All About var - there is... there are...
And yok - there isn't... there aren't...
Note that both - var and yok - are used for either the Singular - "there is.., there isn't...." or the Plural - "there are.., there aren't.."
The Present Tense Form
Basically - var - means - Is existent... It exists... There is... There are....
Examples:
Tepe de bir lokanta var. - There is a cafe on the hill.
Bu ağaçta çok meyve var. - There is a lot of fruit on this tree.
yok - means - Is non existent... It does not exist... There isn't... There aren't...
Examples:
Garajda hiç araba yok. - There is/are not any car(s) in the garage.
Yeşil kutuda kibrit yok. - There is/are no matche(s) in the green box.
Note: Do not forget that "People are.." and "Things is.." in Turkish. This is why the last two examples can be singular or plural in meaning.
The Present Tense Question Form
This is formed by adding the Question Particle - mi? - according to Vowel Harmony Rules
The Question Particle is written separately:
var mı? - means - Does it exist...? Is there...? Are there...?
yok mu? - means - Doesn't it exist...? Isn't there?... Aren't there...?
var mı? - means - Does it exist...? Is there...? Are there...?
Examples:
Tepe de bir lokanta var mı? - Is there is a cafe on the hill?
Ağaçta meyve var mı? - Is there is any fruit on the tree?
The Question Particle is written separately.
yok mu? - means - Doesn't it exist...? Isn't there?... Aren't there...?
Examples:
Garajda hiç araba yok mu? - Isn't there a/any car(s) in the garage?
Yeşil kutuda kibrit yok mu? - Are there not any matches in the green box?
The Question Particle is written separately.
The Past Tense Form
This form is also used for the Past by using the Past tense suffix -di according to Vowel Harmony and Consonant Mutation Rules
Thus - var - There is.., There are.. - becomes - vardı - There was.., There were..
Examples:
Tepe de bir lokanta vardı. - There was a cafe on the hill.
Bu ağaçta çok meyve vardı. - There was a lot of fruit on this tree.
Similarly - yok - There is not.., There are not.. - becomes - yoktu - There was not.., There were not
Examples:
Garajda hiç araba yoktu. - There wasn't a (single) car in the garage.
Yeşil kutuda kibrit yoktu. - There were no matches in the green box.
The Past Tense Question Form
This is formed by adding the Past Tense Question Particle - miydi? - according to Vowel Harmony Rules
The Past Tense Question Particle is written separately:
var mıydı? - means - Did it exist...? Was there...? Were there...?
yok muydu? - means - Didn't it exist...? Wasn't there?... Weren't there...?
var mıydı? - means - Did it exist...? Was there...? Were there...?
Examples:
Tepe de bir lokanta var mıydı? - Was there is a cafe on the hill?
Ağaçta meyve var mıydı? - Was there is any fruit on the tree?
The Past Tense Question Particle is written separately.
yok muydu? - means - Didn't it exist...? Wasn't there?... Weren't there...?
Examples:
Garajda hiç araba yok muydu?. - Wasn't there a car(s) in the garage?
Yeşil kutuda kibrit yok muydu? - Weren't there (any) matches in the green box?
The Past Tense Question Particle is written separately.
An Actual Example
Here is a sign along the old Lycian Road near Kaş in the South Aegean Region of Turkey. Many thanks to Jim Gronsand of Portland, Oregon, USA - JG - Mar 4 2007.
It clearly shows that Var (and Yok) always come at the end of the sentence in Turkish.
You can see that the writer of the sign has literally tranlsated into English - Care! Dog there is..! - thus conserving the natural Turkish word order.
More forms of - there is.. etc. - which are in daily use
Other than the basic forms of - there is.., there are.. - as shown above the following more extended forms are in constant use in daily Turkish conversation:
The Formal Form - a statement of fact..
vardır - definitely.. surely..
As already mentioned above - vardır - means - Is (definitely) existent... It (definitely) exists... There (definitely) is... There (definitely) are.... This form is used in Public Notices and Advices.
Here is an actual example from a Traffic Propaganda Advertisement seen in Manisa, Turkey, May 2006
Unutma! Her trafik kuralının bir nedeni vardır.
Don't forget! Every traffic law has a reason..! - Thus showing - vardır as definitely.., surely..
The Formal Public Form
vardır - definitely.., surely..
vardır - means - Is (definitely) existent... It (definitely) exists... There (definitely) is... There (definitely) are...
Examples:
Tepe de bir lokanta vardır. - There is (definitely) a cafe on the hill
Bir kiloda yüz gram vardır. - There are 100 grams ina Kilogram. - Statement of Fact
yoktur - definitely not.., surely not..
yoktur - means - Is (definitely) non existent... It (definitely) does not exist... There (definitely) isn't... There (definitely) aren't...
