Learn Turkish: Araban var mı? - Do you have a car?

Turkish does not have a direct verb for 'to have'. Instead, it expresses possession by combining a possessive suffix with the word var, which means 'existent' or 'there is'. Literally, this sentence asks 'Is your car existent?'.

How do we know this means 'Do you have' and not 'Does he have'?

The secret is the -n attached to the end of araba (car). This is the possessive suffix for 'your' (informal singular). Together, araban means 'your car'. If you wanted to ask if he or she has a car, you would use a different suffix and ask Arabası var mı?.

Why use mı instead of mi or mu for the question word?

The question particle changes its vowel to match the last vowel of the word right before it, following a rule called vowel harmony. Since the word var contains an 'a', the question particle must use the undotted 'ı' to become mı.

Can I drop the -n and just ask Araba var mı?

You can, but it changes the meaning! Without the 'your' ending, Araba var mı? simply asks 'Is there a car?' or 'Are there cars?' rather than asking if you specifically own one.