Pronouns in Turkish
26 words Turkish words on the topic “pronouns”: ben — I, sen — you (informal), siz — you (formal or plural), o — he. 26 words can be played from recordings.
26 words on the topic
- benIUsually dropped in speech: the verb ending already announces who is acting, like a built-in subject pronoun.
- senyou (informal)Turks switch to first names and sen fast — with peers, in shops, with kids. The verb next to sen grows a tail -sin/-sın/-sun/-sün by vowel harmony: nasılsın, geliyorsun.
- sizyou (formal or plural)Both the polite "you" to one person and "you" for a group — English "you" pulled double duty, with the verb ending telling you which.
- oheTurkish has no grammatical gender at all: one little "o" covers he, she and it. The same word doubles as "that" when pointing at things.
- bizweThe verb next to biz ends in -iz/-ız/-uz/-üz: geliyoruz, biliriz. The pronoun itself is usually dropped — the ending has already said it all.
- onlarthey"o" plus "-lar", the plural ending. You will meet the same tail in kitaplar — "books".
- benimmyRarely stands alone: the noun must take its own tail — benim evim, literally "my house-my". Possession agreed twice.
- seninyour (informal)The partner of benim and works the same way: senin adın — "your name-your". The tail on the noun is not optional.
- bizimourThe noun tail is -imiz: bizim evimiz. It is longer than the others and the one people drop most often.
- sizinyour (formal or plural)Also the polite "your". Just like English, Turkish does not separate "your" of a group from a polite "your" to one person.
- onunhis, herNo gender in Turkish: onun is the same for a man and a woman. For "their" it grows an extra syllable: onların.
- kendione's ownAlso "self": kendi işim is "my own business", kendim yaptım is "I did it myself". The personal tail tells you whose.
- kendimmyselfThe same kendi wearing a personal ending: kendim, kendin, kendisi. The form follows the person, like "myself, yourself, himself".
- bütünthe wholeStands before the noun with no tails at all: bütün gün, "the whole day". The synonym tüm is a bit more bookish.
- her birieach ofLiterally "each one-of". On its own, her means "every" and stands before the noun: her gün, "every day".
- herhangi biranyNever used without "bir". Literally "whichever one you like" — "any" with "one" built in.
- buthisThree steps: bu is near me, şu is a bit further, o is over there. The same o also means "he".
- othatOne letter for "that", "he" and "she". There is no gender in Turkish, and that is one of its great conveniences.
- böylesuchThree steps here too: böyle is "like this, like mine", şöyle is "like that over there", öyle is "like you said".
- diğerthe otherdiğer is the other of known ones, başka is some other one. The difference is like "the other" versus "another".
- hiçbirnone whatsoeverDemands negation on the verb: hiçbir sorun yok, "there is no problem at all". Without the second negative the sentence is wrong.
- birisisomeoneFrom bir, "one", with a possessive tail: literally "one of them".
- bir şeysomething (a thing)Literally "one thing". Bir şey değil is "you are welcome", the answer to thanks.
- hiçbirinone of themAlso with negation on the verb. hiç kimse is "nobody at all", with no reference to a group.
- hiçbir şeynothingThe verb next to it must carry negation: hiçbir şey anlamıyorum.
- herkeseveryoneFrom her, "every", and kes, "a person". The verb stays singular after it: herkes geldi — everyone came.
How it sounds in a sentence
A word list is a blank. Conversation is made of sentences, and these are the ones the words fit into most often.
What is worth knowing about these words
ben — I. Usually dropped in speech: the verb ending already announces who is acting, like a built-in subject pronoun.
sen — you (informal). Turks switch to first names and sen fast — with peers, in shops, with kids. The verb next to sen grows a tail -sin/-sın/-sun/-sün by vowel harmony: nasılsın, geliyorsun.
siz — you (formal or plural). Both the polite "you" to one person and "you" for a group — English "you" pulled double duty, with the verb ending telling you which.
o — he. Turkish has no grammatical gender at all: one little "o" covers he, she and it. The same word doubles as "that" when pointing at things.
Test yourself
First by ear — the way you will meet the word in conversation. Click the speaker and pick the translation.
- What is this word?
It is ben — I.
- What is this word?
It is senin — your (informal).
- What is this word?
It is her biri — each of.
- What is this word?
It is birisi — someone.
- What is this word?
It is siz — you (formal or plural).
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “I” in Turkish?
Usually dropped in speech: the verb ending already announces who is acting, like a built-in subject pronoun.
- How do you say “your (informal)” in Turkish?
The partner of benim and works the same way: senin adın — "your name-your". The tail on the noun is not optional.
- How do you say “each of” in Turkish?
Literally "each one-of". On its own, her means "every" and stands before the noun: her gün, "every day".
- How do you say “someone” in Turkish?
From bir, "one", with a possessive tail: literally "one of them".
- How do you say “you (formal or plural)” in Turkish?
Both the polite "you" to one person and "you" for a group — English "you" pulled double duty, with the verb ending telling you which.
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
I, you, we, they. There is a handful of them, they turn up in every sentence, and politeness rides on them: most of these languages keep a formal “you” apart from a familiar one, and choosing the wrong one is noticed faster than a mispronounced word.
A list is read in a minute and forgotten in a day. What works: hide the translation, try to recall, get it wrong — and come back to the same words tomorrow.
- Recalling beats re-reading. Covering the translation and trying to remember it does more than reading it ten more times.checked many timesAdesope, Trevisan & Sundararajan, 2017, Review of Educational Research 87(3) · 188 experiments, 272 comparisons. g = 0.61; against plain re-reading 0.51, against passive review 0.93.
- This holds not only in experiments but in ordinary classrooms, with real students.checked many timesMawson & Kang, 2025, Behavioral Sciences 15(6):771 · 22 studies, d = 0.54 (confidence interval 0.31–0.77). The authors warn that individual studies disagree widely.
Frequently asked
How do you say “I” in Turkish?
«ben». Usually dropped in speech: the verb ending already announces who is acting, like a built-in subject pronoun. It is one of 26 words in the set “pronouns” — the rest are in the table above.
How many pronouns do you need to start?
A dozen is enough. The set of 26 words on this page covers nearly every everyday case on the topic — but it is best taken a few at a time, not all at once.
Is there audio?
Yes, 26 words on this page can be played — click the speaker next to the word. The sound works on any phone, and nothing needs to be installed.