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Toplantı iki kez ertelendi, herkes sabırsız oldu.

Toplantı iki kez ertelendi, herkes sabırsız oldu.
The meeting was postponed twice; everyone became impatient.
FromLesson 74inHardcore Turkish
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Questions & Answers about Toplantı iki kez ertelendi, herkes sabırsız oldu.

What does the verb form in ertelendi express, grammatically?
  • It’s passive simple past: ertele- (to postpone) + -n- (passive) → ertelen- (to be postponed) + -di (simple past) → ertelendi = “was postponed.”
  • The subject Toplantı (the meeting) is the thing affected by the action; the agent is left unspecified.
Why is the passive used instead of an active sentence?
  • Turkish often uses the passive when the agent is unknown, unimportant, or obvious from context.
  • Active equivalents:
    • Toplantıyı iki kez ertelediler. (They postponed the meeting twice.)
    • Organizatörler toplantıyı iki kez erteledi. (The organizers postponed the meeting twice.)
What’s the difference between iki kez, iki kere, iki defa, and iki sefer?
  • iki kez: neutral, slightly more formal/written.
  • iki kere: very common in everyday speech.
  • iki defa: slightly formal (Arabic origin), widely used.
  • iki sefer: “two times/occasions,” a bit more colloquial/regional; also used for trips/attempts.
  • All work here: Toplantı iki kere/defa/sefer ertelendi.
Where should iki kez go in the sentence?
  • Default/most natural: Toplantı iki kez ertelendi.
  • Emphasis by fronting: İki kez toplantı ertelendi. (emphasizes “twice”)
  • Post-verbal placement like English is odd: ✗ Toplantı ertelendi iki kez.
Is the comma between the two clauses acceptable?
  • Yes, in everyday Turkish a comma is often used to join related clauses.
  • For formal/written style, prefer a connector or stronger punctuation:
    • Toplantı iki kez ertelendi; herkes sabırsız oldu.
    • Toplantı iki kez ertelendi ve herkes sabırsız oldu.
    • Toplantı iki kez ertelendi. Herkes sabırsız oldu.
What does oldu do in herkes sabırsız oldu?
  • adjective + olmak means “to become X.” So sabırsız oldu = “became/got impatient.”
  • Contrast:
    • Herkes sabırsız oldu. (They became impatient — change of state)
    • Herkes sabırsızdı. (They were impatient — state/background)
Can I say Herkes sabırsızlandı or Herkes sabırsızlaştı instead?
  • Yes:
    • sabırsızlanmak = to grow impatient/eager (often about anticipation): Herkes sabırsızlandı.
    • sabırsızlaşmak = to become impatient: Herkes sabırsızlaştı.
  • All are acceptable; sabırsızlandı is very idiomatic for waiting situations.
Why not say Herkes sabırsız oldular?
  • Herkes (“everyone”) takes 3rd person singular agreement: Herkes sabırsız oldu/geldi.
  • Plural verb forms like oldular are wrong with herkes in standard Turkish.
How would I mark hearsay or inference instead of direct past?
  • Use the reported past -miş:
    • Toplantı iki kez ertelenmiş, herkes sabırsız olmuş.
  • This suggests you learned it indirectly or you’re inferring it, rather than witnessing it.
How do I say “two times in a row”?
  • üst üste iki kez / arka arkaya iki kez / peş peşe iki kez:
    • Toplantı üst üste iki kez ertelendi.
How can I make the cause–effect link explicit?
  • Use connectors like bu yüzden, o yüzden, bu nedenle:
    • Toplantı iki kez ertelendi; bu yüzden herkes sabırsız oldu.
Why is there no case ending on Toplantı here, but there is in Toplantıyı?
  • As a subject, it’s bare: Toplantı ertelendi.
  • As a definite object, it takes accusative -yı/-yi/-yu/-yü:
    • Toplantıyı ertelediler. (They postponed the meeting.)
How is the dotless ı pronounced in Toplantı and sabırsız?
  • It’s a high back unrounded vowel [ɯ]. To approximate: position your tongue as for English “oo” in “food,” but unround your lips.
  • Syllable stress typically falls near the end: toplanTI, erteleNdi, sabırSIZ.
What if I want to say “We all became impatient” or “All of them became impatient” instead of “everyone”?
  • Hepimiz sabırsız olduk. (We all became impatient.)
  • Hepsi sabırsız oldu. (All of them became impatient.)
  • Note: herkes = everyone (general); hepimiz = we all; hepsi = all of them (refers back to a known group).

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