Lesson 2-Section4(examples)
Choosing the Correct Question Suffix in Turkish (mi, mı, mu, mü)
In Turkish, the question suffix changes according to Turkish vowel harmony rules. The suffix vowel must match the last vowel of the main noun or adjective in the sentence. This creates a natural and smooth pronunciation.
Examples with Explanations
| Turkish Sentence | English Translation | Word Breakdown | Question Suffix Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kapı kapalı mı? | Is the door closed? | Kapı (door) + kapalı (closed) | The last vowel in kapalı is ı, so the question suffix mı is used. |
| Pencere açık mı? | Is the window open? | Pencere (window) + açık (open) | The last vowel in açık is ı, so the question suffix mı is used. |
| Oda karanlık mı? | Is the room dark? | Oda (room) + karanlık (dark) | The last vowel in karanlık is ı, so the question suffix mı is used. |
| Sokak aydınlık mı? | Is the street bright? | Sokak (street) + aydınlık (bright) | The last vowel in aydınlık is ı, so the question suffix mı is used. |
| Poşet ağır mı? | Is the bag heavy? | Poşet (bag) + ağır (heavy) | The last vowel in ağır is ı, so the question suffix mı is used. |
| Çanta hafif mi? | Is the bag light? | Çanta (bag) + hafif (light) | The last vowel in hafif is i, so the question suffix mi is used. |
| Bu yemek az mı? | Is this food little? | Bu (this) + yemek (food) + az (little) | The last vowel in az is a, so the question suffix mı is used. |
| Bu para çok mu? | Is this a lot of money? | Bu (this) + para (money) + çok (a lot) | The last vowel in çok is o, so the question suffix mu is used. |
| Bardak boş mu? | Is the glass empty? | Bardak (glass) + boş (empty) | The last vowel in boş is o, so the question suffix mu is used. |
| Şişe dolu mu? | Is the bottle full? | Şişe (bottle) + dolu (full) | The last vowel in dolu is u, so the question suffix mu is used. |
| Babaannen yaşlı mı? | Is your grandmother old? | Babaannen (your grandmother) + yaşlı (old) | The last vowel in yaşlı is ı, so the question suffix mı is used. |
| Kız kardeşin genç mi? | Is your sister young? | Kız kardeşin (your sister) + genç (young) | The last vowel in genç is e, so the question suffix mi is used. |
How to Choose the Correct Question Suffix?
📌 Look at the last vowel of the word and follow this rule:
| Last Vowel | Question Suffix | Example & Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| e, i | mi | The last vowel in genç is e, so we use mi → Genç mi? |
| ı, a | mı | The last vowel in kapalı is ı, so we use mı → Kapalı mı? |
| o, u | mu | The last vowel in dolu is u, so we use mu → Dolu mu? |
| ö, ü | mü | The last vowel in büyük is ü, so we use mü → Büyük mü? |
| Last Vowel | Question Suffix | Example |
|---|---|---|
| e, i | mi | Hafif mi?, Genç mi? |
| ı, a | mı | Kısa mı?, Kapalı mı? |
| o, u | mu | Dolu mu?, Boş mu? |
| ö, ü | mü | Büyük mü?, Küçük mü? |