Ways to say it
| Turkish | IPA |
|---|---|
| orada | /oɾada/ /oɾˈda/ |
| şurada | /ʃuɾada/ (from spelling rules) |
| ora | /oɾa/ (from spelling rules) |
Turkish uses different words for 'there' based on how far the location is from the speaker and the listener. The standard, neutral way to say 'there' is orada, which refers to a place that is far from both people.
What does it mean word for word?
The root ora means 'that place' or 'that side'.
Which one should you use?
While orada is used for a distant location, şurada is used to refer to a place that is relatively close to either the speaker or the listener.
How does it change in a sentence?
The forms change depending on the direction of movement or position. The form orada is the locative case, used to indicate being at or in that place. To express movement towards that place, the dative case suffix -y-a is added to the root, resulting in oraya.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /oɾada/. The ɾ sound is similar to the [t] in the American English word 'atom'.
Did you know?
- Because Turkish is an agglutinative language, a single word like orada can be modified with further suffixes to mean 'from there' or 'through there'.
- The forms orada and şurada are direct descendants of Ottoman Turkish, maintaining their basic structure over centuries of linguistic evolution.
- Turkish speakers may use şurada to point to something just a few feet away, whereas orada would be used for something across the street.
Examples in context
- O hâlâ orada mı?Is he still there?This sentence is useful for checking if someone is still in a specific location using the form ora.Tatoeba #2030275 by duran, translation #1956298 by Spamster
- Orada su var mı?Is there water there?This sentence is useful for asking about the presence of something at a location using the form ora.Tatoeba #4555723 by maydoo, translation #4555662 by Choctaw_Irish
- O oraya gitti mi?Did he go there?This sentence is useful for asking about movement toward a location using the form ora.Tatoeba #1252936 by duran, translation #290445 by CK
- Ali, orada beş yıldır yaşıyor.Ali has been living there for five years.
- Lütfen o yere oturun.Please sit there.
- Orası çok güzel bir restoran.That place is a very nice restaurant.
- Şurada senin için bir koltuk var.There's a seat for you over there.
- 5526 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Burak and Zeynep are looking for a lost cat in a garden.
- BurakKedi orada mı?Is the cat there?
- ZeynepHayır, orada değil.No, it is not there.
- BurakPeki, nerede olabilir?Well, where could it be?
- ZeynepBelki ağacın altındadır.Maybe it is under the tree.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “there” translations and entries orada, şurada, ora, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Turkish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ora, orada, şurada, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
