I can talk about my family — “I have an older sister and two uncles” — Bir ablam ve iki amcam var — and ask “Do you have any brothers or sisters?” — Kardeşin var mı?
I have: … var, … yok
I have: … var, … yok
Why: to say who and what you have, and to talk about your family.
Turkish has no verb “have”. It says “my car exists”: a word with the possessive ending + var: Benim arabam var. “Don't have” is yok: Arabam yok. You can leave out benim.
Question: Araban var mı? — Evet, var. / Hayır, yok.
“How many?”: Kaç kedin var? — Üç kedim var (after a number, no -lar).
Who is who:
• kardeş is a brother or sister, usually younger; abla and ağabey (abi in everyday speech) are only older;
• amca and hala are your father's brother and sister, dayı and teyze your mother's brother and sister (see the table): English “uncle” and “aunt” don't say which side;
• you also use these words for older neighbors, after the first name and with a small letter: Fatma teyze, Hasan amca.
In three words of the lesson the stem changes: oğul → oğlu, oğlum (the vowel drops out); genç → gencim “I'm young” (ç → c); bebek → bebeği (k → ğ, as in the last lesson).
Watch out: hala is an aunt, but hâlâ with the ^ mark means “still”.
Common mistakes:
• NOT “Ben araba var” → Benim arabam var.
Who has what
“I have” = the word with a possessive ending + var; “don't have” — yok; a question — the particle mı.
| Who has it | There is | There isn't | Is there? |
|---|---|---|---|
| benim | evim var | evim yok | evim var mı? |
| senin | evin var | evin yok | evin var mı? |
| onun | evi var | evi yok | evi var mı? |
| bizim | evimiz var | evimiz yok | evimiz var mı? |
| sizin | eviniz var | eviniz yok | eviniz var mı? |
| onların | evleri var | evleri yok | evleri var mı? |
Relatives on the father's side and the mother's side
For uncle, aunt, and grandmother, each side has its own word.
| Who | On the father's side | On the mother's side |
|---|---|---|
| uncle | amca | dayı |
| aunt | hala | teyze |
| grandmother | babaanne | anneanne |
Lesson notes
I have: … var, … yok
Why: to say who and what you have, and to talk about your family.
Turkish has no verb “have”. It says “my car exists”: a word with the possessive ending + var: Benim arabam var. “Don't have” is yok: Arabam yok. You can leave out benim.
Question: Araban var mı? — Evet, var. / Hayır, yok.
“How many?”: Kaç kedin var? — Üç kedim var (after a number, no -lar).
Who is who:
• kardeş is a brother or sister, usually younger; abla and ağabey (abi in everyday speech) are only older;
• amca and hala are your father's brother and sister, dayı and teyze your mother's brother and sister (see the table): English “uncle” and “aunt” don't say which side;
• you also use these words for older neighbors, after the first name and with a small letter: Fatma teyze, Hasan amca.
In three words of the lesson the stem changes: oğul → oğlu, oğlum (the vowel drops out); genç → gencim “I'm young” (ç → c); bebek → bebeği (k → ğ, as in the last lesson).
Watch out: hala is an aunt, but hâlâ with the ^ mark means “still”.
Common mistakes:
• NOT “Ben araba var” → Benim arabam var.