Learn Turkish: Onu hiç bizzat gördünüz mü? - Have you ever seen him personally?

Turkish doesn't have a distinct present perfect tense like English does. To talk about life experiences—asking if you have ever done something up to this point in your life—Turkish simply pairs the past tense (like gördünüz) with the word hiç.

Doesn't hiç usually mean "never"? Why does it mean "ever" here?

Hiç translates to "never" or "not at all" when the verb in the sentence is negative (e.g., Onu hiç görmedim = I have never seen him). However, when used in a question with a positive verb, like gördünüz mü, it acts as an experiential marker and translates to "ever."

The lesson mentions we can also use the inferential past tense (-miş) with hiç. Could we say görmüş müsünüz here?

While grammatically possible, it would sound strange in this specific sentence. Because the word bizzat (in person / personally) emphasizes direct, conscious firsthand experience, the definite past tense (gördünüz) is the most natural fit. You typically use -miş with hiç when asking about an experience the person might not consciously remember, or to express surprise.

Why is it onu and not ona?