Learn Hardcore Turkish: Gözlüğüm kayboldu, toplantıyı onsuz da idare edeceğim. - I lost my glasses; I’ll manage the meeting without them.

In Turkish, gözlük is a singular noun that refers to a pair of glasses. So gözlüğüm is literally my pair of glasses. If you have multiple pairs, you’d say gözlüklerim (my glasses, plural).

Why is it gözlüğüm and not gözlüküm? What is that ğ doing?

The base is gözlük + 1st person possessive -(I)m. When a vowel-initial suffix is added, final k in many words softens to ğ: gözlük + üm → gözlüğüm. The ğ isn’t a full consonant; it lengthens the preceding vowel, so you’ll hear something like gö-zlüüm.

Why use kayboldu instead of kaybettim?

kayboldu = it got lost / it ended up missing (intransitive; no explicit agent). This avoids stating blame.
kaybettim = I lost it (transitive; you’re the agent). Here the speaker is saying the glasses are lost, not necessarily admitting they personally lost them.

What’s the difference between kayboldu and kaybolmuş?

Both mean it got lost, but:

kayboldu: plain past; the speaker asserts it as a known fact.
kaybolmuş: evidential/reported past; suggests the speaker learned or inferred it (e.g., just realized it’s gone).

Why does toplantıyı take the accusative -ı?

Because idare etmek (to manage/run) is transitive and the meeting here is specific/known. Definite direct objects take the accusative: toplantı + (y)ı → toplantıyı. If it were indefinite, you could say Bir toplantı idare edeceğim.

What is the buffer letter y in toplantıyı?

The accusative suffix is -(y)ı/-(y)i/-(y)u/-(y)ü. After a vowel-ending noun like toplantı, Turkish inserts buffer y to prevent two vowels from colliding: toplantı + y + ı → toplantıyı.

How is onsuz formed from o? Why not osuz?

The suffix -suz/-süz means without. With the pronoun o, Turkish uses the oblique stem on-, so you get onsuz (without him/her/it), not osuz. This mirrors forms like ona, onu, ondan.

What does da add in onsuz da?

Enclitic da/de means also/too and often conveys even or anyway here. onsuz da ≈ even without it / I’ll manage without it anyway. It’s written separately, never as -da stuck to the word in this use.

How do I tell enclitic da/de from the locative suffix -da/-de?

Enclitic da/de (also/too): written separately, only da/de (never ta/te), attaches to entire words: onsuz da.
Locative -da/-de/-ta/-te (in/at/on): a bound suffix written together with the noun and can become ta/te after voiceless consonants: okulda, şehirde, kağıtta.

What does idare etmek mean here—run the meeting or just make do?

Both are possible depending on context:

With object toplantıyı, it most naturally means run/manage the meeting.
More loosely, idare etmek can mean make do/cope. So it can also imply I’ll get through the meeting (even if suboptimally) without my glasses. Near-synonyms: yürütmek, halledeceğim, idare edebilirim (I can manage).

Why is it edeceğim and not something like etceğim?

The future is -(y)ecek/-(y)acak. With etmek, final t often voices to d before a vowel-initial suffix: et- + ecek → edecek-. So: idare edeceğim. The same happens with gitmek → gideceğim. In casual speech you may hear edicem/gidicem, but standard writing is edeceğim/gideceğim.

Can I change the word order in the second clause?

Yes; Turkish is flexible. Different orders tweak emphasis:

Onsuz da toplantıyı idare edeceğim. (emphasizes without it)
Toplantıyı onsuz da idare edeceğim. (neutral/default)
Toplantıyı idare edeceğim, onsuz da. (afterthought emphasis)

Do I need the subject pronoun ben?

No. The verb ending -ecek-im already marks 1st person singular. Ben is optional and adds emphasis: Ben toplantıyı onsuz da idare edeceğim.

How do I say can/might manage rather than will manage?

Use the ability suffix -(y)ebil or hedging:

Toplantıyı onsuz da idare edebilirim. (I can manage…)
Toplantıyı onsuz da idare edebileceğim. (I will be able to manage…)
Softer: Sanırım/büyük ihtimalle onsuz da idare edebilirim.

Could onsuz refer to a person here?

Yes. onsuz = without him/her/it. Without wider context, it’s ambiguous. Given the first clause mentions glasses, it most likely means without them.

Does toplantıda idare edeceğim mean the same thing as toplantıyı idare edeceğim?

No.

toplantıyı idare edeceğim: I will run/manage the meeting (meeting = direct object).
toplantıda idare edeceğim: I will manage/cope at the meeting (locative), with no object—more like I’ll get by during the meeting.

Are there other natural ways to say the first clause?

Yes, with slight nuances:

Gözlüğüm kayıp. (My glasses are missing.)
Gözlüğümü kaybettim. (I lost my glasses—admits responsibility.)
Gözlüğümü bulamıyorum. (I can’t find my glasses—temporary, not necessarily lost.)
Gözlüklerim yok yanımda. (I don’t have my glasses with me.)

Any pronunciation tips for this sentence?

ğ in gözlüğüm lengthens the preceding ü (don’t pronounce a hard g).
ı (dotless) in kayboldu and toplantıyı is a back, neutral vowel (not like English i).
ü in gözlüğüm is a front rounded vowel (like German ü or French u).
In edeceğim, c is like English j in jam.