Questions & Answers about Yeni araba çok pahalı mı?
Why is the question particle mı here instead of mi or mu?
The question particle follows 4-way vowel harmony based on the last vowel of the word right before it. The word pahalı (expensive) ends with the vowel ı. According to the rules, if the last vowel is a or ı, the particle becomes mı.
Why is mı written as a separate word if it follows vowel harmony rules like a suffix?
That is a special rule for the yes/no question particle! Even though it changes its vowel to match the word before it (just like an attached suffix does), it is always written with a space before it.
Where is the word for 'is' in this sentence?
Turkish does not have a direct translation for the verb 'to be' (am/is/are) in simple descriptive sentences like this. The 'is' meaning is naturally built in. Because we are talking about yeni araba (a third-person subject like he/she/it), we do not even need to add a personal ending to mı.
Can I start the sentence with mı to show it is a question, like how we start with 'Is' in English?
No, in Turkish, the question particle mı never goes at the beginning. It usually comes right after the word you are asking about. Here, we want to know if the car is expensive, so mı comes immediately after pahalı.