Su kesilince duş alamıyorum.

When the water is cut off, I cannot take a shower.

Breakdown of Su kesilince duş alamıyorum.

• su: the water
• almak: to take
• duş: the shower
• -ince: when
• kesilmek: to be cut off

Questions & Answers about Su kesilince duş alamıyorum.

What does the suffix -ince mean in kesilince?

The suffix -ince is a temporal converbial marker meaning “when” or “as soon as.” In kesilince, it turns kesil- (“to be cut”) into “when it is cut (off).”

How is kesilince formed from the verb kesmek?

1. Start with kesmek (“to cut”).
2. Form the passive: kes- → kesil- (“to be cut”).
3. Add -ince → kesilince (“when it is cut”).

Is -ince the same as -dığında (as in kesildiğinde)? When would you choose one over the other?

They both mark “when” but differ in style and nuance:
• -ince is more colloquial and often means “as soon as” or “whenever.”
• -dığında is slightly more formal or neutral, meaning simply “when.”
So su kesilince = “whenever/as soon as the water cuts off,” while su kesildiğinde = “when the water cuts off.”

Why isn’t there a subject pronoun like ben in duş alamıyorum?

Turkish is a pro-drop language: personal pronouns are optional because the verb ending already encodes person and number.
• -yorum marks first person singular present continuous (“I am …”).
Thus ben duş alamıyorum and duş alamıyorum both mean “I can’t take a shower,” but the shorter form is more natural.

Why is duş almak used instead of duş yapmak?

In Turkish, you “take” a shower: duş almak is the standard verb phrase.
• almak = “to take,” so literally “to take a shower.”
• yapmak = “to do/make,” but for “shower” you don’t use duş yapmak.

Break down duş alamıyorum morphologically. What do each of the pieces mean?

• duş = “shower”
• al- = verb root “to take”
• -amıyor- = negative ability marker (cannot) in present continuous
 – -a-/–e- + mıyor = “not doing”
• -um = first person singular
Putting it together: duş + al- + amıyor + -um = “I cannot take (a) shower.”

Can I switch the word order to Duş alamıyorum, su kesilince? Would it change the meaning?

You can but it’s less natural. Turkish typically places adverbial clauses first if they set the context.
• Su kesilince duş alamıyorum. (normal)
• Duş alamıyorum, su kesilince. (possible in speech for emphasis, but feels slightly marked.)

Does kesilince imply a one-time event or a habitual situation?

It can mean either, depending on context:
• Habitual: “whenever water is cut off, I can’t shower.”
• Specific: “when the water went off (that time), I couldn’t shower.”
The present-tense main clause alamıyorum often suggests a recurring problem.