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Questions & Answers about Evli misiniz?
Why is misiniz written as a separate word? I thought personal endings attach to the adjective.
In Turkish yes/no questions, the question word (mi) is always written with a space before it. When asking "are you...", the personal suffix (-siniz) attaches directly to the question word, not the adjective. That is why it is Evli misiniz? and never Evlisiniz mi?.
Why is the question word mi here, and not mı or mu?
The question word changes to match the last vowel of the word right before it (4-way vowel harmony). Since the last vowel in evli is "i", the question word must also use "i", making it mi. The attached personal suffix (-siniz) then harmonizes with that "i" as well.
Can I just say Evli misin? instead?
Yes! Evli misin? is the informal, singular way to ask "Are you married?" to one person you know well. Evli misiniz? uses the plural/formal suffix (-siniz). You use it when asking multiple people, or when being polite to one person you do not know well.
Does the word evli come from ev (house)?
Yes, it does! The word ev means "house" or "home", and the suffix -li means "with" or "having". So, literally, evli means "with a house" or "having a home", which is the Turkish way of saying "married".