Strong Colours and Adjectives

Level 3

Pekiştirmeli Sıfatlar (Emphatic Adjectives) are formed by taking the first syllable of an adjective and adding a linking consonant (m, p, r, or s) to create a prefix. This intensifies the meaning to an absolute state.

How It Works

Turkish uses a unique system of reduplication to emphasize qualities. Unlike using the word çok (very), these emphatic forms suggest a total or absolute quality.

How to Form Them:
1. Take the first vowel of the adjective and any preceding consonants (e.g., temiz → te-, açık → a-).
2. Add one of the four linking consonants: m, p, r, or s (often remembered by the mnemonic PıRaSaM).
3. Attach this new prefix to the front of the original word: tertemiz (spotless).

Word Stress:
A key feature of these forms is the word stress. In intensified adjectives, the stress always shifts to the first syllable (the prefix). For example, in bembeyaz (stark white), the stress is on BEM-, and in masmavi (bright blue), it is on MAS-.

Alternative Pattern:
Another common way to show intensity is using the question word in the pattern Adjective + mı/mi + Adjective. For example, güzel mi güzel (beautiful as can be) or sıcak mı sıcak (intensely hot).

Consonant Choice:
The choice of which consonant to use is lexicalized, meaning it is fixed by tradition rather than a strict rule. However, vowel-initial words always use p (e.g., uzun → upuzun, açık → apaçık).

Irregularities:
Some common words add an extra vowel (usually -a or -e) for rhythm:

  • yalnız → yapayalnız (all alone)
  • sağlam → sapasağlam (perfectly healthy)
  • gündüz → güpegündüz (in broad daylight)

There are also a few unique forms like sırılsıklam (soaking wet) and paramparça (shattered).

Examples (5)

  1. Kar yağdı, her yer bembeyaz oldu.

    It snowed, and everywhere became snow-white.

    Word by Word: Snow fell, every place snow-white became.

    Bembeyaz (be + m + beyaz) emphasizes that the white is pure and total.

  2. Deniz bugün masmavi, sanki bir tablo gibi.

    The sea is deep blue today, just like a painting.

    Word by Word: Sea today deep-blue, as-if a painting like.

    Masmavi (ma + s + mavi) describes an intense, vibrant blue.

  3. Misafirler gelmeden önce evi tertemiz yaptı.

    She made the house spotless before the guests arrived.

    Word by Word: Guests before-coming house-acc spotless made.

    Tertemiz (te + r + temiz) means the house is not just clean, but perfectly clean.

  4. Yeni aldığım araba yepyeni görünüyor.

    The car I just bought looks brand new.

    Word by Word: New bought-my car brand-new looks.

    Yepyeni (ye + p + yeni) is used to emphasize that something has no wear and tear at all.

  5. Sokaklar bayramda bomboştu.

    The streets were completely empty during the holiday.

    Word by Word: Streets holiday-at completely-empty-past.

    Bomboş (bo + m + boş) indicates a total lack of people or things.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'çok' with an emphatic adjective.

    Bu oda çok tertemiz.
    Bu oda tertemiz.

    Emphatic adjectives are already absolute. Adding 'çok' (very) is redundant, like saying 'very spotless' in English.

  • Writing the emphatic adjective as two separate words.

    Kıp kırmızı bir elma.
    Kıpkırmızı bir elma.

    Unlike 'ikilemeler' (reduplicated pairs), emphatic adjectives must always be written as a single, solid word.

  • Over-generalizing the pattern to all adjectives.

    Gögüzel bir kız.
    Çok güzel bir kız.

    This pattern only applies to a specific set of adjectives (mostly colors and physical states). For others, use 'çok' or another word like 'pek' or 'gayet'.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Strong Colours and AdjectivesLevel 3

Learn This First

To understand intensified adjectives (pekiştirme), you first need to know basic adjective usage. The process involves taking the first syllable of an adjective and adding a specific consonant (m, p, r, or s) before repeating the whole word, so a solid grasp of Turkish phonetics and basic vocabulary is essential.