Lesson 3. Vowel harmony: -lar / -ler and mı / mi / mu / mü

Where English often uses a separate word, like “in” or “my”, Turkish adds an ending to the word. The vowel of an ending matches the word. This is vowel harmony, the law of every ending in the course. Vowels split by two features (see the table): back vowels a, ı, o, u and front vowels e, i, ö, ü (the tongue is further back or further forward); the lips are rounded for o, u, ö, ü. The ending -lar / -ler makes the plural, where English adds -s: kitaplar — books, evler — houses. After a back vowel use -lar, after a front vowel -ler: kız → kızlar, göz → gözler. Look at the LAST vowel of the word, not the first: in kitap the last one is a, so kitaplar. The ending is added whole: okul + lar = okullar, two l's. Common mistakes: • NOT kitapler — the last vowel is a: kitaplar. • NOT okular — okullar: the l of the word and the l of the ending.

The short word mı turns a sentence into a yes/no question. Bu means “this”: Bu ev mi? — “Is this a house?” You'll learn how questions work in module 1; for now, what matters is how this word matches the word before it. There are four forms: mı, mi, mu, mü. Choose by the last vowel of the word: whether it is back or front, and what the lips do (see the table): Bu kız mı? Bu ev mi? Bu okul mu? Bu göz mü? It is written as a separate word, after a space: kitap mı. What the checker sees. It tells -lar from -ler. In the question, it tells mı and mi apart from mu and mü, but it doesn't see the dots: mı and mi, mu and mü are the same to it. So the exact form is checked by choice. And writing it joined to the word is a mistake. Common mistakes: • NOT kitap mi — the last vowel is a: kitap mı. • NOT evmi — write it as a separate word: ev mi.