Breakdown of Salonumda televizyon konsolu ve ses sistemi var.
benim
my
ve
and
var
to have
-da
in
televizyon
television
salon
the living room
konsol
console
ses
sound
sistem
system
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Turkish grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Salonumda televizyon konsolu ve ses sistemi var.
What does salonumda literally consist of?
salonumda = salon (living room) + -um (1 sg. possessive “my”) + -da (locative case “in”). So salonumda means “in my living room.”
Why is var used here instead of a verb like “have”?
In Turkish, possession or existence is expressed with the existential verb var (“there is/are”). When you mark the possessor by putting it in the locative (e.g. salonumda), var conveys “I have … in my living room.” Note that var never takes a personal ending (you don’t say varım).
Why are there no articles (a, the) before televizyon konsolu or ses sistemi?
Turkish has no definite or indefinite articles. Nouns stand bare. Context or case endings (e.g. the accusative) can signal definiteness, but in existential sentences with var, you simply use the unmarked noun.
Why do konsolu and sistemi end with -u and -i?
They are the head nouns of two noun–noun compounds: televizyon konsolu (“TV console”) and ses sistemi (“sound system”). In such compounds, the first noun (modifier) remains in the nominative (televizyon, ses), and the head noun takes the 3 sg. possessive suffix -(s)ı/-(s)i/-(s)u/-(s)ü (here konsol-u, sistem-i). This marking doesn’t mean the TV “owns” the console in real life—it’s just a standard compound pattern.
What case are televizyon konsolu and ses sistemi in?
They are in the nominative (unmarked) case. In existence sentences with var, the thing that exists stays in the nominative.
Why aren’t konsolu and sistemi in the plural?
Because the speaker refers to one TV console and one sound system. If there were multiple, you would pluralize the heads: televizyon konsolları ve ses sistemleri var.
How do I ask “Do you have a TV console and sound system in your living room?”
Say: Salonunda televizyon konsolu ve ses sistemi var mı?
Here salonunda = “in your living room” (salon + -un 2 sg. possessive + -da), and mi is the question particle attached to var.
Can I add benim for emphasis (“my”) or drop -um and say salonda?
– You can say Benim salonumda televizyon konsolu ve ses sistemi var for emphasis or contrast, but it’s redundant because -um already marks “my.”
– If you say salonda, you lose the “my” meaning. salonda televizyon konsolu var simply means “There is a TV console in (the) living room,” without specifying whose.