"They generally eat Italian food."

Translation: Onlar genellikle İtalyan yemeği yerler.

[GhassanKha]

Is there a difference in meaning between Italian yemeği and Italian yemekleri

[mnydt]

Why "genellikle İtalyan yemekleri yerler" is wrong

[mnydt]

I am replying my self after I am more knowledgeable in the Turkish language.
The reason that:
First, Italian food = İtalyan yemeği (not İtalyan yemekleri cause it is not Italian foods)
It lefts us with "Genellikle İtalyan yemeği yerler". This should work

[Sayel.Abbadi]

Kolay gelsin.

[aliNka]

... but "çoğunlukla" also can be translated as "generally".

[asdzxvasd]

yes it can be. but "çoğunlukla" is genellikle translated as "mostly" :D

[omergold]

why yemek is in accusative? the sentence doesn't refer to specific italian food

[soheil980467]

It is not accusative. It is possessive and the (i) refers to the possessed. Recap: possessor(-n) possessed(-i)

[Danika_Dakika]

I agree that it is not accusative, but I think it actually functions more like a compound-noun construction (see a fuller explanation), not like a genitive-possessive construction.

Italyan = Italian (nationality)

Italyan yemeği = Italian food (nationality compound)

Italya = Italy (country)

Italya'nın yemeği = Italy's food (possessive)

[Sayel.Abbadi]

Since "yemek" doesn't donate humanbeing the nationality adjective "İtalyan" considered as a noun, so "İtalyan yemeği" becomes a noun compound.

[sthuem]

why can't I say "genellikle italyan yemek yerler"?

[Danika_Dakika]

If you are asking about yemeği as opposed to yemek -- see the explanation of nationality compounds.

[Anjisab]

There are too many contradictions in this unit. In some sentences "food" is translated as "yemek", in others as "yemekler" and I am always marked wrong, because I picked the "wrong" version. I'll never get through this. ;...(