……
Breakdown of Sinemanın önünde uzun sıra var.
sinema
the cinema
uzun
long
var
to exist
-de
in
-ın
of
ön
the front
sıra
the line
Questions & Answers about Sinemanın önünde uzun sıra var.
Why does Sinemanın have the suffix -nın? What case is that?
It’s the genitive case suffix. sinema + -nın = Sinemanın. We use the genitive on the possessor (“cinema”) because the thing it “owns” (önde, front) also needs to agree with it.
Why is önünde one word and what are its components?
It breaks down into three parts:
• ön = front
• -ü = third-person possessive suffix (“its”)
• -nde = locative case suffix (“at/in/on”)
Combined, ön+ü+nde = “at its front,” i.e. in front of it.
What role does var play in this sentence?
var means “there is/are.” It’s the existential verb in Turkish, used to state that something exists (here, a long queue).
Why isn’t there an explicit article like bir before uzun sıra?
Turkish often omits bir (“a/an”) in existential sentences. You can say uzun bir sıra var to mean “there is a long queue,” but uzun sıra var is equally correct and more concise.
Could the word order be different, for example Uzun sıra sinemanın önünde var?
While grammatically possible, it’s unusual. Existential sentences typically follow [location] + [what exists] + var, so placing Sinemanın önünde first sounds more natural.
What is the difference between önünde and önüne?
• önünde = locative case (“in front of”) – indicates where something is.
• önüne = dative case (“to the front of”) – indicates movement toward.
Since we’re talking about location, we use önünde.
Can you drop the genitive and possessive suffixes and just say Sinema önünde uzun sıra var?
Yes. In colloquial Turkish (and especially in headlines), you often hear Sinema önünde uzun sıra var. Dropping -nın and -ü is acceptable in speech, though the fully inflected form is more precise.
Could we use vardır instead of var, and is there any nuance?
vardır is a more formal or emphatic version of var, sometimes implying “I assume it exists” or “it’s bound to be there.” For straightforward statements of existence, var is preferred.
More from this lesson
AI Language TutorTry it ↗
“What's the best way to learn Turkish grammar?”
Turkish grammar becomes intuitive with practice. Focus on understanding the core patterns first — how sentences are structured, how verbs change form, and how words relate to each other. Our course breaks these concepts into small lessons so you can build understanding step by step.
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning TurkishMaster Turkish — from Sinemanın önünde uzun sıra var to fluency
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods.
- ✓ Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
- ✓ Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
- ✓ Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
- ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions