Questions & Answers about Bu kısa kitap kolay mı?
Why is the question word mı and not mi?
The question particle follows 4-way vowel harmony based on the last vowel of the word right before it. The last vowel in kolay is a. According to vowel harmony rules, if the preceding vowel is a or ı, the particle becomes mı.
Why is mı written as a separate word instead of being attached to kolay?
Even though the question particle follows vowel harmony rules as if it were an attached suffix, it is always written with a space before it. It is a special particle that matches the vowel sound of the previous word but stays separate in writing.
There is no verb for "is" in this sentence. How do we know it means "Is this..."?
In Turkish, the present tense for "is" or "are" in the "he/she/it" form is usually just understood from the context and does not need a written word. Placing the question particle mı after the adjective kolay automatically turns the basic statement into a question.
Could we put mı right after kitap instead of at the end?
You place the question particle immediately after the exact word you want to question. If you said Bu kısa kitap mı kolay?, the focus shifts to ask "Is it this short book that is easy?" instead of another book. Because it is after kolay, the sentence specifically asks whether or not the book is easy.