Existance with 'var' and 'yok'

01

Existence and Location

The most direct use of var and yok is to state whether something exists in a particular place. The sentence structure is generally: Location + Noun + var/yok. The location is marked with the locative case suffix -da or -de.

• Masada bir kitap var.

  There is a book on the table.

• Odalarda kimse yok.

  There is no one in the rooms.

• Buzdolabında süt var mı?

  Is there milk in the fridge?

02

Expressing Possession ('to have')

Instead of a verb like "to have," possession is expressed using var and yok. The logic is "my thing exists" rather than "I have a thing." This requires a specific grammatical structure:

1. The owner takes the genitive case suffix (-ın, -in, -un, -ün).

2. The owned item takes a possessive suffix (-(s)ı, -(s)i, -(s)u, -(s)ü).

3. The sentence ends with var or yok.

• Benim bir arabam var.

  I have a car. (Literally: My one car exists.)

• Senin zamanın yok.

  You don't have time. (Literally: Your time does not exist.)

• Onların iki çocuğu var.

  They have two children.

03

Forming Questions and Answers

To ask a question, the question particle mı/mi/mu/mü is used. It is placed directly before var, but after yok.

The standard short answers are Evet, var (Yes, there is) and Hayır, yok (No, there isn't).

• Ofiste kahve var mı?

  Is there coffee in the office?

• Hayır, yok.

  No, there isn't.

• Hiç sorun yok mu?

  Isn't there any problem?

Note that answering a negative question like Hiç sorun yok mu? can be different from English. Evet, yok means "Yes, you are correct, there is no problem."

04

Past Tense with 'vardı' and 'yoktu'

To talk about existence or possession in the past, the past tense suffix is added directly to var and yok.

- var + -dı → vardı (there was / there were)

- yok + -tu → yoktu (there wasn't / there weren't)

• Dün okulda bir toplantı vardı.

  There was a meeting at school yesterday.

• Eskiden burada büyük bir ağaç vardı.

  There used to be a big tree here.

• O zamanlar cep telefonu yoktu.

  There were no mobile phones back then.

05

Informal and Other Uses

In conversation, var and yok have additional meanings.

Varım (literally "I exist") can mean "I'm in" or "Count me in" when responding to a suggestion.

• Partiye gidiyoruz, geliyor musun?

  We're going to the party, are you coming?

• Varım!

  I'm in!

Yok can be used as a more emphatic "no" than hayır, often to deny an accusation or correct a misunderstanding.

• Yok, ben almadım.

  No, I didn't take it.