Questions & Answers about Nereye gidiyorsun? Yukarı.
How does the word nereye get its meaning of "where to"?
It is made from the base word nere (what place) plus the directional suffix -e (to). Because nere ends in a vowel, we add the buffer letter -y- in between to make it easy to pronounce: nereye.
Could I use nerede (where at) instead of nereye in this question?
No, because the verb gitmek (to go) involves movement toward a destination. Nerede means "where at" and is used for stationary locations, while nereye specifically asks "where to".
If the question asks "where to" (nereye), shouldn't the answer be yukarıya (to the up) instead of just yukarı?
That is a great observation! While you can say yukarıya, special direction words like yukarı (up), aşağı (down), içeri (inside), and dışarı (outside) do not actually need the "to" suffix when used as the destination of a motion verb. Answering with just yukarı is extremely common and correct.
I remember the verb "to go" is gitmek. Why is it spelled with a "d" in gidiyorsun?
This is a common consonant change in Turkish. When the root verb git- is followed by a suffix that starts with a vowel (like the -i- in the present continuous suffix -iyor), the harsh t softens into a d.
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