tavan: the ceiling inside a room

The idea

Tavan means the ceiling inside a room; çatı is the roof above a building. A specific object can be tavanı, a location tavanda, and the genitive tavanın can link the ceiling to its colour.

Examples

• Tavanı geçen yıl beyaza boyadık.We painted the ceiling white last year.
• Yüksek tavan salonu daha ferah gösteriyor.The high ceiling makes the living room look more spacious.
• Tavanda küçük bir lamba yanıyor.A small lamp is lit on the ceiling.
• Bu tavan çok yüksek.This ceiling is very high.
• Tavanın rengi açık mavi.The ceiling is light blue.
• Yeni evin tavanı ahşap.The ceiling of the new house is wooden.

Watch out

Do not use çatı for the surface above you inside a room. Also, tavanı can mean his or her ceiling as well as a specific object.

Try it yourself

1. Use the definite object: We painted the ceiling white last year. ___ geçen yıl beyaza boyadık.

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   tavanı

   tavanı: -ı marks the specific ceiling as an object.

2. Use the locative: A small lamp is lit on the ceiling. ___ küçük bir lamba yanıyor.

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   tavanda

   tavanda: the locative -da tells where the lamp is.

3. Use the genitive: The ceiling is light blue. ___ rengi açık mavi.

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   tavanın

   tavanın: the genitive -ın links the ceiling to its colour.

Use it today

Describe a ceiling, its colour and something attached to it.