Okula geleli iki saat oldu.

to be

Breakdown of Okula geleli iki saat oldu.

• okul: the school
• gelmek: to come
• saat: the hour

Questions & Answers about Okula geleli iki saat oldu.

What does the form geleli mean, and what is the suffix -(y)eli?

-(y)eli/-alı is a converb meaning “since (doing)”. It attaches to a verb stem to form an adverbial time clause. So geleli = “since (someone) came.” In the whole sentence, Okula geleli iki saat oldu, the structure is “Since [coming] to school, two hours have passed.”

Why is oldu (past tense of “to be/become”) used to mean “have been”?

Turkish commonly uses olmak in the simple past to express elapsed time up to now. İki saat oldu literally means “two hours happened/elapsed,” which corresponds to English “it’s been two hours.” With -(y)eli, this is the most natural way to say “It has been X time since…”

Is iki saat oldu interchangeable with iki saat geçti?

Often yes. Both can follow -(y)eli:

• Okula geleli iki saat oldu.
• Okula geleli iki saat geçti. Both mean “Two hours have passed since (coming to) school.” Geçti emphasizes the passage of time a bit more; oldu is very idiomatic with this pattern.

Why is it okula and not okulda or just okul?