-mı/-mi/-mu/-mü (ismi xəbər)

Nominal Yes No Question Marker

Level 1

The suffix -mı/-mi/-mu/-mü turns a statement into a question. Unlike in Turkish, it is attached directly to the end of the word (after personal endings) and is used in everyday speech and writing.

How It Works

The nominal question marker is a normal part of everyday Azerbaijani, in speech and in writing. Rising tone can also mark a question, but the suffix is very common.

1. Morphological Rules:
The marker is a suffix and must be attached directly to the word without a space, distinguishing it from the Turkish 'mı' particle. It follows 4-way vowel harmony based on the vowel of the immediately preceding syllable (usually the copula or personal ending):

  • -mı: after a, ı (e.g., hazırdırmı?)
  • -mi: after e, i, ə (e.g., tələbəsənmi?)
  • -mu: after o, u (e.g., dostdurmu?)
  • -mü: after ö, ü (e.g., güclüdürmü?)

2. Placement:
In Azerbaijani, it is a suffix that attaches to the very end of the word, following the assertive copula or personal endings.

3. Register:
You can use this suffix with friends, in a cafe, in letters and in news reports alike. It is not normally added to a question that already has a question word such as necə (how).

Examples (4)

  1. Bu, sənin kitabındırmı?

    Is this your book?

    Word by Word: This, your book-is-QUESTION?

    A formal way to ask a question using the third-person assertive suffix followed by the question marker.

  2. Siz Bakıdansınızmı?

    Are you from Baku?

    Word by Word: You Baku-from-are-QUESTION?

    Note how the suffix attaches after the second-person plural personal ending.

  3. Hava soyuqdurmu?

    Is the weather cold?

    Word by Word: Weather cold-is-QUESTION?

    Uses the -mu variant because the preceding vowel 'u' in 'soyuqdur' is a rounded back vowel.

  4. O, hələ də tələbədirmi?

    Is he/she still a student?

    Word by Word: He/she, still also student-is-QUESTION?

    A literary or formal inquiry about someone's status.

Common Mistakes

  • Writing the marker as a separate word (Turkish style).

    Tələbədir mi?
    Tələbədirmi?

    In Azerbaijani, the question marker is a suffix and must be attached to the word without a space.

  • Placing the marker before the personal suffix.

    Tələbəmisən?
    Tələbəsənmi?

    In standard Azerbaijani, the question suffix always comes at the very end, after the personal endings.

  • Adding the question suffix to a word that is already a question word.

    Salam, necəsənmi?
    Salam, necəsən?

    necə already asks the question, so the suffix -mi adds nothing. Use the question word alone, as in the right sentence.

How It Connects

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-mı/-mi/-mu/-mü (ismi xəbər)Level 1Nominal Yes No Question Marker

Learn This First

To use the nominal question marker, you first need to understand how nominal predicates (sentences where the predicate is a noun or adjective) are formed using personal endings like the third-person assertive suffix.

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Patterns that build on this one.