Pointing at something and asking "What is this?" is one of the very first things you do in a new language — and Turkish makes it strikingly simple, because there is no verb to add. "This is a book" is just Bu bir kitap — this + a + book, with nothing for "is." The whole construction rests on the zero copula: the third-person present "to be" is silence. This page teaches the question-and-answer pattern of identification, and along the way it draws the cleanest possible line between bu as a determiner ("this book," bare) and bu as a pronoun ("this one," which takes case) — a contrast you'll rely on for the rest of your Turkish.
Asking: Bu ne? and Bu nedir?
To ask "What is this?", Turkish points with bu "this" and asks with ne "what." There are two everyday forms:
- Bu ne? — the plain, conversational "What's this?"
- Bu nedir? — slightly more formal/complete, with the -DIr copula on ne (ne
- dir = nedir), common in writing, quizzes, and careful speech.
Both mean "What is this?" The far-pointing versions use şu "that (nearby)" and o "that (there)": Şu ne? "What's that?", O ne? "What's that over there?"
Bu ne? Daha önce hiç görmedim.
What's this? I've never seen it before.
Affedersiniz, bu nedir?
Excuse me, what is this?
Şu ne öyle, çok güzel görünüyor.
What's that? It looks lovely.
Notice there is no verb in any of these. Bu ne? is literally "this what?" — the ne is the predicate, and the third-person "is" is zero. For the full range of question words (ne, kim, nerede), see wh-questions.
Answering: Bu bir kitap
To answer, you name the thing — and again, no verb. "This is a book" is Bu bir kitap: bu "this" + bir "a" + kitap "book." The bir here is the indefinite article "a/an" (the same word as "one"), and it's optional: Bu kitap can mean "This is a book" too, though Bu bir kitap is the natural answer when you're identifying what kind of thing it is.
— Bu ne? — Bu bir kalem.
— What's this? — This is a pen.
— Şu ne? — O bir köpek, korkma.
— What's that? — That's a dog, don't be afraid.
Bu bir hediye, senin için aldım.
This is a gift; I bought it for you.
To answer in the negative, use değil "not": Bu bir kitap değil, bir defter "This isn't a book, it's a notebook." And to confirm, the answer is simply Evet "yes" or Hayır "no" plus the identification.
— Bu senin telefonun mu? — Hayır, bu benim telefonum değil.
— Is this your phone? — No, this isn't my phone.
The key contrast: bu as determiner vs. bu as pronoun
Here is the insight this page exists to teach, and it's one of the cleanest distinctions in Turkish grammar. bu does two different jobs:
As a determiner — in front of a noun, meaning "this _" — bu stays completely bare, no matter what case the noun phrase is in. The noun takes the case ending; bu does not.
As a pronoun — standing alone, meaning "this one / this thing" — bu takes the case ending itself, and a buffer -n- appears: bunu "this (object)," buna "to this," bunda "in this," bundan "from this."
| Determiner (bare bu) | Pronoun (case on bu) | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | bu kitap — this book | bu — this (one) |
| accusative | bu kitabı — this book (obj.) | bunu — this one (obj.) |
| dative | bu kitaba — to this book | buna — to this one |
| locative | bu kitapta — in this book | bunda — in this one |
| ablative | bu kitaptan — from this book | bundan — from this one |
Read the two columns side by side. In bu kitabı "this book (as object)," the case -ı sits on kitap and bu is untouched. But when there's no noun — when bu is the object — the case lands on bu itself, with the buffer: bunu. That buffer -n- is obligatory and surfaces in bunu, buna, bunda, bundan (and likewise şunu, şuna… and onu, ona… for şu and o).
Bu kitabı çok sevdim.
I really liked this book. (determiner — case on kitap)
Bunu çok sevdim.
I really liked this (one). (pronoun — case on bu → bunu)
Bu kalem senin mi? Bunu masada buldum.
Is this pen yours? I found this on the table.
