Var vs. Yok: How to Express "There Is" and "To Have" in Turkish

The Missing Verb: "To Have"

In English, if you want to say you own something, you use the verb "have" (I have a car). In Turkish, this verb simply does not exist. Instead, Turkish relies on two fundamental words to express both existence and possession: Var and Yok.

Expressing "There Is" and "There Are"

At their core, var means "existent" and yok means "non-existent."

• Masada elma var. → (On the table apple existent) → There is an apple on the table.
• Sokakta kedi yok. → (On the street cat non-existent) → There is no cat on the street.

Notice how we use the Locative Case (-da/-de meaning "in/on/at") combined with var/yok to describe where things are.

Expressing "I Have" (Possession)

To say "I have something," Turkish phrasing translates literally to: "My [object] is existent."

To do this, you must attach a possessive suffix to the object, followed by var or yok.

• Araba-m var. → My car is existent → I have a car.
• Zaman-ım yok. → My time is non-existent → I don't have time.
• Kardeş-in var mı? → Is your sibling existent? → Do you have a sibling?

Past Tense with Var and Yok

If you want to say "I had" or "There was," you attach the past tense auxiliary suffix -dı/-di.

• Vardı (There was / I had) → Dün çok işim vardı. (I had a lot of work yesterday.)
• Yoktu (There wasn't / I didn't have) → Evde kahve yoktu. (There was no coffee at home.)

Check Your Understanding

Mastering var and yok will instantly elevate your daily conversation skills. Jump into our Conversation Factory to practice ordering food and asking about availability using these crucial words.