Distinguish a comfortable armchair from a seat on a vehicle.

The idea

Koltuk can mean an armchair or a seat. Its final k softens before a vowel: koltuğu can be a specific object and koltuğum means my seat. Before the locative consonant it stays k: koltukta.

Examples

  • Yeşil koltuk salonda pencerenin yanında.The green armchair is next to the window in the living room.
  • Koltukta kedimiz sessizce uyuyor.Our cat is sleeping quietly in the armchair.
  • Eski koltuğu dün komşuya verdik.Yesterday we gave the old armchair to the neighbour.
  • Uçaktaki koltuğum pencereye yakın.My seat on the plane is near the window.
  • Bu koltuğun kumaşı çok yumuşak.The fabric of this armchair is very soft.
  • Otobüste iki boş koltuk var.There are two empty seats on the bus.

Read-aloud uses a synthetic Turkish voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.

Watch out

Do not assume every koltuk is an armchair: on a bus or plane it can mean a passenger seat. Context also distinguishes object koltuğu from “his or her seat”.

Try it yourself

  1. Use the definite object: We gave the old armchair to the neighbour yesterday. Eski ___ dün komşuya verdik.

    Show answer or example answer

    koltuğu

    koltuğu: the specific armchair is the object and k becomes ğ before -u.

  2. Use the locative: Our cat is sleeping in the armchair. Kedimiz ___ uyuyor.

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    koltukta

    koltukta: the place ending begins with t after the voiceless k.

  3. Use the possessive: My seat on the plane is near the window. Uçaktaki ___ pencereye yakın.

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    koltuğum

    koltuğum: -um marks my and the final k softens to ğ.

Use it today

Describe a seat in a vehicle and an armchair in a room, giving one detail about each.