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The Turkish language mostly has suffixes except some prefixes called intensifying prefixes that are added to some underived adjectives to intensify the meaning. Intensifying prefixes end in the letters ‘m, p, r, s’. If the adjective begins with a consonant the prefix consists of this consonant, the vowel following it and one of the above letters. If the adjective begins with a vowel the prefix consists of this vowel and the letter ‘p’:
Prefixes ending in ‘m’
beyaz (white) → bembeyaz (snow-white)
siyah (black) → simsiyah (pitch-black)
yeşil (green) → yemyeşil (completely green)
boş (empty) → bomboş (absolutely empty)
düz (straight) → dümdüz (as straight as a line)
sıkı (tight) → sımsıkı (very tight)
sıcak (hot) → sımsıcak (very hot)
Prefixes ending in ‘p’
kırmızı (red) → kıpkırmızı (completely red)
canlı (alive, living) → capcanlı (very lively)
hızlı (fast) → hıphızlı (really fast)
ince (thin) → ipince (very thin)
kara (black) → kapkara (pitch-black)
uzun (long) → upuzun (very long)
ıslak (wet) → ıpıslak (sop
yeni (new) → yepyeni (brand new)
kuru (dry) → kupkuru (parched dry)
dolu (full) → dopdolu (absolutely full)
karanlık (dark) → kapkaranlık (completely dark)
taze (fresh) → taptaze (absolutely fresh)
eski (old) → epeski (very old)
Prefixes ending in ‘r’
temiz (clean) → tertemiz (spotlessly clean)
çabuk (quick) → çarçabuk (very quick)
Prefixes ending in ‘s’
kocaman (big) → koskocaman (huge)
belli (obvious) → besbelli (very obvious)
katı (hard) → kaskatı (rock hard)
bütün (entire) → büsbütün (completely)
mor (purple) → mosmor (deep purple)
yuvarlak (round) → yusyuvarlak (completely round)
mavi (blue) → masmavi (completely blue)
doğru (true) → dosdoğru (entirely correct)
pembe (pink) → pespembe (completely pink)
Examples of intensified adjectives with irregular prefixes
çıplak (naked) → çırılçıplak (totally naked)
gündüz (daytime) → güpegündüz (broad daylight)
parça (piece) → paramparça (totally shattered)
renk (colour) → rengarenk (multi-coloured)
yalnız (alone) → yapayalnız (all alone)
karışık (mixed) → karmakarışık (totally fouled up)
sağlam (healthy) → sapasağlam (perfectly healthy)
Intensive adjectives are usually stressed on the first syllable:
kapkara, kıpkırmızı, masmavi, sapasağlam, dosdoğru
And intensive adjectives can’t be modified by indefinite adjectives such as ‘çok, biraz, az’, and don’t have comparative or superlative degree: not ‘daha kıpkırmızı’ but ‘daha kırmızı’ (redder) or not ‘en tertemiz’ but ‘en temiz’ (the cleanest)
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