mi / mı / mu / mü: the yes-or-no question word

The idea

Put mi, mı, mu or mü straight after the word you are asking about, as a separate word. Its vowel copies the last vowel of the word before it: i after e i, ı after a ı, u after o u, ü after ö ü: yeni mi, açık mı, boş mu, bugün mü. The m never changes. Person endings go on the particle: hazır mısın.

Examples

• Sen öğrenci misin?Are you a student?
• Okula bugün geliyor musun?Are you coming to school today?
• Bu kitap senin mi?Is this book yours?
• miyimam I …?mimi / mı / mu / mü: the yes-or-no question word·yBuffer -y-: the y that joins vowels·im-im / -sin / -iz / -siniz: I am, you are, we are
• mıyızare we …?mımi / mı / mu / mü: the yes-or-no question word·yBuffer -y-: the y that joins vowels·ız-im / -sin / -iz / -siniz: I am, you are, we are
• miydiwas it …?mimi / mı / mu / mü: the yes-or-no question word·yBuffer -y-: the y that joins vowels·diWas and were: -di after nouns (öğrenciydim)The past "was" steps beyond A1: the same mi, then y and the past ending -di, as in Evde miydi? (Was he at home?).
• Kapı açık mı?Is the door open?
• Ali mi geldi?Was it Ali who came?The particle sits right after the word you question: here the question is about Ali, as in "Was it Ali (and not someone else) who came?". Compare the next sentence.
• Ali geldi mi?Has Ali come?Here the particle follows the verb, so the question covers the whole event: did he come or not? Only the position of mi changed.
• Toplantı bugün mü?Is the meeting today?The vowel comes from the word right before the particle: bugün ends in ü, so mü. The vowel of toplantı does not matter.

Watch out

Do not glue the particle to the word or leave the ending on the verb: it is Geliyor musun?, not Geliyormusun? and not Geliyorsun mu?. Do not take the vowel from the end of the sentence either, or always write mi: the vowel comes only from the word right in front.

Try it yourself

1. Add the question particle: Is this house new?

   Show answer or example answer

   mi

   mi: the last vowel of yeni is i, so the particle is mi; it is written apart and always starts with m.

2. Add the question particle: Is this glass empty?

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   mu

   mu: the last vowel of boş is o, and after o and u the particle has u.

3. Write the particle with its ending: Are you ready?

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   mısın

   mısın: the last vowel of hazır is ı, so mı; the ending -sın (you) goes onto the particle, not onto hazır.

4. Add the question particle: Is this a rose?

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   mü

   mü: the last vowel of gül is ü, so mü; the m never changes and the particle is not joined to the noun.

Use it today

Write four statements about your room or your day, turn each into a question with the right shape of the particle, and check the vowel of the word before it.