Learn Turkish: O çocuk tok mu? - Is that child full?

O çocuk tok mu?

Is that child full?

Breakdown of O çocuk tok mu?

question particle (mı/mi/mu/mü)

Questions & Answers about O çocuk tok mu?

Why is the question word mu instead of mi or mı?

In Turkish, the yes/no question particle changes to match the last vowel of the word right before it. This rule is called 4-way vowel harmony. Because the only vowel in the word tok is 'o', the question particle must become mu.

Where is the word for 'is', and why aren't there any personal endings attached to mu?

Turkish doesn't have a standalone word for 'is' (like 'am', 'is', or 'are'). Instead, it uses endings (suffixes) on the final word. However, for the third-person singular (meaning 'he', 'she', 'it', or 'that child'), the 'to be' suffix is completely invisible! Because of this, mu just stays as mu and doesn't need any extra personal endings added to it.

Can I use tok to say a glass or a room is full?

No. The word tok strictly means 'full' in the sense of 'having a full stomach' or 'no longer hungry'. If you want to say a container, a glass, or a room is full of things, you must use a completely different word: dolu.

What is the exact role of O at the beginning of the sentence?

Here, O means 'that', pointing out which specific child we are talking about. While o can also mean 'he', 'she', or 'it' when used on its own as a pronoun, placing it directly before a noun like çocuk (child) turns it into a pointing word, so it translates to 'that child'.