ELONIO

Factual copula (-dır / -dir)

In conversational Turkish, the third-person "to be" (is/are) is often implied without any suffix (for example, Bu ev büyük means "This house is big"). However, to state a universal truth, an encyclopedic fact, or an official rule, you add the factual copula suffix -DIr.

This suffix indicates an objective fact and is heavily used in news broadcasts, textbooks, and formal presentations.

Four-Way Vowel Harmony

The factual copula follows four-way vowel harmony:

  • -dır (after a, ı)
  • -dir (after e, i)
  • -dur (after o, u)
  • -dür (after ö, ü)
The official language is Turkish.
Resmî dil Türkçedir.
The Earth is a large planet.
Dünya, büyük bir gezegendir.
The sun is a large star.
Güneş, büyük bir yıldızdır.

Consonant Mutation

If the word ends in a voiceless consonant (f, s, t, k, ç, ş, h, p), the d hardens into a t, creating -tır, -tir, -tur, and -tür.

While the north is cold, the south is always hot.
Kuzey soğukken, güney her zaman sıcaktır.
The weather is coldest before the sun rises.
Güneş doğmadan önce hava en soğuktur.

Stating General Existence (Vardır)

You already know that var means "there is" or "there are". By attaching the factual suffix, we create vardır.

While var points out something present at a specific moment, vardır is used to state that something exists as a matter of universal or geographical fact.

There are high mountains in the east of the country.
Ülkenin doğusunda yüksek dağlar vardır.
There are wild animals in the forest.
Ormanda vahşi hayvanlar vardır.
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