A1 · Pronouns · about 7 minutes
bu, şu, o: this, that, that over there
demonstratives
Three degrees of distance, where English mostly manages with “this” and “that”.
Do you know this already?
“New to me”: the explanation first, then practice. “Test myself”: 3 short questions – get at least two right and you go straight to the harder exercises.
Words you will need2
They appear in this topic’s examples and exercises and are new at this point on the learning path.
- tatlıdessert, something sweet
- adamman
Understand
RememberBefore a noun: bu, şu, o — unchanged. On their own: bunlar, bunu, bunda.
- Signal words
- bu
- şu
- o
- bunlar
- şunlar
- burada
- orada
The form
The patterns at a glance
Each row first says when or what the pattern is used for, then gives an example in Turkish.
| this one here | bu · bunlar |
| that one there | şu · şunlar |
| that one over there | o · onlar |
| this house, these houses | bu ev · bu evler |
| this (accusative) | bunu · şunu · onu |
| here, there, over there | burada · şurada · orada |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it
bu is near, şu points, o is far or already known.
Bu çanta benim, o çanta Elif'in.This bag is mine, that one over there is Elif’s.
Before a noun the words do not change, even in the plural.
Bu elmalar çok tatlı.These apples are very sweet.
On their own they form the plural with -nlar.
Bunlar ne?What are these?
An n goes in before a case ending.
Bunu istiyorum.I would like this one.
burada, şurada and orada come from them.
Anahtar burada.The key is here.
Example sentences
Bu ne?What is this?
Şu kırmızı elbise kaç lira?How much is that red dress there?
O adam kim?Who is that man?
6 more example sentences
Bunlar benim kitaplarım.These are my books.
Lütfen şunu ver.Please give me that one.
Orada bir eczane var.There is a chemist’s over there.
Bu sabah çok yorgunum.I am very tired this morning.
O gün çok güzeldi.That day was really lovely.
Bundan iki tane istiyorum.I would like two of these.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
English “this” becomes “these” before a plural, so learners make bu plural too: bunlar evler. Before a noun bu always stays the same; only the noun takes -ler.
Quick check
A warm-up: 2 questions, answered straight away. They do not count towards your progress.
Practise
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Next on the path: 36 · The apostrophe with namesBack to the learning path
The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
Turkish points in three steps: bu for what is close to you (“this”), şu for what you are pointing at, a little further away (“that one there”), and o for what is far away or already mentioned (“that”). English mostly manages with “this” and “that”.
Before a noun the three words do not change: bu ev“this house”şu araba“that car”o adam“that man” On their own they stand for the noun: Bu ne? “What is this?” Their plural is then bunlar, şunlar, onlar — but only on their own. Before a plural noun it stays bu: bu evler “these houses”.
With a case ending they take an n: bunu, buna, bunda, bundan; likewise şunu, onu. And the place words are built from them: burada“here”şurada“there (where I point)”orada“over there”
A closer look
When şu and when o
şu is the pointing word: you use it when you point with your finger or your eyes at something the other person should see — şu ev “that house there”. o does not point but refers: to something far away, out of sight or already mentioned.
That is why şu also announces what is about to come: Şunu söyleyeyim. “Let me tell you this.” o, on the other hand, goes back to what has been said.
Şu adam kim? — O benim komşum.Who is that man there? — He’s my neighbour.
Worth knowing2
Worth knowing
o is also he and she
o is both the distant pointing word and the third-person pronoun. O kim? means “Who is that?” or “Who is he/she?” — in Turkish it is the same question.
O kim? — O benim ablam.Who is that? — That’s my older sister.
Worth knowing
Three place words instead of two
English has “here” and “there”. Turkish ties its place words to the three steps: burada, şurada, orada — and for direction buraya“(to) here”oraya“(to) there”
Buraya gel, orada soğuk.Come over here, it’s cold there.
The verbs on this page, in every form: istemek · inmek