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Questions & Answers about Şu ne?
Why do we say Şu ne instead of Ne şu?
In Turkish, question words like ne (what) usually go exactly where the answer will be. If the answer is Şu kitap (That is a book), the question is Şu ne? (That is what?). The subject şu comes first.
Where is the word for 'is' in this sentence?
Turkish doesn't have a direct equivalent to the verb 'to be' (am/is/are) as a separate word. Instead, it uses suffixes. However, for 'is' in simple factual questions like this, the suffix is usually left off entirely! So Şu ne? simply translates to 'That what?'.
I learned that o also means 'that'. Why use şu here instead of o?
Turkish has three words for pointing things out: bu (this, close by), şu (that, a bit further away but you can see and point to it), and o (that, very far away or out of sight). You use Şu ne? when you are pointing at something specific nearby that you don't recognize.
If I saw a person I didn't recognize, could I ask Şu kim? instead?
Yes! Ne (what) is only used for objects, animals, and ideas. If you are pointing at a person and asking 'Who is that?', you must replace ne with kim (who), making it Şu kim?.