toprak: soil for plants

The idea

Toprak means soil or earth. The definite object is toprağı: final k becomes ğ before the vowel. Toprakta means “in the soil” and topraktan means “from the soil”; both keep k.

Examples

• Toprağı yağmurdan sonra kokladık.We smelled the soil after the rain.
• Tohumlar toprakta yavaşça büyüyor.Seeds grow slowly in the soil.
• Bahçıvan sabah topraktan bir kök çıkardı.In the morning the gardener took a root out of the soil.
• Bu toprak oldukça nemli.This soil is quite moist.
• İki avuç toprak saksıya yeter.Two handfuls of soil are enough for the pot.
• Yağmur toprağın rengini koyulaştırdı.The rain darkened the colour of the soil.

Watch out

Write toprağı before the vowel ending, but keep k in toprakta and topraktan. Their t endings follow the voiceless k.

Try it yourself

1. We smelled the soil after the rain. (specific object) ___ yağmurdan sonra kokladık.

   Show answer or example answer

   toprağı

   toprağı: k becomes ğ before accusative -ı.

2. Seeds grow slowly in the soil. (location) Tohumlar ___ yavaşça büyüyor.

   Show answer or example answer

   toprakta

   toprakta: locative -ta follows voiceless k.

3. The gardener took a root out of the soil. (starting point) Bahçıvan ___ bir kök çıkardı.

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   topraktan

   topraktan: ablative -tan follows voiceless k.

Use it today

Describe soil after rain and say what may grow in it.