What is the difference between the words ”nerede”, ”nereden” and ”nereye” in Turkish?

Turkish Gramer Book

Turkish grammar explanations

Question:
What is the difference between Nereden?, Nereye?, and Nerede? in Turkish? What does nere mean, and what do the suffixes -den, -de, and -ye signify?

Answer:

In Turkish, “nere” means “where”, but it is rarely used alone. Instead, it takes suffixes to form different question words:

1. Nerede? → “Where (at)?” (Locative, -de suffix)
   • Answer: Indicates location.
   • Example:
     • Q: Kitap nerede? (Where is the book?)
     • A: Kitap masada. (The book is on the table.)
2. Nereye? → “Where to?” (Dative, -ye/-a suffix)
   • Answer: Indicates direction (movement towards a place).
   • Example:
     • Q: Tatil için nereye gidiyorsun? (Where are you going for vacation?)
     • A: İtalya’ya gidiyorum. (I’m going to Italy.)
3. Nereden? → “Where from?” (Ablative, -den/-dan suffix)
   • Answer: Indicates origin/source.
   • Example:
     • Q: Bu hediye nereden? (Where is this gift from?)
     • A: Arkadaşımdan. (From my friend.)
       

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Key Points:

• -de → Location (static) → Nerede? (Where?)
• -ye/-a → Direction (movement to) → Nereye? (Where to?)
• -den/-dan → Origin (movement from) → Nereden? (Where from?)

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