Demonstratives: bu, şu, o — three distances instead of two
English splits the world in two: this and that. Turkish splits it in three. bu — what is in my hand or right in front of me. şu — what is a bit farther and that I am pointing at right now: 'that one there'. o — what is far away, and also what has already been mentioned. A shopkeeper pulling a thing off the shelf says şu; once it is in your hand it is bu. For example: “Bu telefon benim, şu senin” — This phone is…
How it works
English splits the world in two: this and that. Turkish splits it in three. bu — what is in my hand or right in front of me. şu — what is a bit farther and that I am pointing at right now: 'that one there'. o — what is far away, and also what has already been mentioned. A shopkeeper pulling a thing off the shelf says şu; once it is in your hand it is bu.
Before a noun the demonstrative does not change for number: bu ev — this house, bu evler — these houses, never 'bunlar evler'. The plurals bunlar / şunlar / onlar live only on their own, without a noun: Bunlar senin mi? — 'Is this yours?'
The moment a case attaches, an n slips in between the stem and the tail: bu → bunu, buna, bunda, bundan. You have seen the same n in onu and ona — it is the same rule, because o serves both as a demonstrative and as the pronoun he/she/it. Only the surroundings tell them apart: o geldi — 'he came', o kitap — 'that book'.
And the last thing, the reason this trio matters further on: o points not only into space but back into the conversation. Onu duydum — 'I heard that', about what was just said. Bunu duydum does not get said that way: bu points at what is here, not at what was said.
Table
| the pointer | when | on its own | the accusative | the place adverb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| bu | in my hand, up close | bunlar | bunu | burada — here |
| şu | over there, pointing | şunlar | şunu | şurada — over there |
| o | far away or already named | onlar | onu | orada — out there |
By example
- Bu telefon benim, şu seninThis phone is mine, and that one there is yours
- Şunu bana uzatır mısın?Will you pass me that one over there?
- O kitabı geçen hafta okudumI read that book last week
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
Bu vs şu in Turkish?
English splits the world in two: this and that. Turkish splits it in three. bu — what is in my hand or right in front of me. şu — what is a bit farther and that I am pointing at right now: 'that one there'. o — what is far away, and also what has already been mentioned. A shopkeeper pulling a thing…
Bu, şu or o: three Turkish this and that?
Before a noun the demonstrative does not change for number: bu ev — this house, bu evler — these houses, never 'bunlar evler'. The plurals bunlar / şunlar / onlar live only on their own, without a noun: Bunlar senin mi? — 'Is this yours?'
Why bunu and not buyu?
The moment a case attaches, an n slips in between the stem and the tail: bu → bunu, buna, bunda, bundan. You have seen the same n in onu and ona — it is the same rule, because o serves both as a demonstrative and as the pronoun he/she/it. Only the surroundings tell them apart: o geldi — 'he came'…
When to say şurada and when orada?
And the last thing, the reason this trio matters further on: o points not only into space but back into the conversation. Onu duydum — 'I heard that', about what was just said. Bunu duydum does not get said that way: bu points at what is here, not at what was said.
What does it look like in an example sentence Turkish?
“Bu telefon benim, şu senin” — This phone is mine, and that one there is yours. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.