Learn Hardcore Turkish: Yeter ki sen iste, ben bu akşam yemeği hazırlarım. - So long as you want it, I’ll prepare dinner this evening.

It means as long as / provided that / the only thing needed is that. It sets a single, sufficient condition and carries a warm, encouraging tone, often used when making promises or offers. It’s roughly like saying, “Just say the word and…”.

Why is iste (imperative) used after yeter ki instead of a normal “if” clause?

With yeter ki, Turkish commonly uses the imperative to express the condition: Yeter ki (sen) iste = “So long as you want (it).” It’s not a command to “want”; it signals a prerequisite. You could say İstersen (“if you want”), but yeter ki iste is more emphatic and supportive, like “Just want it, and…”.

Do I have to say sen? Could it be just Yeter ki iste?

You can drop sen. Turkish usually omits subject pronouns because person is marked on the verb. Including sen adds emphasis: you in particular (not someone else). So:

Yeter ki iste = neutral.
Yeter ki sen iste = “as long as you (yourself) want (it).”

Why is ben stated in the second clause? Could it be omitted?

Yes, you can omit ben. Keeping it emphasizes “I (not someone else) will do it.”

Neutral: Yeter ki sen iste, bu akşam yemeği hazırlarım.
Emphatic: Yeter ki sen iste, ben bu akşam yemeği hazırlarım.

What tense/mood is hazırlarım, and why not the future hazırlayacağım?

Hazırlarım is the aorist (-r) with 1st person ending: it often expresses offers, promises, and readiness (“I’ll do it, no problem”). Hazırlayacağım is the plain future (“I will prepare”), sounding more like a plan or scheduled action. Here, hazırlarım matches the offer-like tone set by yeter ki.

How would nuance change with hazırlayayım?

Hazırlayayım (optative) means “Let me prepare (it).” It’s a polite volunteering. For example:

Yeter ki sen iste, bu akşam yemeği ben hazırlayayım. = “As long as you want, let me be the one to prepare dinner.”

Break down hazırlarım morphologically.

hazır = “ready”
-la = verb-forming suffix (“to make X ready” → “to prepare”)
-r = aorist marker
-ım = 1st person singular Overall: hazır-la-r-ım → “I (generally/willingly) prepare” → here: “I’ll prepare.”

Is yemeği accusative here? Why not yemeğini?

In akşam yemeği (“dinner”), the ending -i is the possessive part of the compound (literally “evening’s meal”), not accusative. If you mark this compound as a definite direct object, you add accusative to the whole phrase: akşam yemeğini.

Indefinite object (activity): Bu akşam akşam yemeği hazırlarım. (“I’ll make dinner tonight.”)
Definite object: Bu akşam akşam yemeğini hazırlarım. (“I’ll prepare the dinner [the specific one] tonight.”) In your sentence, yemeği belongs to the compound after the time phrase bu akşam: “Tonight, (I) prepare dinner.”

Could I say Bu akşam yemeğini hazırlarım without repeating akşam?

Yes. Here bu akşam is the time phrase (“tonight”), and yemeğini is “the meal/dinner” as a definite object. It’s natural: “I’ll prepare the dinner tonight.” If you want to explicitly say “tonight’s dinner,” use the suffix -ki: Bu akşamki yemeği hazırlarım.

What’s the difference between yeter ki and istersen / istiyorsan?

Yeter ki (sen) iste: “Provided that you want (it).” Emphasizes that your wanting is the only condition; conveys eagerness to fulfill it.
İstersen / istiyorsan: plain “if you want.” More neutral, less emphatic/promise-like.

Can I rearrange word order for emphasis?

Yes, Turkish is flexible:

Yeter ki sen iste, bu akşam yemeği ben hazırlarım. (emphasizes “I’ll be the one.”)
Yeter ki sen iste, yemeği bu akşam ben hazırlarım. (fronting the object for contrast)
Yeter ki sen iste, ben yemeği bu akşam hazırlarım. Meaning stays; fronted elements get emphasis.

Is the comma necessary, and can yeter ki come second?

A comma is normal between the two clauses. Yeter ki can come second for afterthought/emphasis:

Bu akşam yemeği hazırlarım, yeter ki sen iste. Both orders are fine; starting with yeter ki foregrounds the condition.

How formal is this? How would I say it politely to more than one person?

This is friendly/neutral. To be polite or plural:

Yeter ki siz isteyin, bu akşam yemeği hazırlarım. If the subject should also be plural:
Yeter ki siz isteyin, bu akşam yemeği hazırlarız.

Is hazırlamak the right verb for “cook dinner”? Are there alternatives?

Yes. Common options:

yemek hazırlamak = prepare/cook a meal (very common)
yemek yapmak = make/cook a meal (colloquial, very common)
yemek pişirmek = cook (focus on the cooking process) All work in this context.

What’s the -ki in yeter ki vs -ki in bu akşamki?

Two different ki’s:

yeter ki: a fixed conjunction (“provided that”).
-ki (suffix): forms adjectives meaning “the one belonging to/at” → bu akşamki = “the one of this evening/tonight’s.” Example: Bu akşamki yemeği ben hazırlarım.

What is the object of iste? There’s no noun after it.

It’s understood from context, like English “want it.” Turkish often omits obvious objects: (Sen) iste = “(You) want (it).”

Any pronunciation tips?

yemeği: the ğ (soft g) lengthens the preceding vowel; it’s not a hard “g.” So it sounds like ye-mee.
Stress: typically on the last syllable of hazırlarım (ha-zır-la-RIM).
ki is pronounced like “kee.”