Examples:
Garajda hiç araba yoktur. - There is (surely) not a (single) car in the garage.
- Statement of Fact
Yeşil kutuda kibrit yoktur. - There is not a (single) match in the green box.
- Definite Statement
The Conditional Form - If there is.., If there are...
The Conditional is simply formed by adding the Conditional Suffix -sa as the following examples show:
varsa - If there is.. If there are..
yoksa - If there is not.. If there are not..
Present Tense Conditional
varsa - If there is.. If there are ..
yoksa - If there is .. If there was ..
Examples:
Tepe de bir lokanta varsa, orada yiyelim
If there is a cafe on the hill, let us eat there.
Ağaçta meyve varsa, onu koparıırm.
If there is any fruit on the tree, I will pick it.
Garajda hiç araba yoksa, o zaman bir taksi tutun. - [taxi tutmak - to take/catch a taxi..]
If there isn't a car in the garage, then catch/take a taxi.
Yeşil kutuda kibrit yoksa, çakmağını kullan. - [familiar method]
If there are no matches in the green box, use your lighter.
Yeşil kutuda kibrit yoksa, çakmağınızı kullanın. - [polite method]
If there are no matches in the green box, use your lighter.
Thanks to Nurcan Akaltun Çiftçi for corrections to the above section - JG - June 2008.
The Past Tense - Conditional
Note that in the Conditional Past the forms with "var" and "yok" are not used. The forms with the verb - olmak - to be/to become - and - olmamak - not to be/not to become - are used instead.
olsaydı - If there was.. If there were..
olmasaydı - If there was not.. If there were not..
Examples:
Tepe de bir lokanta olsaydı, orada yerdik
If there had been a cafe on the hill, we would have eaten there.
Tepe de bir lokanta olmuş olsaydı, orada yerdik
If there had been a cafe on the hill, we would have eaten there. - [the addition of - olmuş
been - makes this statement a little more formal]
Ağaçta meyve olsaydı, onu koparırdım.
If there had been any fruit on the tree, I would have picked it.
Garajda hiç araba olmasaydı, taksi tutacaktım.
If there had not been a car in the garage, I would have taken a taxi.
Garajda hiç araba olmamış olmasaydı, taksi tutacaktım.
If there had not been a car in the garage, I would have taken a taxi. - [the addition of - olmamış
not been - makes this statement a little more formal]
Yeşil kutuda hiç kibrit olmasaydı, çakmağımı kullanırdım..
If there weren't any matches in the green box, I would have used my lighter.
Yeşil kutuda hiç kibrit olmamış olmasaydı, çakmağımı kullanırdım..
If there weren't any matches in the green box, I would have used my lighter. - [the addition of - olmamış - not been - makes this statement a little more formal]
The Inferential Form - It seems that there is.., It seems that there are...
The Inferential is used when the subject has no eyewitness knowledge, it is used for reporting and inference.
The Inferential is simply formed by adding the Inferential Suffix -miş as the following examples show.
The Inferential Suffix -miş is used for both the Present Tense and the Past tense:
varmış - It seems that there is/was.. It seems that there are/were..
yokmuş - It seems that there is/was not.. It seems that there are/were not..
Examples:
Deniyor ki - ["Diyorlar ki.." - more formal] - tepede bir lokanta varmış, [eğer] öyleyse orada yiyelim
It is said there is a cafe on the hill, if so let us eat there.
Ağaçta çok meyve varmış..
It seems there is a lot fruit on the tree.
Garajda araba yokmuş.
(I think that) there is not a car in the garage.
Yeşil kutuda kibrit yokmuş, mavi olanına [olan-ı-n-a] bakin.
(I think that) there are no matches in the green box. have a look in the blue one.
An explanation of - olan - the which one
olanı - One [the one that..] - [lit: that which is..] as an item
olanları - Ones [the ones that..] - [lit: those which are..] as items
1. Hangi tişörtü istiyorsunuz? - Which tee-shirt do you want?
2. Mavi olanı(nı) lütfen - The blue one, please
1. Hangi ayakkabıları istiyorsunuz? - Which shoes do you want?
2. Siyah olanları(nı) lütfen. - The black ones, please.
Note that (-ni) as an accusative direct object ending is gramatically correct in the answers as the the verb - istemek - to want - is understood. But as with all languages sometimes the easy way is used and the direct object suffix is discarded though constant daily conversational usage.
See - olan - as a subject participle
The form with - iken - while..
While there is.., As there is..
This formation is var + iken (while..) producing varken and similarly yok + iken producing yokken
varken - While/As there is.., While/As there are....
yokken - While/As there is not.., While/As there are not....
Examples:
Tepe de bir lokanta varken, baskasını açmıyorlar
While there is a cafe on the hill, they will not open another one..
