Learn Turkish: Anahtar nerede?

Nerede is built from the question word ne (what), a place marker re, and the location suffix -de (at/in/on). Put together, it literally means "at what place".

Why does the question word "nerede" come at the end of the sentence?

In English, we usually put "where" at the beginning. In Turkish, question words sit in the exact same spot where the answer will go. If you answer "Anahtar masada" (The key is on the table), the location is at the end. So, the question word nerede goes at the end too!

Where is the word for "is" in this sentence?

Turkish often leaves out the "is" part of a sentence when talking about "he", "she", or "it" (like the key). The verb is simply implied, so nerede by itself acts as "where is".

How do we know it means "the key" and not "a key"?

Turkish does not have a specific word for "the". The word anahtar can mean "key", "a key", or "the key". Because we are asking about its location, context tells us we are looking for a specific key, which translates naturally to "the key" in English.