The particle mi: what exactly are you asking?
The question particle mi goes right after the word you are asking about: Ali mi geldi? (Was it Ali who came?), Ali geldi mi? (Did Ali come?). It does the job that stress does in English.
| Sentence | Asks about | English |
|---|---|---|
| Ali dün geldi mi? | the coming | Did Ali come yesterday? |
| Ali dün mü geldi? | the time | Did Ali come yesterday? |
| Ali mi dün geldi? | the person | Was it Ali who came yesterday? |
| Çay mı içersin, kahve mi? | the choice | Would you like tea or coffee? |
Where does mi go?
- Without special focus, mi comes at the end, after the verb.
- In the middle of the sentence it focuses the word before it; the personal ending stays on the verb: *Sen mi geldin?* (Was it you who came?).
- mi follows 4-way vowel harmony and is written separately.
- At the end it carries the person with -iyor, aorist and future (*geliyor musun?*), but not with -di (*geldin mi?*).
Examples
- Bunu sen mi yaptın?Did you do this?
- Konser cumartesi mi?Is the concert on Saturday?
- Ayşe'yle mi konuştun?Did you talk to Ayşe?
- Ali İstanbul'da mı oturuyor, Ankara'da mı?Does Ali live in Istanbul or in Ankara?
- Kahve ister misin?Would you like a coffee?
Common mistakes
- ✗ Ali aldı mı arabayı? (= was it Ali who bought it?)✓ Arabayı Ali mi aldı? (= was it Ali who bought it?)English shows the focus with stress (“Did ALI buy it?”); Turkish puts mi right after the word in focus: Ali mi.
- ✗ Sınav cuma mi?✓ Sınav cuma mı?mi follows 4-way harmony: after the a in cuma it is mı.
- ✗ Siz misiniz aradınız?✓ Siz mi aradınız?When mi stands in the middle, the personal ending stays on the verb: siz mi aradınız.
- ✗ Tren mi ile geldin?✓ Trenle mi geldin?mi comes after the whole word with its ending: trenle mi.
- ✗ Senin araban bumu?✓ Senin araban bu mu?The question particle mi is always written separately: bu mu.