Masada altı belge var.

Because Turkish adds a location suffix to show where something is.

• masa = table
• masa-da = on the table / at the table

The suffix here is -da / -de / -ta / -te, often called the locative suffix.

So masada literally means in/on/at the table, depending on context. In this sentence, it is understood as on the table.

This is due to vowel harmony.

The last vowel in masa is a, which is a back vowel, so the locative suffix takes the back-vowel form:

• -da or -ta, not -de or -te

So:

• masa → masada

If the noun had a front vowel as its last vowel, you would usually get -de instead.

Examples:

• ev → evde = at home / in the house
• şehir → şehirde = in the city

The locative suffix has four forms:

• -da
• -de
• -ta
• -te

Which one you use depends partly on the last consonant of the noun.

If the noun ends in a voiceless consonant such as p, ç, t, k, f, h, s, ş, the suffix usually begins with t:

• kitap → kitapta
• ağaç → ağaçta

But masa ends in a vowel, so there is no devoicing, and you use d:

• masa → masada

Var means there is / there are / exists / exist.

In Masada altı belge var, var tells you that something exists in that location.

So the structure is roughly:

• Masada = on the table
• altı belge = six documents
• var = there are

Together: There are six documents on the table.

Turkish uses var very often for existence and possession.

Because Turkish does not build this kind of sentence the same way English does.

English says:

• There are six documents on the table.

Turkish instead uses a structure more like:

• On the table six documents exist.

That is why var is enough. It covers the idea of there is / there are without needing a separate word for there.

Because in Turkish, after a number, the noun normally stays singular, not plural.

So:

• bir belge = one document
• iki belge = two documents
• altı belge = six documents

Not:

• altı belgeler

This is a very important pattern in Turkish. English uses plural after numbers, but Turkish usually does not.

Not always. Altı can also mean its underside / the bottom of it / under it in other contexts, because it can come from alt = lower part, bottom.

But in this sentence, altı clearly means six, because it comes directly before a noun:

• altı belge = six documents

That is the normal pattern for numbers in Turkish.

So here there is no real ambiguity.

Because belge here is part of an indefinite existential expression: altı belge var = there are six documents.

It is just the bare noun:

• belge = document

Turkish often leaves nouns unmarked in this kind of sentence, especially when introducing something as existing somewhere.

There is no article like a or the here, because Turkish does not have articles in the same way English does.

Turkish does not have a word exactly equivalent to English the.

Whether something is understood as definite or indefinite usually comes from:

• context
• word order
• case marking
• whether it is a known or newly introduced item

In Masada altı belge var, the phrase sounds indefinite and descriptive: it is simply stating that six documents are present on the table.

Not completely. Turkish word order is flexible, but some orders are more natural than others.

The sentence:

• Masada altı belge var

is a very natural way to say:

• There are six documents on the table.

A common pattern for existential sentences is:

• location + noun phrase + var/yok

So:

• Masada = on the table
• altı belge = six documents
• var = there are

You may see other orders for emphasis, but this version is the standard, neutral one.

Yes. The locative suffix -da is broad and can mean in, on, at depending on context.

So masada can mean:

• on the table
• at the table

In this sentence, because the thing on the table is documents, the natural English meaning is on the table.

If you were talking about people, masada might often be better translated as at the table.

You replace var with yok.

So:

• Masada altı belge var. = There are six documents on the table.
• Masada altı belge yok. = There are not six documents on the table. / There are no six documents on the table.

More naturally, if you wanted to say There are no documents on the table, you would say:

• Masada belge yok.

So var = exists / there is
and yok = does not exist / there is not

A simple pronunciation guide is:

• ma-sa-da al-tuh bel-ge var

A few notes:

• a is usually like the a in father
• ı is a special Turkish vowel: a close, unrounded vowel, somewhat like a relaxed vowel in the second syllable of sofa, but it is best learned by listening
• g in belge is a normal hard g
• stress in Turkish often falls toward the end, but in everyday speech sentence rhythm matters more than trying to force English-style stress

A rough approximation:

• mah-sah-DAH AHL-tuh BEL-geh var

Word by word, it is:

• masa-da = on the table
• altı = six
• belge = document
• var = there is/are, exists

So the literal sense is:

• On the table, six documents exist.

Natural English:

• There are six documents on the table.