Ağaçta çok meyve varken, onu koparalım
While there is a lot fruit on the tree , let us pick it.
Hazir garajda araba yokken, (haydi) içine - or - [oraya] - bisikeltimizi bırakalım/koyalım.
As there is not a car in the garage, let us put our bicycles in it.
Yeşil kutuda kibrit yokken, ateşi yakamam.
While there are no matches in the green box. I cannot light the fire.
A Little note about using Var & Yok..
Note (1): When enumerating lists of things you must say var or yok after each item.
In English the greengrocer may tell us that he has - apples, tomatoes, onions, cherries.. etc.
In Turkish he will say - elma var, dolmates var, soğan var, kiraz var..vs.
Note (2) :If a question is asked that contains a var mı? or a yok mu? - the the answer must always be var.. or yok.., wheras in English we tend to use - Yes.. or No.. as an answer, but the Turk will never use the words hayir or evet in answer to a question that contains a var or a yok.
Dolapta bir bardak yok mu? - Isn't there a tumbler in the cupboard?
Kilitte anahtar var mı? - Is the key in the lock?.
The English anwers can be - Yes [it is]. or No [it isn't].
However the Turkish answers must simply be - Var [there is..] or Yok [there isn't]
Ownership - "I have got.., I haven't got.."
Explanation of Usage
There is no verb have.. or have got.. in Turkish for - to have - as in - I have a new car. - or - Have you got a new car? - or - Do you have any anything cheaper?
All these kinds of sentences use - var - or - vardır - for - to have (got)... and in the negative sense - yok - or - yoktur - for - not to have (got)...
The addition of -dır or its vowel harmonic equivalents does not alter the meaning, its use is optional, but it does show that the statement is a fact and it is often used as - vardır - there (definitely) is.. or - yoktur - there (definitely) is not.. in Public Notices and Advices.
We will use the simple form as this is more widespread.
To say - I have a cat - or - I have got a cat - we attach the Possessive Adjective Suffix - my, your, his, our etc. - to the item which is possessed with - var - to have.. or yok - not to have..
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Positive Examples - var - there is .. have not ..
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kedim var - [kedi-m var]
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I have a cat, I have got a cat
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köpeğin var - [köpeğ-in var]
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You have a dog, You've got a dog
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arabası var - [araba-s-ı var]
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He/she has a car, He's got a cat
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evimiz var - [ev-imiz var]
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We have a house, We have got a house
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bahçeniz var - [bahçe-niz var]
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You have a garden, You have got a garden
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şişeleri var - [şişe-leri var]
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They have a bottle, They have got a bottle
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Negative Examples - yok - there is not.. have not got..
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kedim yok - [kedi-m yok]
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I do not have a cat, I have not got a cat
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köpeğin yok - [köpeğ-in yok]
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You do not have a dog, You have not got a dog
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arabası yok - [araba-s-ı yok]
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He/she doesn't have a car, He has not got a cat
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evimiz yok - [ev-imiz yok]
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We do not have a house, We have not got a house
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bahçeniz yok - [bahçe-niz yok]
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You do not have a garden, You have not got a garden
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şişeleri yok - [şişe-leri var]
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They do not have a bottle, They have not got a bottle
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Explanation of Difference in Turkish - English for - to have.., to have got...
kedim var - I have a cat, I have got a cat - Lit: There is a my cat
In the sentence above the first person singular Possessive Adjective suffix -im tells us - "whose cat it is.." - and in this case it tells us that - I have a cat.. - by using - var
kedin yok - You haven't got a cat - Lit: There isn't a your cat
Similarly in the second sentence the Second Person Possessive Adjective suffix -in tells us that - You haven't got a cat.. - by using yok
It is the Possessive Suffix which tells us "who owns" the object.
Asking Questions - Is there..? Aren't there...?
Thanks to J. R. for suggestions and corrections - Oct 2005
Positive Questions - using - .. var mı?
(1) Evin var mı? - Have you got a house? - Lit: Is there a your house?
In the first example above the literal translation is - Is there a your house? - but in English we must say - Have you got a house?.
(2) Kedisi var mı? - Has he/she got a cat? - Lit: Is there a his cat? Is there a her cat?
Here the Third Person Singular Possessive Adjective Suffix -(s)i tells us - "whose cat it is" - and in this case it asks us if - "Has he/she got a cat?"
(3) Evleri var mı? - [Ev-leri - their house] - Have they got a house? - Lit: Is there a their house?
Negative Questions - using - ..yok mu?
(1) Evimiz yok mu? - Haven't we got a house? - Lit: Isn't there an our house?
In the sentence above the First Person Plural Possessive Adjective suffix -imiz asks us - "whose house it is" - and in this case it asks - "Haven't we got a house?"
