Questions & Answers about İşte kim var?
Why is the suffix -te instead of -de for "at work"?
The word for work is iş. The suffix for "at/in/on" is usually -da or -de. However, because iş ends in a hard, voiceless consonant (ş), the d in the suffix changes to a t to make it easier to pronounce. This is called consonant assimilation. So, iş + -de becomes işte.
Why do we use var to ask "Who is at work"?
In English, you use the verb "is". In Turkish, when asking who is physically present or located somewhere, it is more natural to use var (there is / exists). So, İşte kim var? literally translates to "At work, who is there?".
I learned that işte means "here it is" or "voila". Is that the same word?
Could I change the word order and say Kim işte var?
It is much more natural to say İşte kim var?. In Turkish, the most important information—which is usually the question word like kim (who)—is placed right before the verb. Since var acts as the verb here, placing kim right before it gives you the most natural word order.
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