I can say who I am, who you are, and who he or she is — Ben öğrenciyim, Siz doktorsunuz, O mühendis — and introduce myself: Adınız ne? — Benim adım Anna. Memnun oldum!
Ben öğrenciyim: who I am, who you are, who he or she is
Ben öğrenciyim: who I am, who you are, who he or she is
Why: to say who you are, who he or she is, and who they are, and to introduce yourself.
There are six pronouns: ben — I, sen — you (informal), o — he, she, biz — we, siz — you (formal or plural), onlar — they.
English needs “am” and “are”. Turkish has no separate word: a personal ending on the word that says who you are does the job (see the table): Ben öğrenciyim. Sen öğrencisin. Biz öğrenciyiz. Siz öğrencisiniz. No “a” before the job either. The vowel of the ending follows the last vowel of the word: doktorum, öğretmenim, arkadaşım. After a vowel, “I” and “we” add a y.
He, she and they get no personal ending: O doktor. Onlar öğrenci.
The ending already says who, so you can leave out the pronoun: Öğrenciyim. The personal ending is never stressed.
Familiar phrases are built the same way: nasıl + sın, iyi + yim. “Me too” is ben de, two words.
Learn it as a whole: Adınız ne? (to a friend: Adın ne?) — Benim adım Anna. Soyadınız ne? — Petrova. Memnun oldum — “nice to meet you”.
Common mistakes:
• NOT “Ben öğrenci” → Ben öğrenciyim
• NOT “Sen öğrenciyim” → Sen öğrencisin
• NOT “bende” for “me too” → ben de
Personal endings
He, she and they get no personal ending. The last vowel of the word chooses the vowel of the ending.
| Who | After a consonant | After a vowel |
|---|---|---|
| ben (I) | doktorum, öğretmenim, arkadaşım | öğrenciyim |
| sen (you, informal) | doktorsun, öğretmensin | öğrencisin |
| o (he, she) | doktor, öğretmen | öğrenci |
| biz (we) | doktoruz, öğretmeniz | öğrenciyiz |
| siz (you, formal or plural) | doktorsunuz, öğretmensiniz | öğrencisiniz |
| onlar (they) | doktor, öğretmen | öğrenci |
Meeting people: set phrases
Learn the phrases as a whole.
| What to say | Phrase |
|---|---|
| What's your name (formal) | Adınız ne? |
| What's your name (informal) | Adın ne? |
| My name is … | Benim adım … |
| What's your last name | Soyadınız ne? |
| Nice to meet you | Memnun oldum. |
| Me too | Ben de. |
Lesson notes
Ben öğrenciyim: who I am, who you are, who he or she is
Why: to say who you are, who he or she is, and who they are, and to introduce yourself.
There are six pronouns: ben — I, sen — you (informal), o — he, she, biz — we, siz — you (formal or plural), onlar — they.
English needs “am” and “are”. Turkish has no separate word: a personal ending on the word that says who you are does the job (see the table): Ben öğrenciyim. Sen öğrencisin. Biz öğrenciyiz. Siz öğrencisiniz. No “a” before the job either. The vowel of the ending follows the last vowel of the word: doktorum, öğretmenim, arkadaşım. After a vowel, “I” and “we” add a y.
He, she and they get no personal ending: O doktor. Onlar öğrenci.
The ending already says who, so you can leave out the pronoun: Öğrenciyim. The personal ending is never stressed.
Familiar phrases are built the same way: nasıl + sın, iyi + yim. “Me too” is ben de, two words.
Learn it as a whole: Adınız ne? (to a friend: Adın ne?) — Benim adım Anna. Soyadınız ne? — Petrova. Memnun oldum — “nice to meet you”.
Common mistakes:
• NOT “Ben öğrenci” → Ben öğrenciyim
• NOT “Sen öğrenciyim” → Sen öğrencisin
• NOT “bende” for “me too” → ben de