You will answer yes-or-no questions with evet and hayır, and questions about being there or having with var and yok.
The idea
Evet means yes and hayır means no, and either can open a short answer: Evet, içiyorum. A question with var mı? (is there? do you have?) is answered with var (there is) or yok (there is not): Süt var mı? Evet, var. Hayır, yok. With a verb, the no sits in the verb itself: içmiyorum, not içiyorum yok.
| Question | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
| Süt var mı? | Evet, var. | Hayır, yok. |
| Çay içiyor musun? | Evet, içiyorum. | Hayır, içmiyorum. |
| Kalemin var mı? | Evet, var. | Hayır, yok. |
Examples
- Evde süt var mı?Is there any milk at home?
- Evet, evde süt var.Yes, there is milk at home.
- Hayır, evde süt yok.No, there is no milk at home.Yok is the opposite of var, so the answer to a var question can be just yok. The yes-or-no word before it is optional: Evde süt yok already says no.
- Çay içiyor musun?Are you having tea?
- Hayır, içmiyorum.No, I'm not drinking any.A question about an action is answered with the verb, here made negative with -mi-: içmiyorum. Yok would not fit, because it only says that something is not there.
- Kardeşin var mı?Do you have a brother or sister?
- Hayır, kardeşim yok.No, I don't have a brother or sister.Turkish has no verb for have. The owned thing takes the owner's ending, kardeş + im, and then var or yok says that it is there or not.
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Watch out
Do not use yok as a general no. It only denies var. A question such as Çay içiyor musun? is answered Hayır, içmiyorum. Among friends you will hear yok as a casual no, but as a learner keep to hayır first.
Try it yourself
Say that there is no bread at home.
Show answer or example answer
yok
yok: bread is either at home or not, so the question is about being there, and the no is yok, not a verb.
Say that there is a cat in the room.
Show answer or example answer
var
var: the cat is in the room, so you say that it is there; Turkish needs no verb meaning to be here, var is enough.
Say you have no pen: add the ending for my to kalem (pen).
Show answer or example answer
kalemim
kalemim: the owner's ending -im goes on the noun (last vowel e, word ending in the consonant m), and then yok says that you do not have it.
Answer the question Are you drinking tea? with the word for no.
Show answer or example answer
hayır
hayır: the question is about an action, so the no is hayır, written with the dotless ı; hayir would be a spelling mistake.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Turkish sentences and words where available. We keep your score.
Say that there is no bread at home.
Say that there is a cat in the room.
Say you have no pen: add the ending for my to kalem (pen).
Answer the question Are you drinking tea? with the word for no.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Keep your progress
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Ask a friend three questions with var mı? and one with a verb. Write a yes answer and a no answer for each, choosing between evet, hayır, var and yok.