Learn Hardcore Turkish: Bugün boş zamanım yok.

Turkish marks possession with suffixes. To say “my time,” you attach the 1st‑person singular possessive suffix to the noun: zaman + -(I)m → zamanım. So the sentence literally means “Today, my free time doesn’t exist.”

boş = free/empty
zaman = time
-(I)m = my (1st person possessive; vowel harmonizes to ı here because the last vowel in zaman is a)

Why is yok used instead of a verb meaning “to have”?

Turkish typically expresses possession with an existential construction: var (there is) / yok (there isn’t). You put the possessed noun in the possessed form (here, zamanım = my time), and say var or yok:

Boş zamanım var. = I have free time.
Boş zamanım yok. = I don’t have free time.

Why can’t I negate with değil here?

Değil negates nouns/adjectives used with the copula (e.g., “I am not X”). Existence uses var/yok, and the negative of var is not var değil but yok. So:

✅ Boş zamanım yok.
❌ Boş zamanım değil. (wrong in this meaning)

Do I need to say Benim?

No. Benim (my, in the genitive) is optional because the possessive suffix on zamanım already shows “my.” You add Benim only for emphasis/contrast:

Neutral: Bugün boş zamanım yok.
Emphatic/contrastive: Benim bugün boş zamanım yok.

Can I change the word order?

Yes, within limits. The neutral, most common order is:

Bugün boş zamanım yok.

You can move the time adverb for emphasis:

Boş zamanım bugün yok. (emphasis on “today” as the time you don’t have any)

Avoid unnatural orders like Bugün yok boş zamanım.

Why is it zaman and not vakit? What’s the difference?

Both mean “time,” but:

zaman is broader, “time” as a concept.
vakit is common in everyday speech when talking about having time available.

So Bugün boş vaktim yok is very idiomatic and fully natural alongside Bugün boş zamanım yok.

Should Bugün be one word or two (Bu gün)?

Write it as one word: Bugün. (Historically two words, but modern standard Turkish uses the single word.)

Why isn’t there a plural (boş zamanlarım) or an bir (“a”)?

Time in this sense is uncountable, so singular without bir is normal. Boş zamanlarım yok would sound odd unless you mean “I don’t have free time slots/periods” in a specific, countable schedule context. Otherwise, stick to singular.

How do I say “I don’t have any free time at all”?

Add hiç:

Bugün hiç boş zamanım yok. (I have no free time at all today.)

Hiç intensifies the negation; it’s common but not obligatory.

How do I ask “Do you have free time today?”

Informal singular: Bugün boş zamanın var mı?
Polite/plural: Bugün boş zamanınız var mı?

Is there a more polite or natural way to say I’m not available?

Yes, use adjectives like müsait (available) or uygun (suitable/available):

Bugün müsait değilim.
Bugün uygun değilim. These are common in scheduling and sound polite/natural.

Pronunciation tips for this sentence?

ş = “sh” as in “ship.”
ı (dotless i) = a close back unrounded vowel; think a relaxed “uh” but further back in the mouth.
ü = like German/French ü/u (front rounded); shape lips for “u” while saying “i.” So: boş (bosh), zamanım (za-ma-nım with the final syllable stressed), Bugün (bu-gün with rounded ü).

Can I say yokum instead of yok?

No. Yokum means “I am absent/not there.” To say “I don’t have X,” use X‑(possessive) + yok:

Boş zamanım yok. = I don’t have free time.
Ben yokum. = I’m not present/I’m out. (different meaning)

How do I put this in the past or future?

Past: Dün boş zamanım yoktu. (I didn’t have free time yesterday.)
Future: Yarın boş zamanım olmayacak. (I won’t have free time tomorrow.) Note: For the future, Turkish usually uses olmayacak rather than a future form of yok.

Why is there no accusative suffix on zaman?

There’s no transitive verb here; this is an existential clause. With var/yok, the possessed noun takes the possessive suffix (here, -ım) and stays unmarked for case. If you include the possessor explicitly, it’s in the genitive: Benim boş zamanım yok.

Should there be an apostrophe anywhere, like zaman’ım?

No. Apostrophes are used before suffixes only with proper nouns (e.g., Ankara’ya). Common nouns like zaman do not take an apostrophe: zamanım.