I have learnt most of the little turkish I know from the linguaphone PDQ course. I was taught that:

´Do you live in Istanbul´ is Istanbul da mı yaşiyorsunuz

but

´Do you like Bursa´ is Bursa´ya seviyormusunuz

Is there any particular reason why the positioning of ´mi´ differs in the two sentences? Is it as valid to say ´Istanbul da yaşiyormusunuz´ for the former or does ´mı´ usually follow a locative case suffix if one is present in a question?

Many Thanks

The question marker questions what immediately precedes it.

So in your first example the question in English is ´is it in Istanbul that you live?´ (as opposed to any other place) 

But I think you can also say ´Istanbul´da yaşıyor musunuz? Do you live in Istanbul?

In the Bursa example if you asked ´Bursa´yı mı seviyorsun?´ that´s like saying ´Is it Bursa(in particular) that you like?´ rather than just ´Do you like Bursa?´

My try

PS-if PDQ Turkish is all you have try Teach Yourself Turkish too.

Thanks for the explanation sonunda. Is this the ´Teach yourself Turkish´ you refer to: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Teach-Yourself-Turkish-Book-Languages/dp/0340871059?

My understanding as a learner is -

Istanbul´da mı yaşıyorsunuz? Is it Istanbul you are living in?

Asking you to confirm it is Istanbul, or which city it is, where as

Istanbul´da yaşıyor musunuz? Are you living in Istanbul?

Asking you do you reside in Istanbul, as opposed to maybe visiting Istanbul.

But wait for an expert to confirm my thoughts.

Where the question tag ´mi´ is located determines what is being questioned.

Yes or if you just want the book and not the cds

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Turkish-Teach-Yourself-Complete-Courses/dp/0340871040/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1274880493&sr=1-2

Thanks for your reply Henry. I´ve just noticed my typo on "Bursa´ya seviyormusunuz", I of course meant Bursa´yı seviyormusunuz

 I agree with Henry and Sonunda.

Just a couple of "picky" points:

Istanbul´da mı yaşıyorsunuz?   (needs the apostrophe as Istanbul is a proper name, and the da is written together. da written separately means also, too)

Bursa´yı seviyor musunuz? (it is -i sevmek not -a sevmek. Also, although you will often see it written together, the correct way is to put a space between seviyor and musunuz)

....and the seviyor musunuz should be two words.

 - sorry my note crosses with yours 

 and crossed with yours, too, sonunda!

hehe.

BTW Marion,what was the name of the book you reviewed in Sunday´s Zaman a couple of weeks ago about hidden or less travelled places in Turkey. My hubby loved it.

Thanks for your confirmation Marion.

Istanbul´da mı yaşıyorsunuz?

Istanbul´da yaşıyor musunuz?

Both sentences can be roughly translated as "Do you live in Istanbul?", but as explained earlier there is a subtle difference in what´s being questioned, the ´living´ or the ´location´. Do you live in Istanbul? or Do you live in Istanbul? 

 Places in Turkey: A Grand Tour by Francis Russell

http://www.sundayszaman.com/sunday/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=210299&bolum=110

http://www.greenhousekitap.info/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2166&Itemid=48

Thanks for the vote!

Thanks to you all. I´ve seen seviyormusunuz written as one word by Turkish people several times so was unsure whether it should be written as two. The information about ´da and da (the latter meaning too) is also very useful. I have ordered the Teach Yourself Turkish book so hopefully my knowledge will improve. I am very grateful to people like yourselves who are willing to assist my learning and have found Turkish Language Class to be a very useful resource in the few days I have been a member. I´m going to Ovaçik/Hisarönü, two small villages between Ölü Deniz and Fethiye for ten days in July so hopefully I´ll be brave enough to try out what I´ve learnt

"I´m going to Ovaçik/Hisarönü, two small villages between Ölü Deniz and Fethiye"

hahahah

I take it they´re not your idea of small villages sonunda . I was there last year and that´s (in Turkish terms) how they were described to me by a local Hotel owner.

I was in Ölü Deniz last week and no they´re certainly NOT my idea of small villages nor do they in any way resemble small Turkish villages. Good luck trying to practise your Turkish there!