Learn Hardcore Turkish: Musluk damlatıyor; tesisatçı gelmeden musluğu kapatıyorum. - The tap is dripping; I’m turning it off before the plumber arrives.

A period: Musluk damlatıyor. Tesisatçı gelmeden musluğu kapatıyorum.
A comma (less formal): Musluk damlatıyor, tesisatçı gelmeden musluğu kapatıyorum.
A conjunction: Musluk damlatıyor ve tesisatçı gelmeden musluğu kapatıyorum. If you want to show cause–effect explicitly, you can add o yüzden/bu yüzden: Musluk damlatıyor, bu yüzden…

Why is damlatıyor used here? Shouldn’t it be damlıyor?

damlamak = “to drip” (intransitive).
damlatmak = “to cause something to drip; to let drops fall” (causative). Strictly speaking, for something that drips by itself, damlıyor fits the grammar. However, everyday Turkish often says musluk/çatı damlatıyor to mean “the faucet/roof is leaking (dripping).” Both are common; damlıyor is more precise, damlatıyor is very natural colloquially.
Synonyms by nuance:
Small drops: damlıyor/damlatıyor
Leaking/letting water through: sızdırıyor
Running/flowing: akıyor/akıtır

What does the -yor tense convey in damlatıyor and kapatıyorum? Is it present or near-future?

-yor is the present continuous. It can mean “right now/these days” and also “I’m about to/I’m in the process of” (near-future plan).
Musluk damlatıyor = an ongoing state (right now or these days).
Kapatıyorum = “I’m turning it off (now/next),” an immediate intention. For a more plan-like or later future, use kapatacağım (“I will/I'm going to turn it off”).

Why is it musluğu (with -u) instead of musluk?

The -u is the accusative case for a definite, specific direct object. Turkish marks definiteness on objects:

Definite: musluğu kapatıyorum = “I’m turning off the faucet (that specific one).”
Indefinite: bir musluk kapatıyorum = “I’m turning off a faucet” (rare/unlikely here). Because the faucet is known from context, accusative is used.

Why does musluk become musluğu (k → ğ), and how do I pronounce ğ?

Many words ending in -k soften to -ğ- when a vowel-initial suffix is added: musluk + (I) → musluğu.
Pronunciation: ğ doesn’t make a hard “g” sound; it lengthens the preceding vowel. musluğu is pronounced roughly “musluu.”

Who is the subject if it’s not written? How do we know it’s “I” who is turning it off?

Turkish drops subject pronouns because verb endings show person/number.

kapatıyorum ends with -um = 1st person singular → “I.”
damlatıyor has the 3rd person singular ending → “it” (the faucet). So: “The faucet is dripping; (I) am turning it off…”

Who is the subject of gelmeden? The plumber or me?

In tesisatçı gelmeden, the subject of the subordinate clause is explicitly tesisatçı (“plumber”).
If you omit it and say gelmeden musluğu kapatıyorum, default interpretation is that the subject matches the main clause subject: “Before I come, I turn off the faucet” (odd here). So naming tesisatçı removes ambiguity.

Does gelmeden mean “before (someone) comes” or “without coming”? Do I need önce?

The converb -meden/-madan primarily means “without doing,” but with punctual events like “coming/arriving” it often means “before.”

Here, tesisatçı gelmeden = “before the plumber comes.”
You can add önce for clarity/emphasis: tesisatçı gelmeden önce (also very common).
In other contexts, -meden retains the literal “without doing” sense: Ellerini yıkamadan yeme = “Don’t eat without washing your hands.”

Could I say gelene kadar instead? What’s the difference from gelmeden?

gelmeden = “before (he) comes” (pre-empting an event).
gelene kadar = “until (he) comes” (an action continues up to that point).
Example difference:
Tesisatçı gelmeden musluğu kapatıyorum. (I’ll turn it off beforehand.)
Tesisatçı gelene kadar musluğu kapalı tutuyorum. (I keep it off until he arrives.)

Can I drop musluğu in the second clause or replace it with a pronoun?

Dropping is possible if context is crystal clear: … gelmeden kapatıyorum. (colloquial)
Using a pronoun is fine: … gelmeden onu kapatıyorum. (“I’m turning it off.”)
Repeating musluğu avoids ambiguity, since onu could (in theory) refer to another noun in context.

Why not use kapatacağım instead of kapatıyorum?

Both are acceptable, but they differ in feel:

kapatıyorum = immediate/intended action (I’m doing it now/next).
kapatacağım = a decision or plan for the (near) future.
With gelmeden, either works: … musluğu kapatacağım emphasizes a plan before the plumber arrives.

What’s the difference between kapatmak and kapamak? And why avoid kapıyorum?

kapatmak and kapamak both mean “to close/turn off,” but kapatmak is more common in standard modern Turkish.
The present continuous of kapatmak is kapatıyorum (clear and standard).
The present continuous of kapamak can surface as kapıyorum, which collides with kapmak (“to grab/catch”), e.g., soğuk kapıyorum = “I catch a cold.” To avoid ambiguity, most speakers prefer kapatıyorum for “I’m closing/turning off.”

How do I say “plumber” in Turkish? Is tesisatçı the only option?

Common options:

tesisatçı = plumber (most common, everyday).
sıhhi tesisatçı = sanitary plumber (more formal/technical).
su tesisatçısı = water plumber.
usta (master/craftsman) can be used informally when referring to the person coming to fix things: Usta gelmeden…

How do I express “the plumber” vs “a plumber” when Turkish has no articles?

Turkish relies on context and case:

Bare noun can be generic or specific from context: tesisatçı gelmeden often reads as “before the (expected) plumber comes.”
To emphasize indefiniteness: bir tesisatçı gelmeden = “before a plumber (any plumber) comes” (less common in this exact sentence, but possible).
To specify a particular one: o tesisatçı gelmeden = “before that plumber comes.”

Can you break down the words morphologically?

Musluk = faucet (root noun).
damla-t-ıyor = damla (drop) + causative -t-
- present continuous -yor → “is dripping/leaking.”
tesisat-çı = tesisat (plumbing/installation) + agent -çı → “plumber.”
gel-me-den = gel (come) + negative verbal noun -me
- ablative -den (converb) → “without coming / before coming.”
musluk-u → musluk
- accusative -(y)I (harmonized to -u; k → ğ: musluğu in spelling).
kapa-t-ıyor-um = kapa (close) + causative -t-
- present continuous -yor
  - 1sg -um → “I am turning off/closing.”