-mı/-mi/-mu/-mü (indiki zaman)

Present Tense Yes No Question

Level 1

The particle -mı/-mi/-mu/-mü turns a statement into a yes/no question. It is used in everyday speech and writing; in conversation a rising intonation alone can also mark a question.

How It Works

The question particle -mı/-mi/-mu/-mü is a common way to ask a yes/no question in Azerbaijani.

1. Vowel Harmony:
It follows the 4-way vowel harmony rule:

  • -mı: after a, ı (e.g., Baxırsanmı?)
  • -mi: after e, ə, i (e.g., Gəlirsənmi?)
  • -mu: after o, u (e.g., Oxuyurmu?)
  • -mü: after ö, ü (e.g., Görürmü?)

2. Word Order and Stress:
In Azerbaijani, the particle is placed at the very end of the verb chain, following the tense marker and the personal ending. Crucially, this particle is unstressed; the stress remains on the syllable immediately preceding it.
Example: Gedirsənmi? (Are you going?) - the stress is on -sən.

3. Register:
The particle is used in everyday speech. A rising pitch alone can also mark a question in conversation (e.g., Gedirsən?), so both are natural.

4. Construction:
Verb + Present Tense + Personal Ending + -mı/-mi/-mu/-mü.

Examples (4)

  1. Sən məktəbə gedirsənmi?

    Are you going to school?

    Word by Word: You school-to go-present-you-question?

    A formal way to ask a question using the second person singular ending followed by the particle.

  2. O, kitabı oxuyurmu?

    Is he/she reading the book?

    Word by Word: He/she book-the read-present-question?

    Note how the particle changes to -mu to match the 'u' in the present tense suffix.

  3. Biz sabah görüşürükmü?

    Are we meeting tomorrow?

    Word by Word: We tomorrow meet-present-we-question?

    The particle -mü is used here to match the rounded front vowel 'ü' in the first person plural ending.

  4. Siz çay içirsinizmi?

    Are you (plural/polite) drinking tea?

    Word by Word: You tea drink-present-you(pl)-question?

    A formal question directed at a group or a person you address politely.

Common Mistakes

  • Writing the particle as a separate word.

    Gəlirsən mi?
    Gəlirsənmi?

    In Azerbaijani orthography, the question particle must be attached to the word, unlike in Turkish where it is written separately.

  • Placing the particle before the personal ending.

    Gəlir misən?
    Gəlirsənmi?

    Learners familiar with Turkish often put the particle before the person marker. In Azerbaijani, it always comes last.

  • Adding the yes/no particle to a sentence that has a question word.

    Salam, necəsənmi?
    Salam, necəsən?

    'Necəsən' already contains the question word 'necə' (how), so the yes/no particle -mı/-mi is not added. Use the plain form: 'Necəsən?'

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

-mı/-mi/-mu/-mü (indiki zaman)Level 1Present Tense Yes No Question

Learn This First

To form yes/no questions in the present tense, you must first understand how to conjugate verbs in the present tense using personal endings. Additionally, familiarity with the rules of four-way vowel harmony is required to choose the correct form of the question particle (-mı, -mi, -mu, or -mü).

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Patterns that build on this one.