English uses two different structures for presence and ownership: “there is” and “to have”. Turkish uses one pair of words for both: var (there is, exists) and yok (there isn’t, doesn’t exist). They are not verbs, but they behave like the predicate of a sentence, and with a possessive suffix they give you “I have” and “I don’t have”.
This page is the main guide to var and yok. For the locative ending (-de/-da) used in many of these sentences, see the locative case.
“There is” and “there isn’t”
The usual pattern is place (locative) + thing + var/yok:
| Turkish | Literally | English |
|---|---|---|
| Masada bir kitap var. | on-the-table a book exists | There’s a book on the table. |
| Evde süt yok. | at-home milk not-exists | There’s no milk at home. |
| Sokakta kimse yok. | in-the-street nobody not-exists | There’s nobody in the street. |
| Bu otelde havuz var mı? | in-this-hotel pool exists? | Is there a pool in this hotel? |
| Burada ücretsiz internet var. | here free internet exists | There’s free internet here. |
| Bugün ders yok. | today lesson not-exists | There’s no class today. |
There is vs. it is (somewhere)
Var introduces something new. For something already known (the key, Ali), give its location with the locative and a “to be” ending instead:
- Masada bir anahtar var. — There’s a key on the table.
- Anahtar masada. — The key is on the table.
- Ali evde. — Ali is at home.
“I have” and “I don’t have”
Turkish expresses possession as “my X exists”. The thing owned takes a possessive suffix, and var or yok follows. The pronoun in the genitive (benim, senin…) is optional and adds emphasis.
| Person | I have a house | I don’t have a house |
|---|---|---|
| (benim) | evim var | evim yok |
| (senin) | evin var | evin yok |
| (onun) | evi var | evi yok |
| (bizim) | evimiz var | evimiz yok |
| (sizin) | eviniz var | eviniz yok |
| (onların) | evleri var | evleri yok |
More examples:
- Bir kedim var. — I have a cat.
- Arabam yok. — I don’t have a car.
- Zamanımız var. — We have time.
- Hiç param yok. — I have no money at all.
- Onun bir sorusu var. — He has a question.
With a named owner, use the genitive on the owner and the third-person possessive on the thing:
- Ali’nin iki kardeşi var. — Ali has two siblings.
- Annemin bir bahçesi var. — My mother has a garden.
Bende var: “I’ve got it on me”
A second pattern uses the locative on the person: bende, sende, onda… + thing + var/yok. It means having something with you at the moment, not owning it.
- Bende kalem var. — I’ve got a pen (on me).
- Sende şemsiye var mı? — Have you got an umbrella on you?
- Senin kitabın bende. — I’ve got your book.
- Anahtarlar onda. — He has the keys.
Compare Kalemim var (I own a pen) and Bende kalem var (I have a pen right here).
Questions and short answers
The question particle follows var or yok: var mı?, yok mu?
- Çay var mı? — Is there any tea? / Do you have tea? — Evet, var. / Hayır, yok.
- Kardeşin var mı? — Do you have brothers or sisters? — Var, bir ablam var. — Yes, I have an older sister.
- Vaktin yok mu? — Don’t you have time?
- Sorunuz var mı? — Do you have any questions?
Yok vs. değil
Learners often mix these up. Yok denies existence; değil denies a description. Both are covered with the verb negative in negation.
| Yok (not there) | Değil (not something) |
|---|---|
| Süt yok. — There’s no milk. | Bu süt değil. — This isn’t milk. |
| Evde kimse yok. — There’s nobody at home. | Ali evde değil. — Ali isn’t at home. |
| Param yok. — I have no money. | Bu benim param değil. — This isn’t my money. |
Var and yok in other tenses
Var and yok take the copula endings for past, reported and conditional, but have no future form.
| Meaning | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| there was / I had | vardı (Param vardı.) | yoktu (Evde kimse yoktu.) |
| apparently there is/was | varmış | yokmuş |
| if there is / if I have | varsa (Sorun varsa ara.) | yoksa |
| there will be / I will have | olacak | olmayacak |
- Dün çok iş vardı. — There was a lot of work yesterday.
- Yarın toplantı olacak. — There will be a meeting tomorrow.
- Gelecek yıl bir bebeğimiz olacak. — We’re going to have a baby next year.
- Vaktin varsa kahve içelim. — If you have time, let’s have a coffee. (See the conditional.)
Everyday expressions
- Ne var ne yok? — What’s new?
- Sorun yok. — No problem.
- Bir şey yok. — It’s nothing. / Nothing’s wrong.
- Yok artık! — No way! / You’re kidding!
- Ben de varım! — Count me in!
- Var mısın? — Are you in? / Are you up for it?
Short dialogue
- Misafir: İyi akşamlar. Boş odanız var mı? — Good evening. Do you have a free room?
- Resepsiyon: Bu gece için bir odamız var, ama deniz manzarası yok. — We have one room for tonight, but it has no sea view.
- Misafir: Sorun değil. Odada klima var mı? — No problem. Is there air conditioning in the room?
- Resepsiyon: Evet, var. Kahvaltı da var. Rezervasyonunuz var mı? — Yes, there is. Breakfast is included too. Do you have a reservation?
- Misafir: Hayır, yok. — No, I don’t.
The dialogue mixes all three uses: availability (Boş odanız var mı?), presence in a place (Odada klima var mı?) and possession (Rezervasyonunuz var mı?).
Common mistakes
- Translating “I have” word for word: Ben bir araba var → Bir arabam var (or Benim bir arabam var).
- Forgetting the possessive suffix: Benim kedi var → Benim kedim var.
- Değil instead of yok: Arabam değil means “It’s not my car”; for “I don’t have a car” say Arabam yok.
- Yok instead of değil: Kahve sıcak yok → Kahve sıcak değil.
- A future of var: Yarın toplantı var olacak → Yarın toplantı olacak (or Yarın toplantı var for a scheduled event).
- Person ending on the question: Arabanız var mısınız? → Arabanız var mı?
Mini-exercise
Translate into Turkish.
- There’s a cat in the garden. → ?
- I don’t have a car. → ?
- Do you (sen) have a pen on you? → ?
- Ayşe has two children. → ?
- There was nobody in the office. → ?
- This isn’t my bag. → ?
Answers: 1. Bahçede bir kedi var. 2. Arabam yok. 3. Sende kalem var mı? 4. Ayşe’nin iki çocuğu var. 5. Ofiste kimse yoktu. 6. Bu benim çantam değil.
Practice this
Break down forms like arabalarımız or bende in the suffix deconstructor, then review the possessive suffixes you need for every “I have” sentence.
