You will choose between bu, şu and o for things near, pointed at and far away, and know when the plural belongs to the noun.
The idea
Bu points to what is near you, o to what is farther away or already known, and şu to what you point at or are about to mention: bu kitap, o ev, şu kapı. O is also he, she and it, because Turkish has no gender. Alone, the plurals are bunlar, şunlar, onlar; before a noun the pointing word stays as it is: bu kitaplar.
| Word | Alone, plural | Before a noun, plural | Before a noun, singular |
|---|---|---|---|
| bu | bunlar | bu kitaplar | bu kitap |
| şu | şunlar | şu kitaplar | şu kitap |
| o | onlar | o kitaplar | o kitap |
Examples
- Bu benim kitabım.This is my book.
- O benim öğretmenim.She is my teacher.O means he, she or it: Turkish has no gender, so this is equally "He is my teacher".
- Şu çanta kimin?Whose is that bag over there?
- Bu kitaplar çok ağır.These books are very heavy.Only the noun is plural: bu kitaplar. The form bunlar is used when no noun follows.
- Bunlar benim kitaplarım.These are my books.
- Bu kitap ağır, o kitap hafif.This book is heavy, that book is light.
- Şu kapı açık.That door over there is open.Şu points at something you can see, often between near and far or just noticed; it is the word for "that one there".
- Onlar şimdi okulda.They are at school now.
Read-aloud uses a synthetic Turkish voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.
No Turkish device voice is available. You can still read the text.
Watch out
Say bu kitaplar for these books, not bunlar kitaplar: before a noun only the noun takes the plural. Bunlar is for when no noun follows: Bunlar benim kitaplarım.
Try it yourself
Fill in the pointing word: These books are very nice.
Show answer or example answer
Bu
bu: the plural already sits on the noun kitaplar, so the pointing word stays bu; in bunlar kitaplar the plural would be marked twice.
Fill in the word for the person you were just talking about: She is my teacher.
Show answer or example answer
O
O: it is a person you both already know about, and Turkish o covers both he and she; bu would put her next to you.
Fill in the word that stands alone: These are my books.
Show answer or example answer
Bunlar
Bunlar: no noun follows, so the pointing word has to carry the plural itself: bu + n + lar.
You are pointing at a door in front of you: That door is open. Fill in the pointing word.
Show answer or example answer
Şu / O
şu or o: şu picks out the door you are pointing at; o is also correct, but it only names something farther away.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Turkish sentences and words where available. We keep your score.
Fill in the pointing word: These books are very nice.
Fill in the word for the person you were just talking about: She is my teacher.
Fill in the word that stands alone: These are my books.
You are pointing at a door in front of you: That door is open. Fill in the pointing word.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Keep your progress
Sign up for free to save your practice results in your account.
Sign up to saveI already have an accountUse it today
Look around your room and write four sentences that point at things, using bu, şu and o at least once each. Then point at two things together and use the plural.