nerelisin?
The English phrase "where are you from?" is translated into Turkish as nerelisin?
What does it mean word for word?
The term nereli is a combination of neresi (where/which place) and the suffix -li, which indicates origin or possession. Literally, it means "one who is from where".
Which one should you use?
Nerelisin? uses the second-person singular suffix -sin, while nerelisiniz? is the version used for addressing multiple people or for being polite.
How does it change in a sentence?
To address a single person informally, use the suffix -sin as in nerelisin? To address more than one person or to be polite, use the plural/polite form nerelisiniz?
When do people say it?
When answering this question, you take the name of a city, add the suffix -lı or -li to indicate origin and then add the first-person singular suffix -yım or -im, such as in Ankaralıyım (I am from Ankara).
Did you know?
- In Turkey, nerelisin? often asks for your ancestral hometown rather than where you currently live. Even if someone has lived in Istanbul for forty years, they will name the village their family originally comes from.
- Turkish uses the same suffix -li to describe someone who possesses a certain trait, such as akıllı for 'intelligent' or 'smart'.
- Because the suffix -li is used to denote origin, many Turkish surnames actually contain a hidden answer to this question, such as 'Ankaralı' meaning 'one from Ankara'.
Examples in context
- Türkiye'denim.I am from Turkey.
- İstanbul'danım.I am from Istanbul.
- Ankara'danım.I am from Ankara.
- Antalya'danım.I am from Antalya.
- Nerelisin?Where are you from?
- Tanıştığımıza memnun oldum, peki sen nerelisin?Nice to meet you, so where are you from?
Example conversation
Elif and Burak are meeting for the first time at a social event.
- ElifMerhaba, ben Elif. Sen nerelisin?Hello, I am Elif. Where are you from?
- BurakMerhaba Elif, ben Burak. Ben İzmirliyim.Hello Elif, I am Burak. I am from Izmir.
- ElifNe güzel! Ben de İstanbul'danım.How lovely! I am also from Istanbul.
- BurakMemnun oldum.Nice to meet you.
