This is a pretty comprehensive list of Intensified Turkish Adjectives and Adverbs - many of them are in constant use both in daily conversation and newspapers and periodicals, plus stories and novels. It is a way that language colours itself. So when you are reading or listening you must always be on the look out for this type of usage as it is very common.
If you want to intensify an adjective, you have to follow these steps:
- Take an adjective
- Find the first vowel of the adjective
- Put one of the letters (p,r,s,m) after this first vowel
- Add the original adjective again at the very end-ram- or -ril- as in the examples above)
If you should ask how to choose the letter among these 4 - (p,r,s,m). This has no rule, it is just feeling for the one which sounds nicer. Many thanks to Oytun Arslan for noting this. - JG - 19 Sept 2011
| Adjective | Meaning | Intensified | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| acayip | queer | apacayip, çok acayip | very strange |
| acele | in a hurry | alelacele | very hastily |
| açık | clear/open | apaçık | very clear/open |
| ayrı | separate | apayrı | quite separate |
| bakkal | grocer | bakkal çakkal | grocers and the like |
| başka | another | bambaşka | quite another thing |
| bayağı | common | basbayağı | very common |
| baygın | unconscious | aygın baygın | languid |
| bedava | gratis | besbedava - (little used) | completely free |
| belli | evident | besbelli | very clear |
| beter | worse | besbeter | even worse |
| beyaz | white | bembeyaz | brilliant white |
| bok | shit | bombok | utterly spoilt |
| bol | full | bosbol | filled to the brim |
| boş | empty | bomboş | quite empty |
| burun | nose | baltaburun | hook nosed |
| buruşuk | creased | bumburuşuk | wrinkled all over |
| bütün | all | büsbütün | wholly |
| canlı | alive | capcanlı | animate |
| çabuk | quickly | çarçabuk | very quickly |
| çevre | surroundings | çepeçevre | all around |
| çöp | rubbish | çerçöp | sweepings |
| çıplak | naked | çırılçıplak | stark naked |
| dağınık | untidy | darmadağınık | really untidy |
| dar | narrow | dapdar | cramped, tight-fitting |
| daracık | pretty narrow | dapdaracık | very narrow |
| deli | madman | zıpırdeli | frantic madman |
| deli | crazy | zırdeli | raving mad |
| delice | crazily | deldelice | madly |
| dik | perpendicular | dimdik | bolt upright |
| diri | alive | dipdiri | full of life |
| dizgin | (stirrup) | doludizgin | at full pelt |
| dızlak | bald/naked | dımdızlak | destitute |
| doğru | right/correct | dosdoğru | dead right |
| dolu | full | dopdolu | crammed full |
| duru | limpid | dupduru | very clear |
| düz | flat | düpedüz | dead flat |
| düz | straight | dümdüz | dead straight |
| düz | even | düpedüz | dead even |
| geniş | wide | gepgeniş | expansive |
| gıcır | brand new | gıpgıcır | spanking brand new |
| gündüz | daylight | güpegündüz | broad daylight |
| ince | thin | ipince | very thin |
| ılık | tepid | ıpılık | lukewarm |
| ıslak | wet | ıpıslak | sopping/all wet |
| ıssız | uninhabited | ıpıssız | desolate |
| iri | big | ipiri | very huge |
| kara | black | kapkara | black as night |
| karışık | mixed up | karmakarışık | completely mixed up |
| kısa | short | kıpkısa, kısacık | very short |
| koca | large | koskoca | huge |
| kocaman | huge | koskocaman | enormous |
| kolay | easy | kopkolay | very easily |
| koyu | dense dark | kopkoyu | really dark |
| kör | blind | köpkör | absolutely blind |
| kötü | bad | köpkötü - (child talk) | very bad |
| kötürüm | paralyzed | köskötürüm | completely paralyzed |
| kuru | dry | kupkuru | bone dry |
| kütük | a log | küskütük | hopelessly drunk |
| kıvrak | tidy | kıskıvrak | neat and tidy |
| mavi | blue | masmavi | bright blue |
| mor | purple | mosmor | bright purple |
| pak | clean | akpak | squeaky clean |
| pembe | pink | pespembe | shocking pink |
| perişan | miserable/worried | perperişan | very perturbed |
| parça | bits | paramparça | in smithereens |
| pis | dirty | pimpis - (child talk) | filthy dirty |
| sağlam | healthy | sapsağlam | in fine fettle |
| sağlam | healthy | sapasağlam | in fine fettle |
| sarı | yellow | sapsarı | bright yellow |
| sefil | miserable/poor | sersefil | very miserable/poor |
| sıcak | hot | sımsıcak | red-hot |
| sıklam | damp | sırılsıklam | sopping wet |
| sıkı | tight | sımsıkı | very tight |
| sivri | sharp | sipsivri | dead sharp |
| siyah | black | simsiyah | jet black |
| şirin | charming | şipşirin | very charming |
| talan | pillage | alantalan | in utter confusion |
| tamam | complete | tastamam | perfect |
| tatlı | sweet | taptatlı | very sweet |
| taze | fresh (food) | terütaze | blooming/very fresh |
| taze | fresh | taptaze | very fresh |
| temiz | clean | tertemiz | squeaky clean |
| top | round, ball-like | tortop | quite round |
| uslu | well behaved | upuslu | very well behaved |
| uzun | long | upuzun | very long |
| uygun | suitable | upuygun | quite adequate |
| yalnız | alone | yapayalnız | absolutely alone |
| yassı | flat and wide | yamyassı | very flat |
| yaş | wet | yamyaş | all wet |
| yeni | new | yepyeni | brand new |
| yeşil | green | yemyeşil | bright green |
| yumru | swollen/round | yusyumru | very swollen/round |
| yumuşak | soft | yusyumuşak | very soft |
| yuvarlak | globular | yusyuvarlak | absolutely spherical |
| zayıf | thin/feeble | zapzayıf | very thin/feeble |