Breakdown of Yanımızda şemsiye var, yağmurda ıslanmıyoruz.
var
to have
şemsiye
the umbrella
ıslanmak
to get wet
yanımızda
with us
Questions & Answers about Yanımızda şemsiye var, yağmurda ıslanmıyoruz.
What does yanımızda literally mean, and how is it built?
It literally means “at/on our side,” and it’s often understood as “with us / on us.”
- yan = side
- -ımız = our (1st person plural possessive)
- -da = in/at/on (locative case) So yan-ımız-da = “at our side.” In context with var, it commonly means “we have (it) with us.”
Why does Turkish use var instead of a verb meaning “to have”?
Turkish expresses possession with an existential structure: “There is/are X at Y.” Here, Yanımızda şemsiye var literally means “There is an umbrella at our side,” i.e., “We have an umbrella with us.” Other examples:
- Bende anahtar var. = I have a key. (lit. There is a key on me.)
- Evde ekmek var. = There is bread at home.
Why is there no bir (“a/an”) before şemsiye? Should I say bir şemsiye?
Turkish has no obligatory articles. Without bir, şemsiye is simply indefinite: “(an) umbrella.” Adding bir can emphasize “one umbrella” or introduce a new item more explicitly:
- Yanımızda şemsiye var. = We have an umbrella (with us).
- Yanımızda bir şemsiye var. = We have one umbrella (with us) / There’s an umbrella (as opposed to none).
Could I say Bizim şemsiyemiz var instead? What’s the difference?