Basic Adjectives &
Word Order

Adjectives in Turkish precede the noun they modify. They do not inflect for number, gender, case, or person. The adjective and noun form a single noun phrase with fixed word order.

1. Position of Adjectives

The adjective appears directly before the noun:

büyük ev
yeni kitap
uzun yol
güzel şehir

This order is obligatory.

2. No Agreement or Inflection

Adjectives do not change form based on:

• number
• gender
• case
• possession

Only the noun carries inflection:

büyük ev → büyük evi
yeni kitap → yeni kitaba
uzun yol → uzun yoldan

3. Multiple Adjectives

More than one adjective may modify the same noun.

All adjectives precede the noun, forming a linear structure:

büyük güzel ev
eski uzun yol
geniş modern oda

The adjectives remain uninflected.

4. Adjective as Predicate

When an adjective functions as a predicate, personal endings attach to the adjective:

büyük → büyüğüm
hazır → hazırsın
yeni → yeniyiz
mutlu → mutlular

Predicate marking follows the structure of nominal predication.

5. Adjective–Noun Boundary

Adjectives never follow the noun.

A structure where the noun precedes the adjective forms a predicate, not a noun phrase:

büyük ev = “the big house”
ev büyük = “the house is big”