Breakdown of Abi, bir soru soruyorum.
bir
a / an
soru
question
sormak
to ask
abi
older brother; friendly address to a man
Questions & Answers about Abi, bir soru soruyorum.
Why is it spelled abi here? Isn't the word for older brother ağabey?
You are right! The dictionary spelling is ağabey. However, in spoken Turkish and informal writing, it is almost always shortened to abi. It is also used a lot like "bro" or "mate" to address male friends, shopkeepers, or friendly strangers, not just your biological brother.
Why do we say soru soruyorum? Doesn't soruyorum already mean "I am asking"?
Yes, soruyorum means "I am asking". In Turkish, it is very common to pair a noun and a verb that come from the exact same root. Soru (question) comes from the verb sormak (to ask). So soru sormak is the standard way to say "to ask a question."
How does the vowel harmony work for the verb soruyorum?
The root of the verb is sor- (to ask). To add the present continuous tense ending -yor, we need a connecting vowel. Because the vowel in sor- is an "o", the 4-way vowel harmony rules dictate that we use the vowel "u". Then we add the "I" personal ending -um, giving us sor-u-yor-um.
Why is there no word for "I" (like ben) in this sentence?
In Turkish, the subject is already built into the verb ending. The -um at the end of soruyorum clearly indicates "I", making the word ben unnecessary. You would only add ben at the beginning if you wanted to strongly emphasize that you are the one asking the question.
Learn Abi, bir soru soruyorum 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