Bu kedi biraz şişman.

In Turkish, the verb to be is often not spoken in simple present-tense sentences like this one.

So:

• Bu kedi biraz şişman. = This cat is a little fat / chubby.

Turkish often makes this kind of sentence by putting:

• the subject first: Bu kedi = this cat
• then the description/predicate: biraz şişman = a little fat/chubby

In the present tense, is/am/are is usually just understood.

Compare:

• Kedi mutlu. = The cat is happy.
• Hava soğuk. = The weather is cold.

In other tenses or persons, Turkish can show this more clearly:

• Kedi şişmandı. = The cat was fat.
• Ben mutluyum. = I am happy.

So in your sentence, the missing is is completely normal.

Bu means this.

So:

• bu kedi = this cat

It comes before the noun, just like in English:

• this cat
• bu kedi

Turkish also has other demonstratives:

• bu = this
• şu = that / this over there / that one there
• o = that

In this sentence, bu points to a cat that is near the speaker or being directly referred to.

Biraz means a little, somewhat, or rather depending on context.

Here it softens the description:

• Bu kedi şişman. = This cat is fat.
• Bu kedi biraz şişman. = This cat is a little fat / somewhat chubby.

So biraz makes the statement sound less strong and often more polite or more natural.

You can think of it as modifying şişman:

• biraz şişman = a little fat

It is very common before adjectives:

• biraz yorgun = a little tired
• biraz pahalı = a little expensive
• biraz zor = a little difficult

Şişman usually means fat, chubby, or overweight, depending on tone and context.

For animals like a cat, English often translates it more naturally as:

• chubby
• a bit overweight
• a little fat

For people, şişman can sound blunt, just like fat can in English. So learners should know that the word is correct, but the tone depends on the situation.

Some related words:

• şişman = fat / overweight / chubby
• kilolu = overweight (often a bit softer for people)
• toplu = plump / well-built in some contexts

For a cat, şişman is very natural.

The basic structure is:

• Bu kedi = subject
• biraz şişman = predicate description

So the sentence pattern is roughly:

• Subject + description

This is very common in Turkish with adjectives.

Inside the subject:

• bu comes before kedi

Inside the description:

• biraz comes before şişman

So the sentence is built very logically:

• Bu = this
• kedi = cat
• biraz = a little
• şişman = fat/chubby

Literally, it is something like:

• This cat a-little fat.

That is normal Turkish word order.

Not in normal neutral Turkish.

The standard, natural sentence is:

• Bu kedi biraz şişman.

Turkish does allow word order changes for emphasis, but beginners should learn the neutral pattern first.

For example:

• Bu kedi şişman. = neutral
• Şişman bu kedi. = marked/emphatic, unusual in ordinary conversation

So yes, Turkish can move things around sometimes, but if you are just making a normal statement, keep:

• Bu kedi biraz şişman.

Great question. Turkish adjectives normally come before a noun when they are directly describing it inside a noun phrase:

• şişman kedi = fat cat
• küçük ev = small house

But in your sentence, şişman is not part of the noun phrase bu kedi. It is the predicate of the sentence.

So compare:

• Bu şişman kedi. = This is the fat cat or This fat cat... depending on context
• Bu kedi şişman. = This cat is fat.

That is the key difference:

• before the noun = adjective inside the noun phrase
• after the noun = predicate adjective in a full sentence

Turkish does not use articles like English a/an and the in the same way.

So:

• kedi can mean cat, a cat, or the cat, depending on context
• bu kedi specifically means this cat

Because bu already identifies the noun, there is no need for an article.

So:

• bu kedi = this cat
• not the this cat
• not a this cat

This is completely normal in Turkish.

You add the question particle mı / mi / mu / mü after the predicate.

So:

• Bu kedi biraz şişman mı? = Is this cat a little fat / chubby?

Here, mı is separate in writing.

Because of vowel harmony, the question particle changes form:

• mı
• mi
• mu
• mü

But with şişman, the correct form is:

• şişman mı?

For this kind of sentence, Turkish usually uses değil to make it negative.

So:

• Bu kedi şişman değil. = This cat is not fat.

If you want to keep biraz, be careful, because the meaning can shift depending on what exactly you want to negate.

Common and natural:

• Bu kedi şişman değil. = This cat isn’t fat.

Possible but more specific:

• Bu kedi biraz şişman değil. = literally This cat is not a little fat, which sounds less natural in many contexts

A more natural alternative might be:

• Bu kedi pek şişman değil. = This cat is not very fat.

So for learners, the simplest negative form is:

• Bu kedi şişman değil.

Şişman is pronounced approximately like shish-man.

Breakdown:

• ş = sh sound, like in shoe
• i = short ee sound, like in machine but shorter
• ş again = sh
• man = roughly as written

So:

• şişman ≈ sheesh-MAHN (very approximate)

A few useful notes:

• Turkish ş is always like English sh
• Turkish spelling is quite regular, so once you know the letters, pronunciation is usually predictable

It depends on context.

For an animal, especially a cat, it usually sounds quite normal and can even sound affectionate:

• Bu kedi biraz şişman. = This cat is a little chubby.

For a person, comments about body size can be sensitive, and şişman may sound direct or rude depending on tone and situation.

So the sentence itself is grammatically neutral, but the social effect depends on who or what you are describing.

For pets, it is usually fine.