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Questions & Answers about O adam kim?
Why is the question word kim at the end of the sentence?
In Turkish, question words like kim (who) and ne (what) usually go exactly where the answer would go. If you answer "That man is Ali" (O adam Ali), the name Ali is at the end. So, the question word kim takes that exact same spot!
Where is the word for "is" in this sentence?
Turkish doesn't have a separate verb word for "is" or "are". Instead, it uses small suffixes attached to the end of a word. For the third-person "is", there is often no suffix at all. Putting the words together as O adam kim? is all you need to mean "Who is that man?".
I learned that o means "he", "she", or "it". Why does it mean "that" here?
O is a multi-purpose word. It can be a pronoun (he/she/it), but when you put it directly in front of a noun like adam (man), it acts as a pointing word meaning "that" or "that one over there".
Could I just say Kim o adam? to match the English word order?
Yes, you actually can! Turkish word order is quite flexible. While O adam kim? is the standard and most natural way to ask this, saying Kim o adam? is perfectly understood in casual speech, usually when you want to put strong emotion or emphasis on the word "Who".