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

The Missing Verb: "To Have"

In English, you say "I have a car". Turkish has no everyday verb that works like "have". (There is sahip olmak, "to own / possess", but it sounds formal and is not used for everyday possession.) Instead, Turkish uses two small but essential words to express both existence and possession: var and yok.

Expressing "There Is" and "There Are"

At their core, var means "existent / there is" and yok means "non-existent / there isn't".

• Masada elma var. → (On-the-table apple existent) → There is an apple / There are apples on the table.
• Sokakta kedi yok. → (On-the-street cat non-existent) → There are no cats in the street.
• Burada wifi var mı? → Is there wifi here?
• Sorun yok. → No problem. (literally "There's no problem.")

Notice the word order: place (locative -da/-de) + thing + var/yok. The noun usually stays singular, even when English uses a plural.

Expressing "I Have" (Possession)

To say "I have something", Turkish literally says "My [thing] exists." Attach a possessive suffix to the thing, then add var or yok:

• Arabam var. → My car exists → I have a car.
• Zamanım yok. → My time doesn't exist → I don't have time.
• Kardeşin var mı? → Does your sibling exist? → Do you have a brother or sister?
• Bir sorum var. → I have a question.
• Hiç param yok. → I have no money at all.

You can add the possessor in the genitive for emphasis or clarity: Benim iki kedim var (I have two cats), Ali'nin arabası yok (Ali doesn't have a car).

"I Have It With Me": The Locative Version

To say that someone has something on them right now (rather than owns it), Turkish uses the locative on the person:

• Sende kalem var mı? → Do you have a pen (on you)?
• Bende bozuk para yok. → I don't have any change on me.

Asking and Answering

Add the question particle mı (always mı after var, mu after yok):

• Çay var mı? – Var. / Yok, maalesef. (Is there any tea? – Yes, there is. / No, unfortunately.)
• Hiç sorunuz yok mu? – Don't you have any questions?

Short answers are just var or yok — you don't need "evet" or "hayır". In shops and restaurants you'll hear "... var mı?" constantly.

Past Tense with Var and Yok

For "there was" or "I had", attach the past suffix -dı/-tu:

• 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.)
• Bir varmış, bir yokmuş → the traditional opening of fairy tales ("Once upon a time"), using the reported past -mış.

Future and Other Tenses: Use "Olmak"

Var and yok don't take future or most other tense suffixes. For those, Turkish switches to olmak (to be/become):

• Yarın toplantı olacak. → There will be a meeting tomorrow.
• Yarın zamanım olmayacak. → I won't have time tomorrow.
• Keşke bir bahçem olsa. → I wish I had a garden.

Useful Everyday Expressions

• Var mısın? – Are you in? / Are you up for it? (informal challenge)
• Yok artık! – No way! / You're kidding!
• Yok yok. – No, no (it's fine) / It has everything (said of a well-stocked shop: Bu markette yok yok!)
• Bir şey yok. – It's nothing / I'm fine.

Common Mistakes

• Translating "I have" with sahip olmak in casual speech: Bir arabaya sahibim sounds stiff — say Bir arabam var.
• Forgetting the possessive suffix: Araba var means "There is a car", not "I have a car".
• Saying değil instead of yok: değil negates "to be" (Ev büyük değil, the house isn't big); yok negates existence (Evde kimse yok, nobody's at home).

Check Your Understanding

Mastering var and yok will instantly improve your everyday conversations. Study the existential sentences lesson, then practise asking for things in our Conversation Factory.