önde

Önde is a Turkish word used as an adverb and as the locative form of the noun ön, meaning front or ahead. It denotes position in space, order in a sequence, or leadership in a context such as competition or progress. The form önde literally conveys “in the front” or “in front of.”

In Turkish grammar, önde is produced by attaching the locative suffix -de to the root ön (the first vowel is already ö, so the result surfaces as önde). It can function in phrases describing physical locations, such as kapının önde (in front of the door), or the relative position of people or objects in a group, such as takım önde (the team is ahead). Önde also appears in verb phrases and expressions that mean to lead or be ahead: Konuşması önde gidiyor can be used to convey someone is leading in a discussion or is ahead in a race or ranking.

Usage notes: önde often appears with postpositions or verbs that indicate movement or state, and its meaning adapts to context from literal spatial sense to figurative leadership or priority. It contrasts with arkasında (behind) and orta (in the middle), helping to describe relative placement.

Etymology: önde derives from ön (front) with the Turkish locative suffix -de, reflecting standard Turkic morphology and vowel harmony. The word is common in everyday Turkish and appears in both spoken and written registers.

See also: ön, arkasında, önde olmak, kapının önünde.