Var and yok in Turkish: saying "there is" and "I have"

To say that something is or is not somewhere, Turkish needs only two words: var (there is) and yok (there is not). These words are not conjugated like verbs and do not change with the person. The same words also express possession: Arabam var. (I have a car.) In this article I cover the two basic sentence types with var and yok, their question and past forms, and the mistakes learners make most often.

1. There is something somewhere

When you say where something is, the order is: place + -da / -de + noun + var / yok.

Place	What?	var / yok	Sentence
masa-da	kitap	var	Masada kitap var. (There is a book on the table.)
ev-de	ekmek	yok	Evde ekmek yok. (There is no bread at home.)
sınıf-ta	öğrenci	var	Sınıfta öğrenci var. (There are students in the classroom.)
şehir-de	metro	yok	Şehirde metro yok. (There is no metro in the city.)

The word for the place takes the locative suffix: masada, evde, sınıfta. I explain this suffix in detail in the locative case lesson.

2. Someone has something

To express possession, the thing you have takes a possessive suffix: (benim) araba-m var. (I have a car.)

Person	Example
(benim) my	arabam var (I have a car)
(senin) your	araban var (you have a car)
(onun) his/her	arabası var (he/she has a car)
(bizim) our	arabamız var (we have a car)
(sizin) your	arabanız var (you have a car, plural/polite)
(onların) their	arabaları var (they have a car / cars)

The words in brackets are usually left out, because the possessive suffix already shows the person: Arabam var. Kardeşin var mı? (Do you have a brother or sister?)

Compare the two sentences:

• Benim kalemim yok. (I don’t have a pen at all.)
• Bende kalem yok. (I don’t have a pen on me right now.)

The first sentence is about possession, the second about the situation at that moment.

3. Questions and answers

The question particle mı is written separately: var mı?, yok mu?

• Evde süt var mı? (Is there any milk at home?) Evet, var. / Hayır, yok.
• Kardeşin var mı? (Do you have a brother or sister?) Var, bir ablam var. (Yes, I have an older sister.)

Short answers are natural in Turkish: saying just var or yok is enough.

4. In the past: vardı, yoktu

The past tense suffix goes directly on var and yok:

• Dün akşam evde misafir vardı. (There were guests at home last night.)
• Toplantıda kimse yoktu. (There was nobody at the meeting.)

5. Yok or değil?

These two negatives are often confused:

• Öğretmen yok. (There is no teacher here.)
• O, öğretmen değil. (He/She is not a teacher.)

“Yok” says that something is not there; “değil” says that something is not that thing. More in the değil article.

6. Var and yok in everyday speech

Expression	When do you say it?
Sorun yok. (No problem.)	When saying that something does not matter, that everything is fine
Bir şey yok. (It’s nothing.)	When answering “What happened?” with “nothing serious”
Kimse yok mu? (Is anybody here?)	When you enter a place and see no one
Var ol! (Bless you! Well done!)	When thanking or praising someone (informal)

7. Common mistakes

Wrong	Right	Why
Benim araba var.	Benim arabam var.	The thing you have takes a possessive suffix.
Masa kitap var.	Masada kitap var.	The word for the place takes -da / -de.
Evde ekmek değil.	Evde ekmek yok.	“Not being there” is said with “yok”.
Varmı?	Var mı?	The question particle is written separately.
Ben arabam var.	(Benim) arabam var.	Possession uses “benim”, not “ben”.

Test yourself

5 questions

1. 01"Buzdolabında süt ___." (There is no milk in the fridge.)

   değilyokvar değil

   Answer:yok. "Yok" says that something is not there.

2. 02"Benim iki ___ var." (I have two siblings; kardeş)

   kardeşkardeşimkardeşler

   Answer:kardeşim. The thing you have takes a possessive suffix; there is no plural after a number.

3. 03Which one is correct?

   Parkta çocuklar var mı?Parkta çocuklar varmı?Park çocuklar var mı?

   Answer:Parkta çocuklar var mı?. The question particle is written separately, and the place takes -da.

4. 04Which sentence means "I don't have a pen on me right now"?

   Benim kalemim yok.Bende kalem yok.Kalem değilim.

   Answer:Bende kalem yok.. "Bende" describes the situation at that moment.

5. 05"Dün sınıfta kimse ___." (past)

   yokyoktuyokdu

   Answer:yoktu. The past tense suffix goes directly on "yok": yoktu.

Next step

Possession sentences with var and yok rely on the possessive suffixes; you can find them in the grammar guide. If you have a question, ask me.