shirleyanntr

todays word is Mİ?
Being able to ask questions in Turkish is a must..and there are a few ways of doing this.You can use words like
Nasıl..how?
Nerede..Where?...
Ne zamman..when?
Kim..who?.. kimin? whose
Neden Niçin Niye....all used for why?
Hangi..which...hangisi..which one.
if your question uses a question word like those above..then Mİ is not used.

For questions that require either a yes or no answer the particle Mİ is used
Mİ is used both in verbal and non verbal sentences
Mi is a stand alone word..its not a suffix but even so the harmony follows the last vowel of the word it follows.
There are four harmony related versions...two dotted ..two undotted.
Mİ after last vowel E or İ
MÜ after Ö or Ü
MI after A or I
MU after O or U

But when you are still learning to listen and to ask then don't worry too much about the right one..a definite M sound will be understood...when you gain confidence then you can get the harmony sound right.

İf you hear M (İ-Ü-I-U).. after a word then you know you have been asked a question that needs a yes or a no reply...that sounds a bit daft BUT half the problems we have when learning is not understanding replies or questions aimed at us...and then panic sets in.

By listening carefully you will be able to identify Mİ
You've heard it already when people ask how are you ..they start off with the ubiquitous nasılsınız..then follow up with...
İyi Mİsiniz?'..
good are you?

Mi in grammar books is called the interrogative particle.
although its a stand alone word Mİ often has personal pronouns tagged on behind..

Lets look at the different ways you use it.

'Bu çanta senin mi?'
İs this bag yours.?
Bu..this (a demonstrative pronoun)
Çanta.. bag....say it chanta
senİN....yours
Hayır O benim değil...say it dey--eel
no its not mine.

Bu Sandra'nın kalem mi?
is this Sandra's pen?
Evet Sandra'NIN
Yes its Sandra's
Sandra+NIN..nın is the equivalent of apostrophe 'S..showing possession
Sandra's pen...or the pen of Sandra.....it shows possession or ownership

Araba Yusuf'ın mı?
İs the car Yusuf's
Yusuf'IN..the word ends in a consonant..so the suffix doesnt need the buffer N
Sandra'NIN..the word ends in a vowel..so the suffix needs the buffer N

'Bu kalem oNUN MU?'..O+NUN..O.. he/she/it...o+nun..his/hers/its
this pen hers is it?...is this pen hers?
Hayır.Onun değil..O benİM.
No its not hers..its mine

Bu bardak sizin mi?
is this glass yours?
Evet benim.
yes its mine.
hayır benım değil
no its not mine.

Taze süt var mı?
is there fresh milk?
Hayır taze süt yok..uzun ömürlü var
No there is no fresh milk ..there is long-life.

here are some examples also using the suffix ..Lİ-LÜ ..LI..LU
this suffix is used when people ask 'where are you from.?'.
NereLİ ?...or nereLİsiniz?..ner e lee..see.neez
and used to say where you are from..like this

John BodrumLU MU?
is John from Bodrum?
Hayır O BodrumLU Degil..O AntalyaLI
No he is not from Bodrum..he is from Antalya.

Mİ can also move around in the sentence..it follows the word in question.

here's some examples.
Şu bardak senin Mİ ? Ebru'nun MI?
İs that glass yours or Ebru's
Benim değil Ebru'nun

Yusuf Bey Hataylı MI? , Bodrumlu MU?
İs Mr.Yusuf from Hatay or from Bodrum.
O Hataylı
He is from Hatay
putting Bey like this after a first name is polite.

Çay MI ? nescafe Mİ?
do you want tea? or coffee?
Evet. ben çay istiyorum

Tarkan şarkacı MI?...say it shark uh ju
is Tarkan a singer?
Evet O şarkacı
yes he is a singer.

Tarkan MI şarkıcı?
İs it Tarkan that's the singer.
Bilmiyorum..galiba
İ don't know..probably.

to express 'isn't it'.. for confirmation or agreement ..you use değil mi? is it not?..as we would say
its cold isnt it?...Soğuk değil mi?

Bu kitap senin değil Mİ?
this book is yours isn't it?
evet o benim.
yes its mine.

here are some examples using verbs...

Sen gittin Mİ?..did you go? past tense
sen gidiyor MUsun?..are you going? present tense
sen gidecek Mİsin...will you go? future tense

anladın MI...did you understand?
anlıyor MUsun..are you understanding?

in the past tense (and two other tenses) the pronouns are with the verb and Mİ comes afterwards
in all other tenses the Mİ +pronouns are together...

hope that's ok..