Directional question words (nereye, nereden)

Nereye and Nereden

In English, we often use "where" for both location and direction. Turkish uses specific question words that take case endings to show direction.

  • Nereye (Where to?): Asks about a destination (uses the dative case).
  • Nereden (Where from?): Asks about an origin (uses the ablative case).
Where are you going?
Nereye gidiyorsun?
Where is the train going?
Tren nereye gidiyor?
Where is the student coming from?
Öğrenci nereden geliyor?
Where are you returning from?
Nereden dönüyorsun?

Answering with Destinations and Origins

When answering, the noun's case must match the question word. Destinations take the dative case (-a/-e), and origins take the ablative case (-dan/-den).

We are going to the airport.
Havaalanına gidiyoruz.
The man is returning from the airport.
Adam havaalanından dönüyor.
They are going on holiday.
Onlar tatile gidiyor.

Getting On and Getting Off

Public transport verbs require specific cases based on the direction of movement:

  • Binmek (to get on / to board): Directing motion to the vehicle (requires the dative case).
  • İnmek (to get off / to descend): Moving away from the vehicle (requires the ablative case).
The woman is boarding the train.
Kadın trene biniyor.
The student is getting on the subway.
Öğrenci metroya biniyor.
I am getting off the train.
Trenden iniyorum.
We are getting off the subway.
Metrodan iniyoruz.

Near and Far

In Turkish, something is considered close to a place. The specific landmark you are near takes the dative case.

The hotel is very close to the airport.
Otel havaalanına çok yakın.
The hospital is far, the school is near.
Hastane uzak, okul yakın.