The question is a separate word, mi
To ask a yes-or-no question you move nothing at all. A small word joins the end — mı, mi, mu or mü — and its vowel copies the last vowel before it. For example: “Buradan uzak mı?” — Is it far from here?. A rule from the Turkish course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
To ask a yes-or-no question you move nothing at all. A small word joins the end — mı, mi, mu or mü — and its vowel copies the last vowel before it.
It is written apart and pronounced fused, and it stands right after whatever you are asking about.
Buradan uzak is it is far from here. Buradan uzak mı? is is it far from here?
The trap is the person ending: on a verb it moves onto this little word. Hence Kahve ister misin? and Türkçe biliyor musunuz?, never istersin mi.
Table
| the statement | the question | what moved |
|---|---|---|
| Su var | Su var mı? | mı joined the end |
| Kahve istersin | Kahve ister misin? | the person ending moved onto mi |
| Türkçe biliyorsunuz | Türkçe biliyor musunuz? | the same move onto mu |
By example
- Buradan uzak mı?Is it far from here?
- Türkçe biliyor musunuz?Do you know Turkish?
- Kahve ister misin?Do you want coffee?
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
The question is a separate word, mi: how does it work in Turkish?
To ask a yes-or-no question you move nothing at all. A small word joins the end — mı, mi, mu or mü — and its vowel copies the last vowel before it.
What does it look like in an example sentence Turkish?
“Buradan uzak mı?” — Is it far from here?. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.