Breakdown of Bu kaban hem şık hem kaliteli.
bu
this
kaliteli
high-quality
kaban
coat
hem
both / and (used in pairs as both... and...)
şık
stylish / elegant
Questions & Answers about Bu kaban hem şık hem kaliteli.
How exactly do we use hem... hem... in this sentence?
It translates to "both... and..." and is used to link two similar things. In this case, it links the two adjectives şık (stylish) and kaliteli (high-quality). You simply place hem directly in front of each word you want to emphasize.
Where is the word for "is" in this sentence? Why isn't there a verb?
In Turkish, the "to be" verb for the "he/she/it" form (third-person singular) is often completely invisible. Just putting the subject (Bu kaban) and the adjectives together makes a full sentence. You don't need to add any verb endings here to say "is."
I see the word kaliteli means "high-quality." Is -li a suffix here?
Yes! Kalite is a noun meaning "quality." The suffix -li means "with" or "having." So, kaliteli literally means "having quality." It is a very common way to turn nouns into adjectives in Turkish.
Do we ever put commas between the hem... hem... parts?
No, you should not use commas with hem... hem... or other paired conjunctions in Turkish. The words themselves already do the job of separating and connecting the items, just like how we don't put a comma after "both" in English.
Learn Bu kaban hem şık hem kaliteli and more in Turkish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free