Breakdown of Bu toplantı tam bir zaman kaybı.
bu
this
bir
a / an
toplantı
meeting
tam
exactly / fully / completely
zaman kaybı
a waste of time
Questions & Answers about Bu toplantı tam bir zaman kaybı.
Why does kayıp change to kaybı here?
Zaman kaybı (waste of time) is an indefinite noun compound linking two nouns: zaman (time) and kayıp (waste/loss). When we add the third-person compound suffix -ı to kayıp, two spelling rules trigger at the same time: the second vowel drops (vowel elision), and the final p softens to b (consonant mutation), resulting in kaybı.
Why is the word order tam bir instead of bir tam?
In Turkish, when an adjective modifies a noun that takes the indefinite article bir, the standard word order is
[Adjective] + bir + [Noun]. Here, tam (complete/absolute) acts as the adjective modifying the noun phrase zaman kaybı.Could I use the genitive case and say zamanın kaybı?
Not for the general concept of "a waste of time." Zaman kaybı is an indefinite noun compound, which is used to create general categories or types. Using the genitive to make it zamanın kaybı (a definite noun compound) would mean "the loss of the time," referring to a specific, previously mentioned chunk of time.
Where is the verb 'is' in this sentence?
It is implied. In conversational and everyday written Turkish, the third-person "to be" suffix (-dir / -dır) is frequently omitted when stating simple facts or descriptions. You could say ...tam bir zaman kaybıdır to make the statement sound more formal, objective, or emphatic, but leaving it off is completely natural.
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