Learn Hardcore Turkish: Sınıfta yaklaşık otuz öğrenci var. - There are approximately thirty students in the classroom.

Var is the existential predicate meaning “there is/are.” Turkish doesn’t use a separate verb “to be” for this; var itself completes the sentence: “In the classroom, there are …” It also functions for possession: Benim kitabım var = “I have a book.”

Why is it sınıfta and not sınıfda?

It’s the locative case suffix -DA/DE (“in/at/on”). Two rules apply:

Consonant assimilation: after a voiceless consonant (p, ç, t, k, f, h, s, ş), -d- becomes -t- → -TA/TE. Since sınıf ends with f (voiceless), you get -ta.
Vowel harmony: the last vowel of sınıf is ı (a back vowel), so the suffix uses a, not e → sınıfta.

Why is öğrenci singular after the number otuz?

After numbers, Turkish uses the singular form of the noun: otuz öğrenci (“thirty student” literally). The number already conveys plurality, so you don’t add -ler/-lar.

Could I say öğrenciler var instead of öğrenci var?

Sınıfta öğrenci var = “There are students in the classroom” (indefinite existence).
Sınıfta öğrenciler var tends to imply a specific/known group (“the students are (indeed) there”) or contrasts with an expectation. For neutral “there are (some) students,” prefer the singular noun with var.
If you mean “The students are in the classroom,” use a normal subject–predicate sentence without var: Öğrenciler sınıfta.

Can I change the word order?

Yes, Turkish allows reordering for focus, but the neutral existential pattern is [Place] + [Thing] + var:

Neutral: Sınıfta yaklaşık otuz öğrenci var.
Focusing the quantity: Yaklaşık otuz öğrenci var sınıfta. (emphasizes how many)
Focusing the location: Yaklaşık otuz öğrenci sınıfta var. (less common; can sound marked)
Keep var toward the end for the most natural feel.

How do I negate this sentence?

Use yok, the negative counterpart of var:

Sınıfta öğrenci yok. = “There are no students in the classroom.” If you want to negate a specific number, you might say Sınıfta otuz öğrenci yok (“There aren’t thirty students in the classroom”), but this is used only in contexts where the number is being discussed/denied.

How do I make a yes–no question?

Add the question particle to var:

Sınıfta yaklaşık otuz öğrenci var mı?
Note: the particle is written separate and harmonizes with the preceding word: mı/mi/mu/mü. With var, it’s mı.

How do I ask “How many students are there in the classroom?”

Use kaç:

Sınıfta kaç öğrenci var?

Are there alternatives to yaklaşık for “about/approximately”?

Yes:

otuz kadar öğrenci (about thirty students)
otuz civarında öğrenci (around thirty)
aşağı yukarı otuz / takriben otuz / hemen hemen otuz (more formal/literary: approximately)
Be careful: neredeyse otuz = “nearly/almost thirty” (closer to 30 but not quite), not a general “about.”

Can I add tane after the number? (e.g., otuz tane öğrenci)

You can: otuz tane öğrenci is common in speech and emphasizes countability. It’s a bit more informal; for students, many speakers prefer the plain otuz öğrenci in careful or written style.

Pronunciation tips for tricky letters?

ı (dotless i): a back, unrounded vowel; think a relaxed “uh.” In sınıfta: sı-nıf-ta.
ö: like German ö or French eu in “bleu.”
ğ (yumuşak g): lengthens the preceding vowel; it’s not a hard g. In öğrenci, the ö is lengthened: “öö-renci.”
c: like English “j” in “jam.” So öğrenci ≈ “öörenci.”

Where is the stress?

Turkish generally stresses the last syllable of words:

sınıftá, yaklaşı́k, öğrencí. In the full sentence, the intonation typically falls at var, which carries the existential assertion.

When would I drop var and just say something like Öğrenciler sınıfta?

Use var for existential “there is/are” statements.
Omit var when making a plain locative statement about a definite subject:
- Öğrenciler sınıfta. = “The students are in the classroom.”
- Sınıf boş. = “The classroom is empty.” (adjective predicate)

Can I use more formal alternatives to var?

Yes, especially in reports/announcements:

Sınıfta yaklaşık otuz öğrenci bulunuyor. (“is/are found,” formal)
Sınıfta yaklaşık otuz öğrenci mevcut. (“is/are present/available,” formal) These sound more official than everyday var.

How do I talk about past or other modalities?

Past: vardı — Sınıfta yaklaşık otuz öğrenci vardı. (“There were …”)
Reported/hearsay: varmış — … varmış.
Negative past: yoktu; reported negative: yokmuş.
Future: Prefer olacak with the noun phrase — Sınıfta yaklaşık otuz öğrenci olacak (“There will be about thirty students in the classroom”).

What’s the morphological breakdown of the sentence?

sınıf-ta: sınıf (class) + locative -ta (“in the class”)
yaklaş-ık: yaklaş- (to approach) + -ık (forming an adjective: “approximate/approximately”)
otuz: thirty
öğren-ci: öğren- (to learn) + -ci (agent suffix: “learner” → “student”)
var: exists/there is-are