Learn Turkish: Rafta birkaç kitap var. - There are a few books on the shelf.

Kaç means 'how many'. When you combine it with bir (one), it forms birkaç. Instead of asking a question, birkaç becomes a quantity word meaning 'a few' or 'several'.

Since birkaç means 'a few', why isn't the word for book plural (kitaplar)?

In Turkish, nouns always stay in their singular form when they come after a number or a quantity word like birkaç. So, you must say birkaç kitap instead of birkaç kitaplar.

Why does the word rafta use -ta instead of the usual -da for 'on'?

The locative suffix (meaning in, on, or at) is normally -da or -de. However, because raf (shelf) ends in a voiceless consonant ('f'), the 'd' hardens into a 't' to make pronunciation easier. This makes it -ta.

Does var mean 'there is' or 'there are' here?

It can mean either! Var simply means something exists. Because we are talking about multiple books, it translates naturally to 'there are' in English, even though the Turkish noun remains singular.