ya sen?
/ja sæn/word by word
The English phrase "and you" is translated into Turkish as ya sen? in its default form.
This phrase is a question used to ask the same thing back to the person who just asked you.
What does it mean word for word?
The particle ya is used to introduce a new topic or a question, and sen means "you" (singular, informal).
Which one should you use?
ya sen? is used for single individuals in an informal context, whereas ya siz? is the version used when speaking to someone formally or to a group of people.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
ya sen? is an informal way to ask the question back. For formal or polite situations, use ya siz? or Ve Siz. Ve Sen is also an informal way to say "and you". Additionally, Size de means "And you".
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase ya sen? uses the informal singular second-person pronoun sen.
How do you pronounce it?
/ja sæn/. The sound /j/ is like the [y] in yes, /s/ is like the [s] in send, /æ/ is like the [a] in cat and /n/ is like the [n] in not.
Did you know?
- Turkish uses the singular sen in ya sen? for close friends, but switching to ya siz? in a close relationship can signal that the speaker is suddenly angry or cold.
- The particle ya in ya sen? has roots in the Arabic vocative particle yā, which is used to call out to someone, much like saying 'Hey!' or 'O!' in English.
- While ya sen? asks the question back, the phrase size de functions as a way to return a wish or greeting, such as saying 'and to you' when someone says 'have a nice day'.
Examples in context
- Çok iyi. Ya sen?Very well. And you?This example shows how to respond to a question about how you are using ya sen?Tatoeba #5388925 by deyta, translation #2455470 by FeuDRenais2
- Ben iyiyim. Ya sen?I am fine, and you?This example demonstrates using ya sen? to return a greeting or well-being inquiry.Tatoeba #1280122 by duran, translation #872223 by japegon
- Ben uyudum, ya sen?I slept, and you?This example shows how to use ya sen? to ask the same question about an action after stating your own.Tatoeba #4487978 by deyta, translation #1176175 by LdjuherTaqvaylit
- 16 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Burak and Merve are meeting at a cafe.
- BurakBen kahve içiyorum. Ya sen?I am drinking coffee. And you?
- MerveBen de çay içiyorum.I am drinking tea too.
- BurakBugün çok yorgun görünüyorsun.You look very tired today.
- MerveEvet, biraz işim vardı.Yes, I had some work.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (ya, sen) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries sen, ya, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
