yerde

Yerde is a Turkish adverb meaning “on the ground” or “on a surface.” It denotes the location of an object relative to a surface and is formed from the noun yer (ground, place) with the locative suffix -de.

Etymology and grammar: The locative suffix in Turkish appears as -de or -da depending on vowel harmony; after the stem yer, which ends with the front vowel e, the form is -de, yielding yerde. It contrasts with phrases like üzerinde (on top of) or altında (underneath). For broader references to the Earth’s surface, Turkish also uses yeryüzünde or dünyada.

Usage: Yerde is typically used to indicate that something is physically located on a surface. Examples include: “Kedinin patisi yerde.” (The cat’s paw is on the ground.) “Ayakkabılar yerde duruyor.” (The shoes are on the ground.) “Çocuklar oyuncakları yerde buldu.” (The children found the toys on the ground.)

Notes: While yerde specifies a surface, other expressions can convey different spatial relations, such as üstünde (on top of) or altında (underneath). It is not a reference to the planet Earth in general; for Earth-wide contexts Turkish uses yeryüzünde or dünyada.

See also: yer, yeryüzü, üzerinde, üstünde.