In Turkish, the words var and yok allow you to express existence and non-existence. These essentials words translate to “there is” (var) and “there is not” (yok). Whether you’re asking questions, stating facts, or describing situations, understanding how to use var and yok is fundamental. Let’s break it down step by step with examples. Hadi başlayalım!
Table of Contents
Using Var: There is / There are
Var is used to indicate the presence or existence of something. It is equivalent to “there is” or “there are” in English and can be applied to singular and plural objects without any changes.
Structure
- [Subject] + var
- Example: Evde yemek var. (There is food at home.)
- Var mı? (Is there / Are there?) To form a question, add mı after var.
- Example: Bugün toplantı var mı? (Is there a meeting today?)
Examples
- Odada televizyon var. (There is a TV in the room.)
- Çantada kitaplar var. (There are books in the bag.)
- Okulda kütüphane var mı? (Is there a library at the school?)
Using Yok: There is not / There are not
Yok is the opposite of var and is used to express the absence or non-existence of something. It translates to “there is not” or “there are not.”
Structure
- [Subject] + yok
- Example: Dolapta süt yok. (There is no milk in the fridge.)
- Yok mu? (Isn’t there / Aren’t there?) To ask about the absence of something, add mu after yok.
- Example: Parkta çocuklar yok mu? (Aren’t there children in the park?)
Examples
- Evde elektrik yok. (There is no electricity at home.)
- Çantada defter yok. (There is no notebook in the bag.)
- Bugün ders yok mu? (Isn’t there a class today?)
The Expression “Ne Var Ne Yok?”
A common idiomatic expression in Turkish that incorporates both var and yok is “Ne var ne yok?”, which translates to “What’s up?” or “How’s everything?” in English. This casual phrase is often used as a friendly greeting to ask how someone is doing or what’s new in their life.
- Ne var? = “What is there?”
- Ne yok? = “What is not there?”
Together, they create a broad question that loosely means “What’s going on?” or “What’s the news?”. A greqt way to start a conversation with your friends!
How to respond to “ne var ne yok”?
The response can vary depending on the situation. Here are some common examples:
- İyilik, senden ne haber? (Good, what about you?)
- Her şey yolunda. (Everything’s fine.)
Daily-Life Examples Using Var and Yok
In a nutshell, here are 15 common sentences using var, var mı?, yok, and yok mu? to help you grasp their usage in context.
Turkish | English |
---|---|
Masada su var. | There is water on the table. |
Cüzdanda para var mı? | Is there money in the wallet? |
Şehirde müze var. | There is a museum in the city. |
Evde ekmek var mı? | Is there bread at home? |
Çantada kalemler var. | There are pens in the bag. |
Arabada yolcu var mı? | Are there passengers in the car? |
Masada kalem yok. | There is no pen on the table. |
Dolapta süt yok mu? | Isn’t there milk in the fridge? |
Bugün sinema yok. | There is no cinema today. |
Sınıfta öğretmen yok mu? | Isn’t there a teacher in the classroom? |
Bahçede kedi yok. | There is no cat in the garden. |
Markette sebzeler yok mu? | Aren’t there vegetables in the market? |
Odada kimse yok. | There is no one in the room. |
Bugün trafik yok. | There is no traffic today. |
Tatilde otelde yer var mı? | Is there space at the hotel during vacation? |
Now that you master var and yok—a big step in your Turkish learning journey!— learn the difference between ‘tabi,’ ‘tabii,’ and ‘tabii ki’.
Is there an AI tutor for one to one learning with this course.Im an English speaker with basic understanding of Turkish living in didim aydin
Merhaba Steve,
We don’t have an AI tutor yet but that’s something we will probably develop in the future! The course will give you all the grammar material and essential vocabulary to quickly be able to speak in your daily-life in Turkey.
Feel free to contact me if you have any question,
Nicolas