ne or hangi: what or which

The idea

Ne asks about anything at all: Mutfakta ne var? Hangi picks from a set both speakers already know and stands before the noun: Hangi kitabı okuyorsun? Without the noun it becomes hangisi and takes case endings: hangisini. To ask about a kind, say ne tür: ne tür müzik.

Examples

• Bu hafta sonu ne yapıyorsun?What are you doing this weekend?
• Sen hangi otobüse biniyorsun?Which bus are you getting on?
• Mutfakta ne var?What is in the kitchen?
• Bu çantalardan hangisi senin?Which of these bags is yours?Picking one out of a group uses the ablative: çantalardan means “out of the bags”.
• Hangi kitabı okuyorsun?Which book are you reading?Hangi points to a set both speakers know. The noun is the object, so kitap becomes kitabı: p turns into b before the vowel.
• Ne tür müzik dinliyorsun?What kind of music are you listening to?
• Hangisini istiyorsun?Which one do you want?Hangisi is hangi with the noun left out. It takes case endings like a noun: hangisini, hangisinde.

Watch out

Learners who think of English "what bus" write Ne otobüse biniyorsun? even when only a few buses run. When you choose from a known set, put hangi before the noun; in this meaning ne does not normally stand directly before a noun.

Try it yourself

1. Fill in the question word: What is in the kitchen? (Anything could be there.)

   Show answer or example answer

   ne

   ne: the kitchen could hold anything, so there is no set to choose from.

2. Fill in the question word: the list has three films. Which film shall we watch?

   Show answer or example answer

   hangi

   hangi: the list gives three films, so the speaker asks for one choice and the noun follows.

3. Write the form that stands alone, without a noun: Which of these bags is yours?

   Show answer or example answer

   hangisi

   hangisi: the noun çanta is already said in çantalardan, so the question word stands alone.

Use it today

Look at a menu or a bus timetable and write three questions: one with ne, one with hangi and one with hangisi.