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Questions & Answers about Onlar zengin mi?
Why do we use mi here instead of mı or mu?
The question particle follows 4-way vowel harmony based on the last vowel of the word before it. The last vowel in zengin is 'i'. According to the rules, if the last vowel is 'e' or 'i', the particle becomes mi.
Why is mi written with a space before it? Isn't it a suffix?
The yes/no question particle is a bit special! It acts like a suffix because it changes its vowel to match the word before it, but it is always written as a separate word.
Where is the verb "are" in this sentence?
Turkish doesn't use a separate word for "am", "is", or "are" in simple present tense sentences like this. The fact that it's a statement about how things are is simply built into the grammar. Onlar zengin means "They are rich", and adding mi turns it into the question "Are they rich?".
Since Onlar (they) is plural, why isn't there a plural ending on zengin?
In Turkish, if you already have a plural subject word like Onlar, you don't have to add the plural suffix (-ler or -lar) to the adjective. Onlar zengin mi? is perfectly natural and correct.