This place and that place (burası, orası)

Naming a Place

You know burada (here), şurada (there) and orada (over there) — they say where something is. Turkish has a second set that names the place itself: burası (this place), şurası (that place), orası (that place over there). They are built from bu / şu / o + the place root -ra + the possessive -sı — literally "its-here":

This place is a school.
Burası bir okul.
That place is an expensive hotel.
Orası pahalı bir otel.

Place as a Noun, Not an Adverb

Use the -da forms to say something is in a place; use the -sı forms when the place itself is the subject of the sentence:

adverb (where?)noun (what is this place?)
Burada bir banka var.Burası bir banka.
Orada bir park var.Orası bir park.
There is a bank here.
Burada bir banka var.
Is this place a bank?
Burası bir banka mı?

Describing and Asking

The -sı forms behave like any noun — pair them with adjectives, with mı? and with değil:

This place is very beautiful.
Burası çok güzel.
Is that place a park?
Şurası bir park mı?
Is that place open?
Orası açık mı?
This place is not the restroom.
Burası tuvalet değil.
That spot is very small.
Şurası çok küçük.

The everyday question Burası neresi? ("What is this place?") builds the same form on ne — you will drill neresi later; for now just recognize it.

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