Bu söz neyi ima ediyor?

Because ima etmek normally takes a direct object, and Turkish marks a specific direct object with the accusative case.

• ne = what
• neyi = what + accusative

So in Bu söz neyi ima ediyor?, neyi means what as the thing being implied.

A useful comparison:

• Ne okuyorsun? = What are you reading?
• Kitabı okuyorum. = I’m reading the book.

In your sentence, the speaker is asking about the specific thing that the statement implies, so neyi is natural.

İma ediyor is the present continuous form of the verb ima etmek, which means to imply.

Many Turkish verbs are built from:

• a noun or borrowed word
• plus etmek = to do / to make

So:

• ima = implication / hint
• ima etmek = to imply

This is very common in Turkish. Similar examples:

• yardım etmek = to help
• kabul etmek = to accept
• fark etmek = to notice

So ima ediyor is not two separate ideas here; it functions as one verb expression.

Ediyor is the present continuous form, and in modern Turkish it is often used for what English expresses with either:

• is implying
• or simply implies

So:

• ima ediyor = is implying / implies

By contrast:

• ima eder is the aorist form

The aorist can express general truths, habits, or a more neutral/general statement. In a direct question about what a particular statement means right now, ima ediyor sounds very natural.

Compare:

• Bu söz neyi ima ediyor? = What is this statement implying? / What does this statement imply?
• Bu söz neyi ima eder? = What would this statement imply? / What does this kind of statement generally imply?

Not exactly. Söz can mean several related things depending on context:

• word
• remark
• statement
• saying
• promise

In this sentence, söz is best understood as something like:

• statement
• remark
• these words
• this saying

If you translate it as word, that can sound too narrow in English. The Turkish sentence usually refers to a piece of speech or expression, not just a single vocabulary item.

Turkish word order is usually Subject – Object – Verb.

Here:

• Bu söz = subject = this statement / these words
• neyi = object = what
• ima ediyor = verb = implies / is implying

So the structure is:

• This statement
  • what
    • implies?

That is normal Turkish word order.

English usually puts the verb earlier:

• What does this statement imply?

Turkish keeps the verb at the end much more often.

You may hear it in casual speech, but neyi is more grammatically complete and standard here.

Why?

Because the verb ima etmek takes an object, and when what is that object, Turkish often uses the accusative form neyi.

So:

• Bu söz neyi ima ediyor? = standard, clear
• Bu söz ne ima ediyor? = possible in informal speech, but less careful

For learners, it is safer to use neyi.

In this sentence, bu means this and modifies söz:

• bu söz = this statement / these words / this remark

Turkish bu is used for something close in context, physically or mentally. It can point to something just said, written, or being discussed.

For example:

• Bu söz çok ilginç. = This statement is very interesting.
• Bu ne demek? = What does this mean?

So here, bu refers to the specific statement the speaker has in mind.

Yes, ima etmek is somewhat formal or neutral, and it is very common in writing, discussion, and careful speech.

Possible alternatives include:

• kastetmek = to mean, to intend
• ima etmek = to imply
• demek istemek = to mean, to be trying to say

But they are not identical.

Examples:

• Bu söz neyi ima ediyor? = What is this statement implying?
• Bu sözle ne kastediyor? = What does he/she mean by this statement?
• Ne demek istiyor? = What is he/she trying to say?

So ima etmek specifically focuses on indirect meaning or suggestion.

This is an important distinction.

ima etmek

Means to imply, to suggest indirectly, to hint at.

• The meaning is not said openly.
• It is indirect.

kastetmek

Means to mean, to intend, to refer to.

• It focuses more on the speaker’s intended meaning.

Compare:

• Bu söz neyi ima ediyor?
  = What is this statement implying?
  Focus: the indirect suggestion in the words.

• Bu sözle neyi kastediyor?
  = What does he/she mean by this statement?
  Focus: what the speaker intends to say.

They can be close, but they are not the same.

In Turkish, the subject often has no special ending in the basic form. That basic dictionary form is often called the nominative form.

So:

• söz = statement / remark
• bu söz = this statement

No extra ending is needed just because it is the subject.

By contrast, the object neyi does get an ending, because it is marked with the accusative.

So the contrast is:

• bu söz = subject, no ending
• neyi = object, accusative ending

It comes from ne + the accusative ending.

Very roughly:

• ne = what
• ne + -(y)i = neyi

The y is a buffer consonant. Turkish often inserts y between two vowels to make pronunciation smoother.

So instead of something awkward like nei, Turkish gives:

• neyi

You will see the same kind of thing elsewhere:

• su
  • -u -> suyu
• anne
  • -i -> anneyi

It is pronounced roughly like eh-dee-yor.

A few points:

• e is like e in bed
• di sounds like dee
• yor is like yor in York, but shorter and cleaner

So:

• ediyor -> eh-dee-yor

In natural speech, it can sound fairly smooth and quick.

The full sentence is roughly:

• Boo soz neh-yee ee-ma eh-dee-yor?

That is only an approximation, but it helps at first.

Yes, depending on context.

Because söz is flexible, it might refer to:

• a statement
• a remark
• a phrase
• a saying
• a quote

So if someone is discussing a line from a book, a politician’s remark, or a proverb, Bu söz neyi ima ediyor? could naturally mean:

• What is this quote implying?
• What do these words imply?
• What is this remark suggesting?

The exact English wording depends on context.

You could say:

• Bu sözler neyi ima ediyor? = What do these words/statements imply?

Here:

• söz = word / statement
• sözler = words / statements

Notice that the verb can still be ediyor. In everyday Turkish, third-person plural subjects often do not require a plural verb ending.

So this is normal:

• Bu sözler neyi ima ediyor?

You may also see:

• Bu sözler neyi ima ediyorlar?

But the version without -lar on the verb is usually more standard in this kind of sentence.

Yes, it is natural, but it sounds a bit thoughtful, analytical, or interpretive rather than extremely casual.

You might hear it in situations like:

• discussing literature
• analyzing a speech
• talking about hidden meaning
• reacting to a suspicious comment

In very casual conversation, people might also say things like:

• Ne demek istiyor? = What is he/she trying to say?
• Bununla neyi kastediyor? = What does he/she mean by this?

But Bu söz neyi ima ediyor? is definitely good, natural Turkish.