Indefinite Pronouns in Turkish

Overview

Indefinite pronouns let you talk about people and things without specifying exactly who or what you mean. Words like "something," "someone," "nothing," and "everyone" appear constantly in daily conversation. In Turkish, these pronouns are formed by combining simple building blocks — bir (a/one), hiç (none/any), and her (every) — with words like şey (thing) and kimse/kes (person).

At the A1 level, learning these pronouns dramatically expands what you can express. You can ask "Do you want something?", say "Nobody came," or declare "Everything is fine" — all essential for everyday communication. Because Turkish builds these pronouns from recognizable components, they are easier to learn than you might expect.

How It Works

Pronouns for Things

Turkish	English	Components
bir şey	something	bir (one) + şey (thing)
hiçbir şey	nothing	hiçbir (no) + şey (thing)
her şey	everything	her (every) + şey (thing)

Pronouns for People

Turkish	English	Components
birisi / biri	someone	bir (one) + -i (possessive)
hiç kimse	nobody	hiç (none) + kimse (person)
herkes	everyone	her (every) + kes (person)

Pronouns for Places

Turkish	English
bir yer	somewhere
hiçbir yer	nowhere
her yer	everywhere

Key Grammar Rules

Negative pronouns require a negative verb:

Turkish	English
Hiç kimse gelmedi.	Nobody came. (lit: nobody didn't-come)
Hiçbir şey bilmiyorum.	I know nothing. (lit: nothing I-don't-know)
Hiçbir yere gitmedim.	I went nowhere. (lit: nowhere I-didn't-go)

This is different from English, where you use either a negative pronoun or a negative verb, but not both. Turkish always uses both.

Positive pronouns with questions:

Turkish	English
Bir şey istiyor musun?	Do you want something?
Birisi geldi mi?	Did someone come?
Bir yere gidiyor musun?	Are you going somewhere?

"Every" pronouns with affirmative verbs:

Turkish	English
Her şey güzel.	Everything is beautiful.
Herkes geldi.	Everyone came.
Her yeri gezdik.	We visited everywhere.

Case Suffixes on Indefinite Pronouns

Indefinite pronouns take case suffixes just like regular nouns:

Case	bir şey	hiç kimse	herkes
Nominative	bir şey	hiç kimse	herkes
Accusative	bir şeyi	hiç kimseyi	herkesi
Dative	bir şeye	hiç kimseye	herkese
Ablative	bir şeyden	hiç kimseden	herkesten
Locative	bir şeyde	hiç kimsede	herkeste

Examples in Context

Turkish	English	Note
Bir şey istiyor musun?	Do you want something?	Polite offer
Hiç kimse gelmedi.	Nobody came.	Double negative required
Her şey güzel.	Everything is beautiful.	Common expression
Birisi kapıyı çalıyor.	Someone is knocking on the door.	Unknown person
Hiçbir şey anlamadım.	I didn't understand anything.	Double negative
Herkese merhaba!	Hello to everyone!	Dative case
Bir şey söylemek istiyorum.	I want to say something.	bir şey as object
Hiçbir yere gitmedik.	We didn't go anywhere.	Place + negative
Her yerde Türkçe duyuyorum.	I hear Turkish everywhere.	Locative case
Biri seni arıyor.	Someone is looking for you.	Short form of birisi

Common Mistakes

Forgetting the Double Negative

• Wrong: Hiç kimse geldi. (Nobody came — but verb is positive)
• Right: Hiç kimse gelmedi. (Nobody came — verb is negative)
• Why: Turkish requires both the negative pronoun and a negative verb. Unlike English, the two negatives do not cancel out.

Confusing hiç and hiçbir

• Wrong: Hiç şey bilmiyorum.
• Right: Hiçbir şey bilmiyorum.
• Why: Before şey and yer, you need hiçbir (not a single). Hiç alone is used before kimse or as an adverb meaning "ever/never."

Using herkes with a Plural Verb

• Wrong: Herkes geldiler. (Everyone came — plural verb)
• Right: Herkes geldi. (Everyone came — singular verb)
• Why: Although herkes means "everyone" (referring to multiple people), it is grammatically singular in Turkish and takes a singular verb.

Mixing Up biri and birisi

• Wrong: Thinking they are different words
• Right: Biri and birisi are interchangeable — birisi is slightly more formal
• Why: Both mean "someone." Use whichever feels natural; biri is more common in casual speech.

Practice Tips

• Create pairs of sentences: one with a positive indefinite pronoun and one with its negative counterpart. For example: Bir şey var. (There is something.) / Hiçbir şey yok. (There is nothing.)
• Practice the "every" set by describing your daily life: Her gün çay içerim. Her yerde Türkçe pratik yaparım. Herkes beni anlıyor.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Personal Pronouns — Understanding personal pronouns gives you the foundation for all pronoun types in Turkish.