Intermediate
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- Discussion (7)
wood masadaki masa + daki
the one on the table bandajları bandaj + lar + ı
bandages uzatır mısın? uzat + ır mı + sın
will you pass İngiliz İngiliz
English askerin asker + in
soldier's kanaması kanama + s + ı
his bleeding var. var.
there is
here you go Ameliyat olması lazım. ameliyat olma + s + ı lazım
he needs to have an operation Galiba Galiba
it seems karaciğerinde karaciğer + i + n + de
in his liver metal metal
metal parçalar parça + lar
pieces var. var.
there is
I am afraid doğru doğru
true ve ve
and çok çok
very yakında yakında
soon daha daha
more fazla fazla
a lot İngiliz İngiliz
English askeri asker + i
soldiers gelecek. gel + ecek
they will come
yes İngiliz İngiliz
English gemileri gemi + ler + i
ships durmayacak. dur + ma + y + acak
they will not stop Birçok Birçok
many İngiliz, İngiliz,
English Türk, Türk,
Turkish Fransız, Fransız,
French ve ve
and Avustralyalı Avustralya + lı
Australian asker asker
soldier ölüyor, öl + üyor
they are dying çok çok
very yazık. yazık.
pity
yesterday bir bir
a Fransız Fransız
French bacağını bacak + ı + n + ı
his leg kaybetti. kaybet + ti
he lost Evvelki gün Evvelki gün
the day before yesterday bir bir
a Türk Türk
Turk bir bir
a de de
also Avustralyalı Avustralya + lı
Australian çocuk çocuk
kid çamurda çamur + da
in the mud anneleri anne + leri
their mothers için için
for ağlıyorlardı. ağla + ıyor + lardı
they were crying
war tam tam
exactly bir bir
a katliam. katliam.
massacre Bu Bu
this bedel bedel
price Türk yurdunu Turkish yurt + u + n + u
Turkish homeland korumak korumak
to protect için için
for the sake of ödeniyor öde + n + iyor
is being paid ama ama
but çok çok
very ağır ağır
heavy bir bir
a yük. yük.
burden
you are right ama ama
but artık artık
now şu şu
that pamuk pamuk
cotton sargıyı sargı + y + ı
bandage verir misin? ver + ir mi + sin
will you give? Savaş Savaş
war bitene kadar bit + en + e kadar
until it ends çok çok
a lot çalışacağız. çalış + acak + ız
we will will work
Material adjectives are a little strange in Turkish. When using a material (metal, altın, tahta) to describe something, you use the noun form of the material, but you don't form a compound noun. Since you are combining two nouns into a single unit, you would expect to create a compound noun by adding -si to the second noun. However, Turkish doesn't do this; instead, the material noun mimics an adjective and the modified noun does not take a suffix.
Wood table.
Glass window.
Silk dress.
Some nationalities in Turkish have their own unique words. Most, though, are formed by adding the suffix -li (meaning from or of) to the country name.
Interestingly, Amerikan and Amerikalı are both in daily use. Amerikalı is generally used with people, while Amerikan is used for things.
English
German
French
Spanish
Syrian
Kenyan
Chinese
Indian
When using nationalities to describe something, they can both act as adjectives and nouns. That is, sometimes the nationality will form a compound noun with the word it's modifying (thus acting like a noun), and sometimes it doesn't (thus acting like an adjective). There is a subtle difference between both cases.
In general, a nationality is used as an adjective when it is personifying. Don't make a compound noun when you are describing people (or otherwise personifying for literary reasons). As you would expect from Turkish's usual behavior, these words can be used alone to refer to a person of that nationality.
A French doctor.
They are Turks.
Japanese people.
He is dating a Russian.
When using nationalities to describe non-person things, form a compound noun by adding -si to the second noun. This is different from English. We use adjectives to say something like Turkish coffee, whereas Turkish uses two nouns: Türk kahvesi. For nationalities that are formed with -li, just use the country name: Çin yemeği, not Çinli yemeği.
French bread.
English ships.
Canadian weather.
Belgian countryside.
The distinction between these two ways of modifying words with nationalities is made clearer with the word asker (soldier). Using İngiliz (for example) as a personifying adjective to say İngiliz asker refers to a soldier that is English - that is, he has English parents but could be an American citizen in the American army. On the other hand, forming the compound noun to say İngiliz askeri refers to a soldier of the English army - in fact, the soldier might be Indian or Chinese, but they are employed by the country of England.
- They require a special suffix when modifying nouns.
- They modify as nouns, but don't form compound nouns.
- They are adjectives that sometimes act like nouns.
- They form a compound noun with the word that they modify.
- Turkish uses nationalities as adjectives, whereas English uses compound nouns.
- They always form compound nouns with the words they are modifying.
- They never form compound nouns with the words they are modifying.
- They sometimes form a compound noun, and sometimes they don't.
- altın saati
- Avustralyalı birası
- gümüş çatal
- Alman birası
- Hint yemek
- Çinli mühendis
You must answer every question.
Teşekkürler!
"Çanakkale Türküsü":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fd0mqHtKsz4
Çok üzücü. Very sad.
You could say "cam gibi göz," though the native Turkish speakers here are telling me that's pretty weird. They'd more likely use, "ışıl ışıl göz" or "pırıl pırıl göz" (lit: shiny eye).
More generally, you were right that "gibi" seems to be the closest way to translate these phrases.
"Odun gibi bir adamdı" - He was a wood-like man.
"Çorba su gibi" - The soup is watery (water-like).
