Learn Hardcore Turkish: Birazdan film başlıyor, koltukları seçelim. - The movie starts soon; let’s choose the seats.

Birazdan means “in a bit/shortly,” usually within minutes. It’s built from biraz (a little) + the ablative suffix -dan (“from”), literally “from a little (time).”

Az sonra ≈ “a little later/soon,” very close in meaning to birazdan.
Yakında = “soon/in the near future,” but vaguer and not necessarily within minutes. You’ll also hear biraz sonra; it’s essentially the same as birazdan in everyday speech.

Why is the present continuous başlıyor used for a future meaning?

In Turkish, -yor (present continuous) often expresses near-future, scheduled, or already-in-motion events when combined with a time adverbial like birazdan. So Birazdan film başlıyor = “The film is starting soon.”

Başlayacak (future) is also correct and slightly more neutral/future-looking: Birazdan film başlayacak.
Başlamak üzere = “about to start,” even more immediate: Film başlamak üzere.

Why is it film (bare form) and not filmi?

Because film is the subject of the clause. Turkish subjects stay in the bare (nominative) form:

Film başlıyor = The film is starting. (subject)
Filmi izliyoruz = We’re watching the film. (object marked with accusative -i)

Why does koltukları have -ları? Why not just koltuk?

Koltukları = koltuk-lar-ı (seat-PL-ACC). The accusative -ı marks a definite/specific direct object in Turkish.

Koltukları seçelim = “Let’s choose the seats” (the specific seats for this screening).
Koltuk seçelim = “Let’s choose seats” (indefinite; no accusative). If you mean “our seats,” use koltuklarımızı (our seats-ACC).

Could koltukları also mean “their seats”?

Yes, koltukları is ambiguous in isolation:

Accusative, definite plural: “the seats”
3rd-person possessive (his/her/their) + plural: “his/her/their seats” Context clarifies it. To make it unambiguous:
“our seats”: koltuklarımızı
“their seats”: onların koltuklarını
“the seats (for this show)”: context usually suffices, or say salondaki koltukları.

What does seçelim express compared to seçiyoruz or seçelim mi?

Seçelim is the 1st-person plural optative/imperative: “Let’s choose.”
Seçiyoruz = “We are choosing/We’re in the process of choosing” (statement, not a suggestion).
Seçelim mi? = “Shall we choose?” (a suggestion framed as a question; softer).

How is seçelim formed? Why -elim and not -alım?

It’s the 1PL optative: verb stem + -alım/-elim (vowel harmony).

Seç- has a front vowel (e), so you use -elim → seçelim.
With a back-vowel stem, you’d use -alım (e.g., alalım, başlayalım).

Can the word order change? For example, Film birazdan başlıyor or Seçelim koltukları?

Yes. Turkish is flexible:

Birazdan film başlıyor and Film birazdan başlıyor are both fine. Fronting birazdan emphasizes the time frame.
Koltukları seçelim (neutral) vs Seçelim koltukları (focus on “the seats” as the new/contrastive info). Default is object before verb.

Why are the two clauses joined by a comma? Could I use ve or something else?

A comma is common for two related independent clauses. Ve (“and”) sounds clunky here because the second clause is a suggestion arising from the first. Natural alternatives:

Birazdan film başlıyor; koltukları seçelim.
Birazdan film başlıyor, o yüzden koltukları seçelim. (“so/therefore”)

Pronunciation tips for this sentence?

ı (dotless) is like the vowel in English “roses” (the second syllable) or a relaxed “uh.” So başlıyor ≈ “bash-luh-yor.”
ş = “sh,” ç = “ch.”
In -yor forms, the stress is on the syllable before -yor: başLIyor.
Birazdan has clear -dan (voiced d), because z is voiced; it’s not biraztan.

Are there other natural ways to say “The film is starting soon”?

Birazdan film başlayacak.
Film az sonra başlıyor.
Film başlamak üzere. (about to start) All are idiomatic; başlamak üzere feels the most immediate.

If we’re only picking one seat, how would we say that?

Indefinite: Bir koltuk seçelim or tek koltuk seçelim.
Definite (a specific one you both already have in mind): Koltuğu seçelim. Note: Indefinite direct objects in Turkish are typically bare singular even if notionally plural (e.g., koltuk seçelim = “let’s choose seats”).

Is yer better than koltuk here?

Both are common in this context:

Koltuk = a seat (like a cinema/theater chair).
Yer = place/seat in a general sense; very common on ticketing sites (e.g., yer seçelim). So you can say yer seçelim, koltuk seçelim, or koltuklarımızı seçelim depending on nuance.

Can I drop film and just say Birazdan başlıyor?

Yes, if the context makes the subject obvious. Turkish often omits subjects when clear. Using o (“it”) for inanimate things is possible but usually unnecessary here.

Could I say Birazdan film başlar with the aorist?

It’s grammatical but uncommon in this context. The aorist (-r/-ar) suits habituals or schedules (e.g., Film 8’de başlar). With birazdan, başlıyor or başlayacak sounds much more natural.

What’s the difference between başlamak and başlatmak?

Başlamak is intransitive: something starts by itself. Film başlıyor = “The film is starting.”
Başlatmak is transitive/causative: someone starts something. Filmi başlatalım = “Let’s start the film.” Here, though, we’re just stating that it’s about to start, not that we’ll start it.