LingoflyWhere? The -da/-de ending and its voiceless twin
evde means in the house, and it is built plainly. The word takes -da or -de, with the vowel chosen as usual: oda → odada, ev → evde. For example: “Anahtar masada” — The key is on the table. A rule from the Turkish course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
evde means in the house, and it is built plainly. The word takes -da or -de, with the vowel chosen as usual: oda → odada, ev → evde.
Then somebody says dolapda and gets corrected. The culprit is the consonant in front. After the voiceless p, ç, t, k, f, h, s, ş that d hardens into t: dolapta, sokakta, mutfakta, saat kaçta.
Turks hold those eight in one phrase, Fıstıkçı Şahap, Şahap the pistachio seller. Two words, all eight sounds.
So one tail wears four shapes: -da, -de, -ta, -te. The word picks the vowel, the neighbour picks the hardness. The same pair runs from (-dan/-tan) and the past (-dı/-tı), so the rule pays off three times.
Table
| the word | the last sound | the where-form |
|---|---|---|
| ev | v — voiced | evde |
| oda | a vowel | odada |
| dolap | p — voiceless | dolapta |
| mutfak | k — voiceless | mutfakta |
| hastane | a vowel | hastanede |
By example
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
Why dolapta and not dolapda?
Then somebody says dolapda and gets corrected. The culprit is the consonant in front. After the voiceless p, ç, t, k, f, h, s, ş that d hardens into t: dolapta, sokakta, mutfakta, saat kaçta.
When Turkish -da becomes -ta?
So one tail wears four shapes: -da, -de, -ta, -te. The word picks the vowel, the neighbour picks the hardness. The same pair runs from (-dan/-tan) and the past (-dı/-tı), so the rule pays off three times.
How to say at school in Turkish?
evde means in the house, and it is built plainly. The word takes -da or -de, with the vowel chosen as usual: oda → odada, ev → evde.
What fıstıkçı şahap is for in Turkish?
Turks hold those eight in one phrase, Fıstıkçı Şahap, Şahap the pistachio seller. Two words, all eight sounds.
What does it look like in a Turkish example sentence?
“Anahtar masada” — The key is on the table. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.