eski: old objects and former roles in Turkish

The idea

Say eski bir saat before a noun and defter eski as a sentence. Eski öğretmenim can mean my former teacher.

Examples

• Eski bir saat buldum.I found an old clock.
• Bu defter eski.This notebook is old.
• Eski öğretmenim burada.My former teacher is here.
• Bu çanta yeni değil, eski.This bag is not new; it is old.
• Eski fotoğraflar masada.The old photographs are on the table.
• Eski bir şarkı dinliyoruz.We are listening to an old song.

Watch out

A former teacher is not necessarily elderly: eski can describe the previous role, while yaşlı describes age.

Try it yourself

1. Choose the option that completes the Turkish sentence. Bu çanta yeni değil; ___. (eski / yeni)

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   eski

   Eski describes the bag as old rather than new.

2. Choose the option that completes the Turkish sentence. Şimdi başka öğretmenim var. İlk öğretmenim: ___ öğretmenim. (eski / yaşlı)

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   eski

   Eski identifies a previous teaching role, not the teacher’s age.

3. Choose the option that completes the Turkish sentence. ___ fotoğraflar masada. (eski / eskiler)

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   eski

   Eski remains unchanged before the plural noun.

Use it today

Describe an old object and refer to a former teacher.