Learn Hardcore Turkish: Masanın yanında bir tabure daha var; istersen oturabilirsin. - There is another stool by the table; you can sit if you like.

It’s the genitive suffix meaning “of.” Because yan (“side”) is treated like a possessed noun, you say masa-nın = “of the table.” Pattern: noun + genitive + relational noun (with possessive).

How is yanında built, and why not just yanı?

yan-ı = “its side” (3rd person possessive -ı)
Add the locative -da/de to show location: yan-ı-(n)da = “at/by its side.” The buffer -n- appears before some case suffixes after a 3rd-person possessed form. Yanı alone is “its side,” while yanında is “at its side.”

Why do we need Masanın (genitive) before yanında?

Relational nouns like yan (side), üst (top), alt (bottom), ön (front), arka (back) normally take a possessor. So you mark the possessor with genitive: masa-nın yan-ı-nda = “at the table’s side.”

What does var do here?

Var states existence: “there is/are.” It doesn’t conjugate for number or person. Plural or singular doesn’t change var (e.g., iki tabure var, “there are two stools”). The neutral negative is yok.

Could I use vardır instead of var?

Yes, vardır adds formality or emphasis/inference (“there must be/there certainly is”). In everyday speech here, plain var is most natural.

Why does bir tabure daha mean “one more/another stool”?

daha means “more/further/another (of the same kind).”
The pattern bir + NOUN + daha means “one more NOUN.” So bir tabure daha = “one more stool,” “another stool.”

Can I drop bir and say tabure daha var?

You can, but it shifts meaning to “there are more stools” (non-specific amount). Bir pins it to exactly “one more.”

What’s the difference between bir tabure daha and başka bir tabure?

bir tabure daha = “one more stool” (an additional unit of the same kind).
başka bir tabure = “a different/another stool” (emphasizes differentness, not quantity increase). In many contexts they overlap, but the nuance differs.

Could I say daha bir tabure var instead?

It’s possible and can sound slightly more emphatic (“yet one more stool”), but bir tabure daha is the default, most natural order in speech.

Why a semicolon before istersen? Would a comma or period work?

Yes. A comma or a period would also work. The semicolon neatly links two closely related independent clauses. Turkish does not require capitalization after a semicolon; both lowercase (istersən) and uppercase are seen depending on style.

What does istersen literally mean, and how is it formed?

It’s “if you want.” Formation from istemek:

Aorist stem: ister-
Conditional: -se-
2nd singular: -n Result: ister-se-n → istersen. It softens the suggestion: “If you want, …”

How would I make it polite/formal?

Change the person to 2nd-person plural:

İsterseniz oturabilirsiniz. (“If you’d like, you may sit.”) This is standard polite address to a stranger or in formal settings.

What does oturabilirsin express—ability or permission?

Both are possible; here it functions as polite permission: “you may/can sit.” The potential suffix often doubles as a permission marker in Turkish.

How is oturabilirsin built?

From otur- (sit):

Potential: -(y)Abil- → otur-a-bil- (back vowel harmony)
Aorist/present: -ir
2nd singular: -sin Result: otur-a-bil-ir-sin = “you can/may sit.”

Why not just say otur?

Otur! is a direct imperative (“Sit!”), which can be blunt. İstersen oturabilirsin is gentler, offering an option. Other softeners: otursana, buyurun, oturun (polite plural).

Why isn’t there a word for “there” in “there is/are”?

Turkish uses the existential predicate var (and yok for negative) without a “there.” Location, if needed, is expressed with cases/phrases like yanında, but “there” itself isn’t used.

Is tabure the same as sandalye?

No. Tabure = stool (usually backless). Sandalye = chair (with a back). The sentence specifically mentions a stool.

Why is it Masanın and not Masa’nın?

Common nouns don’t take an apostrophe with suffixes. Apostrophes are for proper nouns: Ankara’nın but masanın.