Var and Yok: Expressing Presence and Absence in Turkish

Var — there is / there are / exists
Yok — there is no / there are no / does not exist

Questions

Çay var mı? — Is there tea?
Kitap var mı? — Is there a book?

Çay yok mu? — Isn’t there tea?
Kitap yok mu? — Isn’t there a book?

Affirmative sentences

Evde çay var. — There is tea at home.

Masada kitap var. — There is a book on the table.

Negative sentences

Evde çay yok. — There is no tea at home.

Masada kitap yok. — There is no book on the table.

Common pattern

In Turkish, var / yok are often used together with a location.

Evde kedi var. — There is a cat in the house.
Bahçede köpek yok. — There is no dog in the yard.