Hi, I am a bit confused, although I have known for a long time that ´adet´ is similar to ´tane´ in its use I have only ever seen adet written in shops and markets and on packaging, I have never actually heard anyone use the word.   However whilst I was staying with some friends one of them used it, and I remarked that I hadn´t heard it used before.   We were at the time playing a game using ´OKAY´ tiles but slightly diferent in its rules.  Later, when we were counting the scores the lady in question said she had scored 5, but as she had five tiles that was imposible as the value of each tile counts.   She then used the word again saying "I thought it was the ´ADET´ that counted, and then said to me, now that is an example of when we cannot say ´TANE´, obviously the conversation was taking place in Turkish, but my friends could not explain to me the ´rule´.

I cannot quite explain it but I feel its possibly something to do with the subject not being spoken ie the amount being more important than the ´thing´.

Completely confused, any help??

Can´t you tell us the word which we cannot use that your friends say? If I know such an example, I may try to explan the difference, but as far as I know, we can use "tane" always, but maybe not adet always.

I don´t think there is a difference between adet and tane. I use both but I think adet is more formal.

Hi, this is a trick of Turkish Language Council.. Their duty was to get rid of the foreign words and use the real Turkish ones instead.. So they enforced this rule for many words.. Some worked, some didn´t.. So while we were growing up, we used more tane than adet.. but our elders kept on using adet.. I guess that´s why you still here adet in some places, but more often tane.  There is no difference in between.. It´s only that you get used to hearing it one way, and the other one doesn´t seem to be correct..  Otherwise there is no rule.

Agree they are synonyms.  On invoices for book orders, it is more usual for publishers to use Adet or Adedi on the heading for the column for number of copies.

If you prolong the first vowel of adet its means: custom and period (of mensturation).

Thanks very much for your explanations.   It appears that it was as I had originally understood.   The only thing I don´t understand now is why the young lady confused me in the beginning!  I have spent ages looking through grammer books and the like to try and find an explanation.

Just to clarify what was said to me, it was the end of a game when the value of each tile that a player is left with in their hand is added together and becomes thier score, the lady said she had scored 5, but she had five tiles and we explained that she must add the´values´ of each tile to find her score, her reply was  "pardon, zannettim adet (maybe adedi) sayıldı".  Then she said that this was an occasion when ´tane´ couldn´t be used.

error sending

Adet = quantity

x adet = x in quantity like 2 adet = 2 in quantity etc

tane = piece

2 tane ekmek = 2 pieces of breads (means 2 breads)

they have close meanings and in the end you can safely drop both of them anyway

2 adet ekmek = 2 tane ekmek = 2 ekmek = 2 breads

In commercial business "adet" is used. Forexample, you note down your stock, you say "10 adet televizyon, 20 adet bulaşık makinesi, 5 adet buzdolabı ...). It sounds more professionnal.