Learn Hardcore Turkish: Yolda iki şerit var. - There are two lanes on the road.

The suffix -da is the locative case, showing location (“on” or “at”). When attached to yol (road), it forms yolda, meaning on the road.

How does var function in Turkish, and why is it needed here?

var is the existential verb equivalent to “there is/are” in English. It indicates existence or presence. In “Yolda iki şerit var,” var tells us two lanes exist on the road. Unlike most Turkish verbs, var only appears in the third person and has no personal endings.

Why isn’t there an article like “a” or “the” before şerit?

Turkish does not use definite or indefinite articles. Instead, number words (like iki, meaning “two”) or other modifiers specify quantity and definiteness. So iki şerit simply means “two lanes,” with no article needed.

Why doesn’t şerit take a plural suffix when it’s preceded by iki?

When a noun is directly quantified by a numeral in Turkish, it remains singular. For example, you say iki araba (“two cars”), not iki arabalar. The numeral itself already marks that you’re talking about more than one.

Why is the verb var placed at the end of the sentence?

Turkish typically follows a Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) order. In existential sentences like this, the locative phrase (yolda) and the quantified noun (iki şerit) come before the verb, which appears at the end.

Can you change the word order in “Yolda iki şerit var”?

Yes. Word order in Turkish is relatively flexible for elements before the verb. You could say İki şerit yolda var or İki şerit var yolda without changing the basic meaning, though emphasis shifts slightly depending on the order.

How do you express different tenses of var, for example “There were two lanes”?

You attach the appropriate tense suffix directly to var. For past you use -dı, giving vardı:
Yolda iki şerit vardı. → “There were two lanes on the road.”
You can also form future (var olacak), conditional (varsa), etc., in the same way.