Ways to say it
| Turkish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| sen | /sæn/ | familiar |
| siz | /siz/ | polite |
The words for "you" serve as subject pronouns to address the person being spoken to.
Which one should you use?
sen is the singular informal form used for one person, while siz is the singular polite form used for one person.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
sen is the most common way to say "you" informally, used with friends, family members or children. siz is the standard and most common way to say "you" in formal or respectful situations, such as when addressing strangers, elders or superiors. In formal contexts, the honorific title Sayın may also be used before a person's name to express respect.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form of "you" changes depending on its role in a sentence. When sen is the direct object of a verb, it becomes seni. When it is the indirect object (the person something is given to), it becomes sana. To say "your" (possessive), use senin. The polite/plural form siz changes to size when used as an indirect object.
How do you pronounce it?
/sæn/. The [s] sound is like the [s] in "send", the [æ] sound is like the [a] in "cat" and the [n] sound is like the [n] in "not".
Did you know?
- Turkish often drops the pronoun sen or siz entirely because the verb ending already tells the listener who is being addressed.
- The polite form siz is also the plural 'you' used for more than one person. This means you use the exact same word to address a single stranger respectfully as you do to address a group of friends.
- When using siz to address one person, the verbs in the sentence must also follow the plural conjugation rules. This creates a grammatical harmony where the entire sentence 'agrees' with the formal 'you'.
Examples in context
- O seni üzer mi?Does that make you sad?This sentence uses sen to ask if someone is being made sad.Tatoeba #2188942 by duran, translation #1886027 by CK
- Sence Tom aç mı?Do you think Tom is hungry?This sentence uses sen to ask for an opinion.Tatoeba #2726392 by Gulo_Luscus, translation #2644134 by CK
- O size uyuyor mu?Does that suit you?This sentence uses siz to ask if something is suitable for someone.Tatoeba #2039753 by duran, translation #688624 by pandark
- Siz nasılsınız?How are you?
- Sizi tanıştığıma memnun oldum.Nice to meet you.
- Sayın Ahmet Bey, sizden bir randevu alabilir miyim?Mr. Ahmet, may I request an appointment with you?
- Sana yardım edebilirim.I can help you.
- Sizlerle birlikte olmak harika!It's great to be with all of you!
- 4248 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Selin and Can are talking at a coffee shop.
- SelinSen nasılsın?How are you?
- Canİyiyim, sen nasılsın?I'm fine, how are you?
- SelinBen de iyiyim.I am fine too.
- CanHarika!Great!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “you” translations and entries sen, siz, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
