentences, you use var to express existence (e.g., Sahilinde cankurtaran var - There is a lifeguard on its shore). However, you cannot attach relative clause suffixes to the word var. Instead, we use olan, the relative participle of olmak (to be). The phrase literally acts like 'a beach [where] a lifeguard is on its shore.'
How is sahilinde formed, and what does the -i- refer to?
It breaks down as sahil (shore) + -i (its) + -n- (buffer) + -de (on). The possessive -i refers back to the beach (plaj). Remember that whenever you attach a case suffix (like the locative -de) to a third-person possessive suffix, Turkish requires the buffer letter -n-.
The word cankurtaran (lifeguard) looks long. How does it break down?
It is a compound of can (life or soul) and kurtaran (the one who saves). Kurtaran itself is formed from the verb kurtarmak (to save) plus the -an relative participle. So the word literally translates to 'life-saver.'
Could we put the word bir at the very beginning of the sentence?
No, saying bir sahilinde cankurtaran olan plajda would sound unnatural. In Turkish, the indefinite article bir typically goes directly in front of the noun it modifies (plajda), coming after all the adjectives and relative clauses describing that noun.
Learn Sahilinde cankurtaran olan bir plajda yüzeceğiz and more in Turkish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free