Bunu istiyorum — using the pronoun in the shop
The pronoun form is exactly what you need for pointing and buying. "I want this (one)" is Bunu istiyorum — bu in the accusative (because it's the object of istemek "to want"). "How much is this?" is Bu ne kadar? (determiner-less, just pointing) or Bu kaç para?
Bunu istiyorum, ne kadar?
I want this one — how much is it?
Şunu da gösterir misiniz?
Could you show me that one too?
Bu çanta ne kadar? Bir de şuna bakabilir miyim?
How much is this bag? And can I have a look at that one too?
Here bu çanta is the determiner ("this bag," bare bu), while şuna is the pronoun in the dative ("at that one," case on şu with buffer). Both appear in one natural sentence — that's the contrast doing real work.
Bu kitap ne kadar? — asking the price
Putting it together, a complete little identification-and-price exchange looks like this — all with zero copula and the determiner/pronoun split:
— Bu ne? — Bir el yapımı sabun. — Bu kitap... pardon, bu sabun ne kadar?
— What's this? — A handmade soap. — How much is this... sorry, how much is this soap?
— Bu nedir? — Bu bir nazar boncuğu. — Çok güzelmiş, bunu alıyorum.
— What is this? — This is an evil-eye bead. — How lovely — I'll take this one.
Common mistakes
❌ Bu dır bir kitap.
Incorrect — no 'is' between bu and the noun; the present copula is zero: Bu bir kitap.
✅ Bu bir kitap.
This is a book.
❌ Bunu kitap çok güzel.
Incorrect — as a determiner bu is bare: bu kitap, not bunu kitap.
✅ Bu kitap çok güzel.
This book is very nice.
❌ Bu istiyorum.
Incorrect — as the object pronoun, bu must take the accusative with the buffer: bunu istiyorum.
✅ Bunu istiyorum.
I want this (one).
❌ Bu ne dir?
Spelling — the -DIr copula fuses onto ne as one word: nedir.
✅ Bu nedir?
What is this?
❌ Buyu masada buldum.
Incorrect buffer/form — the accusative of bu is bunu (not buyu): Bunu masada buldum.
✅ Bunu masada buldum.
I found this on the table.
The two errors to watch are mirror images. First, inserting "is" where Turkish wants silence — Bu bir kitap, never Bu dır kitap. Second, getting the determiner/pronoun split backwards — bu is bare in front of a noun (bu kitap) but takes case when it stands alone (bunu). Drill those two and your identification sentences will be flawless.
Key takeaways
- Identification sentences use the zero copula — no word for "is": Bu bir kitap "This is a book," Bu ne? "What's this?"
- Ask with Bu ne? (plain) or Bu nedir? (the -DIr copula fused onto ne); point farther with şu and o (Şu ne?, O ne?).
- bu as a determiner (in front of a noun) stays bare — the noun takes the case: bu kitabı, bu kitaba.
- bu as a pronoun (standing alone) takes the case itself, with a buffer -n-: bunu, buna, bunda, bundan — and likewise şunu, onu.
- Use the pronoun for pointing and buying: Bunu istiyorum "I want this one," Bu ne kadar? "How much is this?"
- The deeper pattern is the zero copula for "be," and the demonstrative system shared with bu/şu/o pronouns and demonstrative determiners.
Now practice Turkish
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Start learning Turkish→Related Topics
- Present Copula: Zero and Personal EndingsA1 — The present 'to be' is a set of person endings glued onto the predicate — doktorum 'I am a doctor', doktorsun 'you are' — with no ending at all in the third-person singular: Bu ev güzel.
- Demonstratives: bu, şu, oA1 — Turkish has a three-way demonstrative system — bu (this, near), şu (the attention-directing one), o (that, far/known) — used as both determiners and pronouns.
- bu / şu / o as DeterminersA1 — When bu, şu, and o sit in front of a noun they stay bare — no pronominal n, no case ending — because the case lives on the noun (bu evde, not bunda evde).
- Question Words and Their UseA1 — The Turkish question words — kim, ne, nerede, ne zaman, neden, nasıl, kaç, ne kadar, hangi — and how they take whatever case the answer would need, in place.