vardı / yoktu

Was There / Was Not There

Level 2

The past tense forms of the existential words var (there is) and yok (there is not). They express existence or possession in the past.

How It Works

1. Formation and Harmony
The past tense suffix -DI follows four-way vowel harmony and consonant assimilation:

  • var + -dı = vardı (a/ı harmony)
  • yok + -tu = yoktu (o/u harmony; the 'd' becomes 't' because 'k' is a voiceless consonant)

2. Existence vs. Possession
These forms serve two primary functions:

  • Existence: 'There was/were'. Example: Sokakta kimse yoktu. (There was no one on the street.)
  • Possession: When used with a possessive suffix, it means 'had'. Example: Param vardı. (I had money / My money existed.)

3. Questions
When asking a question, the question word is used. A buffer 'y' must be placed between the particle and the past tense suffix:

  • Var mıydı? (Was there?)
  • Yok muydu? (Wasn't there?)

4. Personal Endings
If you are referring to people (e.g., 'I was there'), you use the simple past person endings:

  • Vardım (I was there)
  • Yoktuk (We weren't there)
  • Vardılar / Yoktular (They were there / They weren't there). Note that per plural agreement rules, the plural suffix is often optional if the subject is already plural.

5. A Note on Homonyms
Be careful not to confuse vardı (there was) with the simple past of the verb varmak (to arrive/reach). Eve vardı means 'He/she arrived home'.

Examples (5)

  1. Dün çok işim vardı.

    I had a lot of work yesterday.

    Word by Word: Yesterday much my-work there-was.

    Here, 'vardı' combined with the possessive 'işim' (my work) expresses 'I had'.

  2. Cüzdanımda hiç para yoktu.

    There was no money in my wallet.

    Word by Word: In-my-wallet at-all money there-was-not.

    Note how 'yok' becomes 'yoktu' with a 't' due to the hard 'k' at the end of the word.

  3. Toplantıda kimse yok muydu?

    Wasn't there anyone at the meeting?

    Word by Word: At-the-meeting anyone not-there [question]-past?

    In questions, the past tense suffix attaches to the question particle 'mu' using the buffer 'y'.

  4. Eskiden burada büyük bir ağaç vardı.

    There used to be a big tree here.

    Word by Word: Formerly here big a tree there-was.

    This shows simple existence in the past.

  5. Biz dün evde yoktuk.

    We weren't at home yesterday.

    Word by Word: We yesterday at-home not-there-were-we.

    The personal ending '-k' (we) is added to 'yoktu' to show who was absent.

Common Mistakes

  • Forgetting consonant assimilation in 'yoktu'.

    Dün zamanım yokdu.
    Dün zamanım yoktu.

    Because 'yok' ends in a voiceless consonant 'k', the suffix '-dı' must change to '-tu' according to the rules of consonant assimilation.

  • Omitting the buffer 'y' in questions.

    Süt var mıdı?
    Süt var mıydı?

    When the past tense suffix follows the question particle (which ends in a vowel), you must use the buffer 'y'.

  • Using -de when you mean 'arrived'.

    Ali okulda vardı.
    Ali okula vardı.

    With 'varmak' (to arrive), the place takes the dative case: 'okula vardı' means 'he/she arrived at school'. With -de, 'vardı' reads as 'there was', as in 'Okulda bir kütüphane vardı' (There was a library at school).

How It Connects

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

vardı / yoktuLevel 2Was There / Was Not There

Learn This First

To understand 'vardı' and 'yoktu', you first need to know the basic existential words 'var' (there is) and 'yok' (there is not). Additionally, you must understand how the past tense suffix -(y)di is attached to nouns and adjectives in Turkish, as 'var' and 'yok' follow these same rules, including consonant assimilation (yok + du becomes yoktu).

Words in This Pattern

-di