Bu belirti gribe benziyor.

A word-by-word breakdown is:

• bu = this
• belirti = symptom, sign
• gribe = to the flu / like the flu in this construction
• benziyor = resembles, looks like

So the whole sentence means something like:

• This symptom looks like the flu.
• This symptom resembles the flu.

Natural English may vary a little depending on context.

Because the verb benzemek (to resemble / to look like) takes the dative case in Turkish.

So:

• dictionary form: grip = flu
• with dative ending: gribe

This is one of those verb patterns you just need to learn:

• X, Y’ye benziyor = X resembles Y

Examples:

• Babama benziyorum. = I look like my father.
• Bu çiçek güle benziyor. = This flower looks like a rose.

Also notice a sound change:

• grip
  • -e would logically look like gripe
• but in Turkish, final p often changes to b before a vowel
• so it becomes gribe

The dictionary form is benzemek.

Its basic meaning is:

• to resemble
• to look like

In the sentence, benziyor is the present/imperfective form, meaning:

• is resembling
• looks like
• seems like

In natural English, looks like or resembles is usually the best translation.

Turkish often uses the -iyor form for things that are happening now, are currently true, or are being observed at the moment.

So benziyor can mean:

• is resembling
• looks like
• seems like

In English, we usually would not say is resembling in normal conversation, so we translate it more naturally as:

• This symptom looks like the flu.

This is very common in Turkish: the -iyor form often covers ideas that English expresses with a simple present.

Yes. Bu belirti means this symptom, and it is the subject.

Structure:

• Bu belirti = subject
• gribe = complement required by benzemek
• benziyor = verb

So literally, the sentence is something like:

• This symptom resembles the flu.

Not always. Belirti can mean:

• symptom in a medical context
• sign or indication more generally

In this sentence, because of grip (flu), symptom is clearly the intended meaning.

Related word:

• semptom also exists in Turkish, but belirti is a very common native Turkish word and sounds more natural in many everyday contexts.

Turkish does not have articles like English a / an / the.

So Turkish often leaves that idea to context.

• grip = flu
• gribe = to the flu / like the flu, depending on the verb and context

In English, we often need to choose an article when translating, but Turkish does not.

That is why Bu belirti gribe benziyor can be translated naturally without there being a separate word for the.

Not exactly, though they can be close in meaning.

• benzemek = to resemble, to look like
• gibi olmak = to be like, to be similar to

Examples:

• Bu belirti gribe benziyor. = This symptom looks like the flu.
• Bu belirti grip gibi. = This symptom is like the flu.

The first sentence is more standard and more verbal: it resembles flu.
The second is shorter and a bit looser: it’s like flu.

For this sentence, gribe benziyor is very natural.

Yes, Turkish word order is flexible, but Bu belirti gribe benziyor is the most neutral and natural order.

Normal order here:

• Bu belirti
  • gribe
    • benziyor

You might hear other orders for emphasis, but they are less neutral. For example:

• Gribe benziyor bu belirti.

That could sound more like:

• This symptom looks like the flu.

with extra focus on the conclusion.

For learners, the given order is the best one to use.

In Turkish, bu can mean both this and these depending on whether the noun is singular or plural.

Here the noun is singular:

• belirti = symptom

So:

• bu belirti = this symptom

If you wanted these symptoms, you would usually say:

• bu belirtiler

because belirtiler is plural.

The plural would be:

• Bu belirtiler gribe benziyor.

That means:

• These symptoms look like the flu.

Breakdown:

• belirti = symptom
• belirtiler = symptoms

Notice that the verb benziyor stays the same. Turkish verbs do not always change the way English verbs do for plural subjects in this kind of sentence.

It is pronounced roughly as:

• gri-be

A few helpful points:

• gri sounds like English gree but shorter
• the e in be is a clear Turkish e, not silent

So it is not like English gribe as in to complain.
It is simply grip + the dative ending, pronounced smoothly as gri-be.

No. It means the symptom resembles or suggests the flu, not that the symptom is the flu.

That distinction is important:

• Bu belirti gribe benziyor. = This symptom looks like the flu.
• It suggests similarity, not identity.

If you wanted to say This is the flu, you would say something more like:

• Bu grip. = This is flu.
  though in real medical speech, people would often say something fuller and more natural depending on context.

So benziyor always gives the idea of resemblance.

The most important thing to remember is this pattern:

• X, Y’ye benziyor = X looks like / resembles Y

So from this sentence, the key lesson is:

• benzemek takes the dative case
• that is why it is gribe
• not just grip

A very useful model sentence is:

• Bu belirti gribe benziyor.
• This symptom looks like the flu.