(2) Eviniz yok mu? - Haven't you got a house? - Lit: Isn't there a your house?
Similarly in the last sentence the Second Person Possessive Adjective suffix -iniz asks us - "Haven't you got a house?"
(3) Evleri yok mu? - [Ev-leri - their house] - Haven't they got a house? - Lit: Isn't there a their house?
Finally you can see that we have turned all the above sentences into question form - simply by adding the question tag -mi? - according to Vowel Harmony Rules.
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Positive Examples - var mı? - is there?.....
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kedim var mı? - [kedi-m var mı?]
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Do I have a cat?, Have I got a cat?
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köpeğin var mı? - [köpeğ-in var mı?]
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Have you a dog?, Have you got a dog?/Do you have a dog?
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arabası var mı? - [araba-s-ı var mı?]
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Has he/she a car?, Has he/she got a car?
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evimiz var mı? - [ev-imiz var mı?]
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Have we a house?, Have we got a house?
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bahçeniz var mı? - [bahçe-niz var mı?]
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Have you a garden?, Have you got a garden?
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şişeleri var mı? - [şişe-leri var mı?]
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Have they a bottle?, Have they got a bottle?
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Negative Examples - yok mu? - isn't there?..
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kedim yok mu? - [kedi-m yok mu?]
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Have I not got a cat?, Do I not have a cat?
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köpeğin yok mu? - [köpeğ-in yok mu?]
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Do you not have a dog?, Have you not got a dog?
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arabası yok mu? - [araba-s-ı yok mu?]
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Doesn't he/she have a car?, Has he/she not got a car?
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evimiz yok mu? - [ev-imiz yok mu?]
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Have we not a house?, Have we not got a house?
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bahçeniz yok mu? - [bahçe-niz yok mu?]
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Do you not have a garden?, Have you not got a garden?
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şişeleri yok mu? - [şişe-leri yok mu?]
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Do they not have a bottle?, Have they not got a bottle?
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Some Examples of Possession
Of course all the differing senses of var: varsa, varmış etc. and of yok: yoksa, yokmuş, etc. - can be used with the Possessive Forms.
Yeni bir arabanız var mı? - Have you got a new car?
Yeni bir arabamız olsaydı, beraber/birlikte kasabaya gidebilecektik? - If we had a new car, we could have gone to town together?
Orhan'ın yeni arabası varmış. - (It seems that) Orhan has/had a new car.
Şekeriniz var mı, lütfen? - Do you have any sugar, please?
Şekeriniz yoksa, sade içeyim. - If you do not have sugar, I'll drink it without.
Boş vaktimiz var mı? - Have we got time to spare?
Boş vakitleri/zamanları olsaydı, bize gelirdiler/gelirlerdi. - If they had had time, they would have come to us.
Note: vakit - "a point in time" - loses final vowel when suffixed with another vowel.
See list of nouns which lose a vowel.
Cevabı yok - He/She hasn't got the answer
Cevabı yoksa.. - If He/She hasn't got the answer..
Elmaları yok - They haven't got any apples.
Elmaları yokmuş - (It seems that) they haven't got any apples.
Elmaları yok mu? - Haven't they got any apples?
Mehmet'in kedisi var - Mehmet has got a cat.
Mehmet'in kedisi varken, köpeğimi onunla bırakamam. - While Mehmet has got a cat, I cannot leave my dog with him.
Sadece az param var - I've only a little money.
Ali 'nin parası var mı? - Has Ali got any money?
Yeterli param varsa, yeni araba alırım. Ama o kadar yokmuş gibi geliyor..- If I have enough money, I'll buy a new car. But it seems that (like) I have not got that much (money)
Also - a "personal" note on Var & Yok..
Var and yok can also take the personal endings endings of the verb - to be - [I am, you are..etc]
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Var & Yok with "to be.." suffixes added
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varım
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yokum
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varsın
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yoksun
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var
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yok
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varız
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yokuz
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varsınız
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yoksunuz
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varlar
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yoklar
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This form actually means something like - I am there.., I'll be there.., I'll not be there.. etc.. - some examples will show the use of these forms which are in constant use:
Yarın ofiste yokum - I will not be at the office tomorrow.
Evde var mısın? - Are you at home?
Kimse var mı? - Is anybody there?
Kimse yok. - There is nobody (here).
Yalnız mıyız? - Are we alone?, Hayır. Onlar da var. - No, there's them as well..
Gelecek toplantıda ben de varım. - I'll be at the next meeting as well.
And of course we can use - Var & Yok - with Personal Suffixes as nouns
Neyimiz var neyimiz yok depremde kaybettik. - We lost everything what we had/have in the earthquake.
Could also be stated thus:
Varımızı yoğumuzu depremde kaybettik. - We lost everything what we had/have in the earthquake.
