Lesson1-Section2 (Var mı?) (Var or Yok)
Turkish For Beginers
Var and Yok in Turkish
Turkish Grammar: “Var mı?” and “Yok” – Complete Guide
📝 QUESTION FORMATION WITH “VAR MI?”
| Turkish Pattern | English Translation | Structure Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Var mı? ❓ | “Is there?” / “Do you have?” | Basic question form for existence/possession |
| Senin kardeşin var mı? 👥 | “Do you have a sibling?” | [Your + sibling + exists?] |
💬 EXAMPLE DIALOGUES
| Situation | Turkish | English | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Question | Senin kardeşin var mı? | Do you have a sibling? | ❓ Question |
| Positive Answer | Evet, benim kardeşim var. | Yes, I have a sibling. | ✅ Positive |
| Negative Answer | Hayır, benim kardeşim yok. | No, I don’t have a sibling. | ❌ Negative |
📚 GRAMMAR BREAKDOWN
1. POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS & SUFFIXES
| Element | Turkish | English | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Possessive Pronoun | Senin | Your | Senin araban | Your car 🚗 |
| Possessive Pronoun | Benim | My | Benim evim | My house 🏠 |
| Possessive Suffix | -in | Your (suffix) | Kardeşin | Your sibling 👫 |
| Possessive Suffix | -im | My (suffix) | Kardeşim | My sibling 👫 |
2. EXISTENCE WORDS
| Word | Meaning | Usage | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Var ✅ | There is / Have | Positive existence | Kalemim var | I have a pencil ✏️ |
| Yok ❌ | There isn’t / Don’t have | Negative existence | Zamanım yok | I don’t have time ⏰ |
3. QUESTION SUFFIX
“When using question suffixes, you always look at the last vowel of the final word.
To ask ‘Bu kalem mi?’ (Is this a pencil?), you must look at the last vowel of the word ‘kalem,’ which is the letter ‘e’. In this case, you should use the ‘mi’ suffix, resulting in ‘Bu kalem mi?’.
However, when you say ‘Evde kalem var mı?’ (Is there a pencil at home?), the final word is ‘var,’ and its last vowel is the letter ‘ı’. Therefore, the question suffix that always comes after the word ‘var’ is ‘mı,’ making the phrase ‘var mı?’. This corresponds to the meaning of ‘Do you have…?’ or ‘Is there…?’.”
| Vowel Harmony | Suffix | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| After a, ı | mı | Araba var mı? 🚗 | Is there a car? |
| After e, i | mi | Ekmek var mı? 🍞 | Is there bread? |
| After o, u | mu | Otobüs var mı? 🚌 | Is there a bus? |
| After ö, ü | mü | Üzüm var mı? 🍇 | Is there grape? |
🏗️ SENTENCE STRUCTURE
| Component | Turkish Example | English Equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Possessive Pronoun | Senin | Your |
| Noun + Suffix | kardeşin | sibling (your) |
| Existence Word | var | exists |
| Question Marker | mı? | (question) |
| Full Sentence | Senin kardeşin var mı? | Do you have a sibling? |
🗣️ ANSWER PATTERNS
POSITIVE ANSWERS ✅
| Turkish Answer | Structure Breakdown | English Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Evet, benim kardeşim var. | Yes + my + sibling + exists | Yes, I have a sibling |
| Evet, var. | Yes + exists | Yes, I have |
NEGATIVE ANSWERS ❌
| Turkish Answer | Structure Breakdown | English Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Hayır, benim kardeşim yok. | No + my + sibling + doesn’t exist | No, I don’t have a sibling |
| Hayır, yok. | No + doesn’t exist | No, I don’t have |
📖 VOCABULARY BANK
| Turkish | English | Emoji |
|---|---|---|
| Kardeş | Sibling | 👫 |
| Ev | House | 🏠 |
| Araba | Car | 🚗 |
| Telefon | Phone | 📱 |
| Kalem | Pencil | ✏️ |
| Zaman | Time | ⏰ |
| Para | Money | 💰 |
🎯 KEY GRAMMAR POINTS SUMMARY
| Grammar Point | Turkish Example | English Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| Possessive Pronouns | Senin / Benim | Your / My |
| Possessive Suffixes | -in / -im | Shows ownership |
| Var | Kitabım var 📚 | Indicates possession/existence |
| Yok | Kitabım yok 📚 | Indicates lack/absence |
| Question Suffix | var mı? | Forms yes/no questions |
💫 PRACTICE EXAMPLES
| Context | Turkish Question | Possible Answers |
|---|---|---|
| Family 👨👩👧👦 | Ailen var mı? | Evet, ailem var. / Hayır, ailem yok. |
| Money 💰 | Paran var mı? | Evet, param var. / Hayır, param yok. |
| Car 🚗 | Araban var mı? | Evet, arabam var. / Hayır, arabam yok. |