yok

There Is Not

Level 1

Yok is the opposite of var. It means 'there is not' or 'there are not.' It is also used with possessive endings to say 'I don't have,' 'you don't have,' etc.

How It Works

1. Existential Use
The most basic use of yok is to state that something does not exist in a certain place. It usually comes at the end of the sentence.
Example: Süt yok. (There is no milk.)

2. Expressing Possession ('To Not Have')
Turkish does not have a verb like 'to have.' To say you don't have something, you use a possessive construction (like 'my money') followed by yok.
Example: Param yok. (Literally: 'My money does not exist' → I don't have money.)

3. Yok vs. Değil
It is crucial to distinguish between yok and değil:

  • Use yok for existence: Ekmek yok. (There is no bread.)
  • Use değil for identity/qualities: Bu ekmek değil. (This is not bread.)

4. Casual 'No'
In daily conversation, yok is often used as a casual way to say 'no,' similar to 'nah' or 'nope,' instead of the formal hayır.

5. Suffixes
Even though it is not a verb, yok can take personal endings (e.g., yokum - I am not here) and past tense endings (e.g., yoktu - there was not).

Examples (5)

  1. Süt yok.

    There is no milk.

    Word by Word: Milk non-existent.

    A simple statement of non-existence.

  2. Evde kimse yok.

    There is nobody at home.

    Word by Word: At-home nobody non-existent.

    Used with the locative case (-de) to show absence in a location.

  3. Benim vaktim yok.

    I don't have time.

    Word by Word: My time-my non-existent.

    Combines a possessive noun with 'yok' to express 'to not have'.

  4. — Çay var mı? — Yok.

    — Is there tea? — No (there isn't).

    Word by Word: — Tea existent [question]? — Non-existent.

    Shows 'yok' used as a direct answer to a 'var mı?' question.

  5. Bugün okul yok.

    There is no school today.

    Word by Word: Today school non-existent.

    Commonly used to mean a scheduled event is cancelled or not happening.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'yok' before the noun like English 'no'.

    Yok para.
    Para yok.

    In Turkish, the predicate (yok) almost always comes after the subject it is describing.

  • Confusing 'yok' with 'değil'.

    Kedi değil.
    Kedi yok.

    If you mean 'There is no cat,' use 'yok.' 'Kedi değil' means 'It is not a cat.'

How It Connects

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yokLevel 1There Is Not

Learn This First

To understand 'yok', you first need to understand its positive counterpart 'var'. Since 'yok' acts as the predicate in a sentence, you should also be familiar with basic Turkish word order and how sentences are constructed without action verbs.

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