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Questions & Answers about Bu bir araba.
Where is the word for "is" in this sentence?
In simple third-person sentences like this, Turkish doesn't use a word for "is". You just state the subject (Bu) and what it is (bir araba). The "is" is automatically understood by putting them together.
What is the difference between Bu bir araba and just Bu araba?
Bu bir araba is a full sentence meaning "This is a car." Here, Bu means "This". If you drop the bir and just say Bu araba, it usually becomes a phrase meaning "This car", which needs more words to be a full sentence, like Bu araba yeni (This car is new).
Does bir mean "a" or "one" here?
It means both! Bir is the number one, but it also acts as the indefinite article ("a" or "an"). Usually, this sentence translates to "This is a car." However, if you stress the word bir when speaking, it can mean "This is one car."
Why does bir come in the middle instead of at the start?
Words like "a" or "an" must go directly in front of the noun they belong to. Because bir goes with araba, they stay together to form bir araba (a car). Bu is the subject ("This"), so it goes at the beginning.