Questions make up an important part of our communication. Hundreds of questions fly around our minds every day, and now, I can see the big question mark in your head saying, “what are the Turkish question words?” You’ll find the answer to this question here, in this article.
If you want to ask questions in Turkish, you need to know the six essential question words; “Kim (who), ne (what), nerede (where), neden (why), ne zaman (when), and nasıl (how)” which are known as the 5N1K questions in the Turkish language.
You’ll learn how to form question sentences with these words and many others, but first, let’s learn Turkish question words and their meanings.
Page Contents:
- How To Form Question Sentences In Turkish?
- Turkish Question Words
- The Interrogative Particles In Turkish
- Question Tags In Turkish
- Common Daily Questions In Turkish
- Common Personal Questions
- Common School-Related Questions
- Common Business-Related Questions
- Learn Turkish With The Ling App!
How To Form Question Sentences In Turkish?
There are two different ways to form question sentences in Turkish. The first way is to use question words, and the second one is to use question particles.
When it comes to word order, question words usually come at the beginning of a sentence, while question particles come at the end, inflected according to the verb and person.
Turkish Question Words
In Turkish, there are six essential question words that others derive from. These words are used to form common questions, excluding yes-no questions. So if someone asks you a question using these words, it means that they want a specific answer.
Here is the list of all question words in Turkish:
- Ne? – What?
- Kim? – Who?
- Kimi? – Whom?
- Kime? – To whom?
- Kimin? – Whose?
- Hangi? – Which?
- Hangisi? – Which one?
- Ne zaman? – When?
- Nerede? – Where?
- Nereden? – From where?
- Nereye? – To where?
- Ne kadar? – How much? / How long?
- Kaç tane? – How many?
- Nasıl? – How?
- Neden? / Niçin? – Why? /
Here are some examples:
• Kaç tane dondurma istiyorlar? (How many ice creams do they want?)
• Nasıl hissediyorsun? (How do you feel?)
• Hangi elbise daha güzel? (Which dress is prettier?)
• Kimi arıyorsun? (Whom are you calling?)
The Interrogative Particles In Turkish
The second way to form question sentences in Turkish is to use interrogative particles, which are listed below:
- mı, mi, mu, mü
- mısın, misin, musun, müsün
Each particle functions as a separate word, so they never conjugate with the words before them.
A Turkish question sentence can include either a question word or a question particle, and it is not a thing to use both simultaneously.
These particles are used to ask yes-no questions. So, if someone asks you a question ending with one of these particles, it means that you can basically answer yes or no.
Here are some examples:
• Sen öğretmen misin? (Are you a teacher?)
• O senin kedin mi? (Is it your cat?)
• Okula gidiyor musun? (Do you go to school?)
• Onun adı Zeynep mi? (Is her name Zeynep?)
Question Tags In Turkish
In English, question tags change according to the subject and tense; however, in Turkish, there is only one question tag, and you can add it to all sentences regardless of subject and tense.
Forming question sentences with question tags is very simple in Turkish. All you have to do is add “değil mi” at the end of the sentence. Here are some examples:
• Evdesin, değil mi? (You are at home, aren’t you?)
• Ödevini bitirdin, değil mi? (You finished your homework, didn’t you?)
• Mert bugün gelecek, değil mi? (Mert is coming today, isn’t he?)
• Yarın buluşacağız, değil mi? (We’re going to meet up tomorrow, aren’t we?)
The phrase “değil mi” sounds like “di mi (dee-me)” in natural conversations, and you can even see some Turkish people write “di mi” in the texting language.
Common Daily Questions In Turkish
Common Personal Questions
Common School-Related Questions
Common Business-Related Questions
If you want to ask even more tough Turkish questions by enhancing your Turkish vocabulary, why don’t you try the Ling App?
Learn Turkish With The Ling App!
If you are thinking about learning Turkish or any other language, waste no more time and check out the Ling App to start learning a new language at home today!
Ling is a language-learning app designed to assist all language learners from the beginning of their language-learning journeys. The app consists of different engaging activities, from writing and listening exercises to an AI chatbot to practice your oral skills, and with much more, the Ling App offers you everything you’re looking for in a language learning app.
Also, don’t forget to check out our Turkish blog for weekly articles about the Turkish language and culture!
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Untill next time! Görüşmek üzere!