Hiçbir şey anlamıyorum.

A simple breakdown is:

• hiçbir = no / not any
• şey = thing
• anlamıyorum = I do not understand / I am not understanding

So the structure is basically not any thing + I don’t understand, which corresponds to English I don’t understand anything.

Because hiçbir usually works like a determiner: it normally goes before a noun.

• hiçbir insan = no person
• hiçbir soru = no question
• hiçbir şey = nothing / not anything

Here, the noun is şey (thing), so hiçbir şey literally means not any thing.

In standard Turkish spelling, hiçbir is written as one word when it means no / not any before a noun.

So:

• hiçbir şey = correct standard spelling
• hiç bir şey = nonstandard in this meaning

Meanwhile, şey is its own noun, so it stays separate.

This is a very important Turkish pattern: negative words usually go with a negative verb.

So Turkish says:

• Hiçbir şey anlamıyorum.
• literally: I understand nothing not
• natural meaning: I don’t understand anything.

This is called negative concord. English sometimes allows nothing with a positive verb, but standard Turkish normally does not.

So Hiçbir şey anlıyorum is not correct.

The dictionary form is anlamak, meaning to understand.

To get the form in the sentence, you can think of it like this:

• anla- = verb stem
• -m- = negative
• -ıyor = present continuous / ongoing present
• -um = I

So:

• anla-m-ıyor-um → anlamıyorum

Normally the negative marker is -ma / -me. But before -iyor, its vowel drops.

So the underlying idea is:

• anlama-ıyor-um

But Turkish simplifies this to:

• anlamıyorum

This happens regularly in this pattern:

• gelmiyorum = I am not coming
• bilmiyorum = I don’t know
• anlamıyorum = I don’t understand

So although you only see -m- on the surface, it is still the normal negative marker.

Because Turkish verbs usually already show the subject.

In anlamıyorum, the ending -um tells you the subject is I. So ben is not necessary.

• Hiçbir şey anlamıyorum. = normal, natural
• Ben hiçbir şey anlamıyorum. = also correct, but ben adds emphasis, contrast, or clarity

For example, ben might be used if you want to stress I in contrast to someone else.

Yes, grammatically -iyor is the present continuous marker. But Turkish uses it very often for what English would express as a simple present in the current situation.

So:

• Anlamıyorum. literally looks like I am not understanding
• but natural English is I don’t understand

This is especially common when talking about what is happening right now, such as during a conversation, lesson, or explanation.

Because Turkish is usually verb-final.

A very common Turkish sentence pattern is:

• object + verb
• or more fully subject + object + verb

So this sentence follows normal Turkish order:

• Hiçbir şey = object
• anlamıyorum = verb

That makes Hiçbir şey anlamıyorum completely natural.

Yes, absolutely.

• Hiçbir şey anlamıyorum. = natural and neutral
• Ben hiçbir şey anlamıyorum. = also correct, with extra emphasis on I

Turkish often leaves out subject pronouns unless they are needed for contrast, emphasis, or avoiding ambiguity.

Yes, and it is also very common, but it has a slightly different feel.

• Bir şey anlamıyorum. = I don’t understand anything / I don’t get it
• Hiçbir şey anlamıyorum. = I understand absolutely nothing

Hiçbir şey sounds stronger and more explicit. Bir şey anlamıyorum is often used in everyday speech and can sound a bit lighter or more conversational depending on context.

Roughly like this:

• Hiçbir ≈ heech-beer
• şey ≈ shay
• anlamıyorum ≈ an-la-MI-yo-rum

A few helpful notes:

• ç sounds like ch
• ş sounds like sh
• ı is a vowel that does not exist in English; it is a dull, unrounded vowel, somewhat like the vowel in a very relaxed uh, but farther back
• Stress in anlamıyorum is often felt near -yo-, though Turkish stress can vary depending on form and context

A careful learner pronunciation would be: heech-beer shay an-la-muh-YO-rum
That is only approximate, but it is a useful start.