Çarşamba akşamı buluşalım mı?

Shall we meet on Wednesday evening?

Breakdown of Çarşamba akşamı buluşalım mı?

• buluşmak: to meet
• çarşamba akşamı: Wednesday evening

Questions & Answers about Çarşamba akşamı buluşalım mı?

What does the ending in buluşalım mean?

• -alım/-elim is the first-person plural optative: “let’s …”
• So buluşalım = “let’s meet.”
• The vowel alternates by harmony: after a back vowel you get -alım (buluşalım), after a front vowel -elim (gidelim).

What is mı, and why is it mı (not mi/mu/mü)?

• mı/mi/mu/mü is the yes–no question particle. It’s written as a separate word but clings to the preceding word.
• It follows vowel harmony based on the last vowel of the preceding word:
  • a/ı → mı
  • e/i → mi
  • o/u → mu
  • ö/ü → mü
• In buluşalım, the last vowel is ı, so you use mı: buluşalım mı?

Why does it say akşamı with -ı? Is that the accusative?

• Here -ı is not accusative. It’s the 3rd-person possessive used in an “indefinite compound noun” (izafet): Çarşamba akşamı literally “Wednesday’s evening,” i.e., “Wednesday evening.”
• This is a set pattern for day/part-of-day combinations: Pazartesi sabahı, Cuma gecesi, etc.
• Accusative would come after the whole phrase: Çarşamba akşamını (e.g., “I don’t like Wednesday evening” = Çarşamba akşamını sevmem).

Where is the English “on” (as in “on Wednesday evening”)?

• Turkish doesn’t need a preposition for dates/times. You just place the time expression before the verb: Çarşamba akşamı buluşalım mı?
• Adding the locative -da/-de is usually unnecessary here and sounds marked.

Can I say Çarşamba akşamında?

• It’s grammatical but not the normal way to give a simple time. Çarşamba akşamı is the idiomatic choice.
• -da/-de appears more when you’re saying “in the evening of [X]” as a true locative, e.g., Toplantının akşamında (“on the evening of the meeting”).

What’s the difference between buluşalım mı?, buluşuyor muyuz?, and buluşabilir miyiz?

• buluşalım mı? Suggestion: “Shall we meet?”
• buluşuyor muyuz? Confirmation of a plan: “Are we meeting (then)?”
• buluşabilir miyiz? Polite possibility/request: “Could we meet?”

Could I say görüşelim mi? instead of buluşalım mı? What’s the nuance?

• buluşmak = “to meet up (at a place/time).” Emphasizes the meetup itself.
• görüşmek = “to see each other / meet and talk.” Common for meeting acquaintances, also used on the phone (“speak”).
• In many contexts both work: Çarşamba akşamı görüşelim mi? is perfectly natural.

Can I move mı to focus another part, like the time?

• Yes. mı/mi/mu/mü attaches to the word you want to question/focus.
• Çarşamba akşamı mı buluşalım? = “Is it Wednesday evening that we should meet?” (as opposed to another time)
• Çarşamba akşamı buluşalım mı? = neutral yes–no question about meeting then.

How do I say “this Wednesday evening” or “next Wednesday evening”?

• “This Wednesday evening”: Bu Çarşamba akşamı
• “Next Wednesday evening”: Gelecek Çarşamba akşamı or very common Önümüzdeki Çarşamba akşamı
• Example: Bu Çarşamba akşamı buluşalım mı?

How do I talk about a habitual plan, like “on Wednesday evenings”?

• Use the plural: Çarşamba akşamları.
• Example: Çarşamba akşamları buluşalım mı? = “Shall we meet on Wednesday evenings (regularly)?”

What about “evening” vs “night”? Is gece different from akşam?

• akşam = evening (roughly early evening, before late night)
• gece = night (late evening/nighttime)
• If you mean later at night, say Çarşamba gecesi buluşalım mı?

How do I make a softer or negative-suggestion version?

• Softer tentative: Çarşamba akşamı buluşsak olur mu? (“Would it be okay if we met Wednesday evening?”)
• Negative suggestion: Buluşmasak mı? (“How about not meeting?”) or Buluşmayalım mı? (“Shall we not meet?” / “Aren’t we meeting?” depending on context)

What are some natural short answers to this question?

• Accepting:
  • Olur. (“Works.”)
  • Uygun. / Uyar. (“Suitable.” / “That works.”)
  • Müsaitim. (“I’m available.”)
• Declining/deferring:
  • O akşam müsait değilim. (“I’m not available that evening.”)
  • Perşembe akşamı olur mu? (“Would Thursday evening work?”)

Any pronunciation tips for tricky letters here?

• Ç = “ch” in “church” (Çarşamba → “char-”)
• ş = “sh” (Çarşamba, akşam → “sh”)
• ı (dotless i) = a relaxed “uh” sound (akşamı, buluşalım → final syllables sound like “-muh,” “-luhm”)
• Rough guide: “Char-sham-ba ak-sha-muh bu-lu-sha-lum muh?” (Spacing here only to help you hear syllables.)

Is the word order fixed? Can I put the time at the end?

• Turkish is flexible. Time expressions often come early, but you can say:
  • Buluşalım mı Çarşamba akşamı? (still natural, slightly afterthought/confirming tone)
• The main rule is that mı/mi/mu/mü attaches to the word it questions or follows the predicate in neutral yes–no questions.