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Turkish grammar · Level A1

The verb “to be”: öğrenciyim

Turkish has no separate word for “am / is / are”: a suffix at the end of the word does the job. Öğrenci is a student, öğrenciyim — I’m a student; yorgun is tired, yorgunum — I’m tired. “Am not” is the word değil, and “there is / isn’t” is var / yok.

QuizContents
Contents
  1. Personal suffixes
  2. The negative: değil
  3. Questions: mı, mi, mu, mü
  4. There is / isn’t: var and yok
  5. Common mistakes
  6. Quiz
  7. FAQ

Personal suffixes

The suffixes follow the word’s vowel (vowel harmony). After a vowel the 1st person adds y: öğrenciyim, hastayım. The 3rd person singular usually has no suffix: O öğrenci. — He’s a student. (-dır there is formal or means “probably”: Ahmet evdedir.)

Öğrenci (student), doktor (doctor), mutlu (happy)
Personöğrencidoktormutlu
benöğrenciyimdoktorummutluyum
senöğrencisindoktorsunmutlusun
oöğrencidoktormutlu
bizöğrenciyizdoktoruzmutluyuz
sizöğrencisinizdoktorsunuzmutlusunuz
onlaröğrencilerdoktorlarmutlular
  • Ben Ukraynalıyım, Kiev’denim.I’m Ukrainian, I’m from Kyiv.
  • Biz bugün çok yorgunuz.We’re very tired today.

Tip: The pronoun is usually dropped: the suffix already shows the person. Öğretmenim. — I’m a teacher.

The negative: değil

“Am not” is the separate word değil, which takes the same suffixes: değilim, değilsin, değil, değiliz, değilsiniz, değiller. The noun itself stays bare: Ben doktor değilim.

  • Ben Türk değilim, Ukraynalıyım.I’m not Turkish, I’m Ukrainian.
  • Ahmet evde değil.Ahmet isn’t at home.

Questions: mı, mi, mu, mü

Yes/no questions use the particle mı / mi / mu / mü (written separately, its vowel follows harmony). The personal suffix moves onto the particle: Öğrenci misin? Doktor musunuz? Yorgun musun? In the 3rd person it’s just the particle: Ahmet evde mi?

  • Türk müsün? — Hayır, değilim.Are you Turkish? — No, I’m not.
  • Bu otel pahalı mı?Is this hotel expensive?

There is / isn’t: var and yok

Var means “there is”, yok “there isn’t”. Odada televizyon var. — There’s a TV in the room. Su yok. — There’s no water. Question: Wi-Fi var mı? “I have” uses a possessive suffix: Arabam var. — I have a car. Zamanım yok. — I have no time.

  • Yakında eczane var mı?Is there a pharmacy nearby?
  • Maalesef boş oda yok.Sorry, there are no free rooms.

Tip: Don’t mix them up: değil negates “who / what kind” (doktor değil), yok negates existence (doktor yok — there’s no doctor).

Common mistakes

The mistakes people make most often — and the right way.

  • Wrong: Ben öğrenciim.

    Right: Ben öğrenciyim.

    Y goes between two vowels.

  • Wrong: Ben değil doktor.

    Right: Ben doktor değilim.

    Değil comes after the word, with the personal suffix.

  • Wrong: Doktorsun mu?

    Right: Doktor musun?

    The personal suffix goes on the particle.

  • Wrong: Param değil.

    Right: Param yok.

    Existence is negated with yok.

“To be”: öğrenciyim, değil, var

Quiz

10 questions: choose the right option — the explanation appears straight away.

  1. Question 1

    Ben öğrenci_____.

  2. Question 2

    Sen çok mutlu_____.

  3. Question 3

    Biz Ukraynalı_____.

  4. Question 4

    Ben doktor _____.

  5. Question 5

    Ahmet evde _____?

  6. Question 6

    Siz öğretmen _____?

  7. Question 7

    Odada klima _____ mı?

  8. Question 8

    Maalesef zamanım _____.

  9. Question 9

    Onlar Türk _____.

  10. Question 10

    Sen yorgun _____?

Correct: 0 of 10

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FAQ

Didn’t find your answer? Send us a request — we’ll tell you everything.

When do I add -dır / -dir?

Hardly ever in conversation: O doktor. In news, instructions and signs -dır sounds formal (Giriş ücretsizdir. — Admission is free); in speech it means “probably”: Ahmet evdedir. — Ahmet must be at home.

How do I say “I was”?

Add -(y)dı before the person: öğrenci**ydim** — I was a student, evde**ydik** — we were at home, yorgun **değildim** — I wasn’t tired. More in the past tense topic.

Do I need ben, sen?

Yes, but they’re often left out, since the suffix shows the person. Use one for emphasis: **Ben** öğretmenim, o öğrenci. — **I’m** the teacher, he’s a student.

Other topics

All topicsThe 50 most common Turkish wordsTurkish level test

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