Learn Hardcore Turkish: Arkadaşım yakında gelecek.

In Arkadaşım, the base noun arkadaş means "friend." The suffix -ım is attached to show possession, turning it into "my friend." Turkish uses such suffixes instead of separate possessive words.

What role does yakında play in the sentence?

Yakında is an adverb meaning "soon" or "in the near future." It specifies when the action will occur, indicating that the friend will come shortly.

How is the future tense formed in the verb gelecek?

The verb gelecek is derived from the root gel- ("come") with a future tense suffix. In Turkish, the future tense is formed by adding -ecek or -acak based on vowel harmony. Here, gelmek becomes gelecek, meaning "will come."

Why is there no separate subject pronoun like "he" or "she" in this sentence?

Turkish often omits explicit subject pronouns when the subject is clear from the context. In this sentence, arkadaşım already indicates "my friend," so there is no need to add an extra pronoun.

Does arkadaşım indicate the gender of the friend?

No, Turkish does not assign gender to its nouns. Arkadaşım simply means "my friend" and can refer to a friend of any gender.

How could you transform this sentence into a yes/no question?

To turn the sentence into a yes/no question, add the question particle mi at the end. For example, Arkadaşım yakında gelecek mi? means "Will my friend come soon?"