Learn Hardcore Turkish: Kalorifer yanınca kızım artık üşümüyor, oğlum da ders çalışırken rahat ediyor. - When the radiator is on, my daughter no longer feels cold, and my son is comfortable while studying.

Kalorifer is the central heating system (radiators) in a building. In everyday speech, kalorifer yanınca naturally means “when the heating is on/comes on.”

Why use yanınca with kalorifer? Doesn’t yanmak literally mean “to burn”?

Literally yes, but with heaters/stoves yanmak idiomatically means “to be on, to be running.” So kalorifer yanınca = “when the heating is on/when it comes on.”

How does the suffix -ınca/-ince/-unca/-ünce work?

It makes a time clause: “when, once, whenever, after.” It follows vowel harmony based on the last vowel of the verb stem:

a/ı → -ınca (e.g., yanınca)
e/i → -ince (e.g., gelince)
o/u → -unca (e.g., olunca)
ö/ü → -ünce (e.g., görünce) It can imply a cause from context, but its core meaning is temporal.

Could I say kalorifer açılınca or kalorifer yakılınca instead?

Yes:

açılınca: “when it is turned on” (focus on operating a switch/control).
yakılınca: “when it is lit/started” (more manual/old-style heating). Yanınca is the most neutral everyday choice.

What’s the difference between yanınca and yanarken?

yanınca: “when/once it comes on” (an event leading into a state).
yanarken: “while it is on/burning” (during the state). Both fit here; yanınca slightly emphasizes the transition that stops the cold.

What does artık mean here?

With a negative, artık means “no longer / not anymore.” So kızım artık üşümüyor = “my daughter is not cold anymore.” With a positive verb it can mean “now, from now on, at last.”

Where can artık go in the sentence?

It’s flexible:

Kızım artık üşümüyor (most common).
Artık kızım üşümüyor (emphasis on the time change).
Kızım üşümüyor artık (colloquial, end-focus). Meaning stays the same.

Why use üşümek instead of something with soğuk?

Üşümek is the verb “to feel cold” (a person’s sensation). Soğuk is “cold” as an adjective/noun. You say üşüyorum (“I feel cold”), not something like “I am cold” with soğuk. Note: üşütmek means “to catch a chill,” which is different.

How is üşümüyor formed, and why is it spelled that way?

Negative present continuous: verb + -mıyor/-miyor/-muyor/-müyor (vowel harmony). The last vowel in üşü- is ü, so you get -müyor: üşü- + -müyor → üşümüyor = “is not feeling cold.”

Could we use the simple present üşümez instead of üşümüyor?

You could: kızım üşümez = “my daughter doesn’t get cold” (general trait). With artık and a recent change, üşümüyor sounds more natural and situational.

What does oğlum da mean, and what is da?

da/de (written separately) is the additive particle meaning “also/too.” oğlum da = “my son too.” It follows vowel harmony (da/de) but, unlike the locative suffix -da/-de, it’s written separately and never turns into -ta/-te.

What does ders çalışırken mean? Why include ders?

çalışmak = “to work.” To say “to study (schoolwork),” Turkish uses ders çalışmak (“to study lessons”). -ken means “while,” so ders çalışırken = “while (he is) studying.”

Why is it çalışırken and not çalışıyorken?

Both exist. -ken can attach to:

the base/aorist: çalışırken (neutral, very common),
the present continuous: çalışıyorken (more specific/emphatic, heavier). In everyday speech, çalışırken is preferred.

What does rahat ediyor mean? Why use etmek?

Rahat etmek is an idiom meaning “to be/feel comfortable, at ease.” Rahat ediyor = “he feels comfortable.” Alternatives exist (rahat oluyor, rahat hissediyor), but rahat etmek is the most idiomatic here.

Is the comma okay without ve (“and”)?

Yes. Turkish often links two related independent clauses with a comma when the connection is clear. Adding ve before oğlum da is fine but not required.

Can the word order change?

Yes, for emphasis. For example:

Kalorifer yanınca, artık kızım üşümüyor; oğlum da ders çalışırken rahat ediyor.
Kalorifer yanınca, oğlum da ders çalışırken rahat ediyor; kızım artık üşümüyor.
Artık kızım, kalorifer yanınca üşümüyor. The verb typically stays at the end of each clause; moving elements changes focus.

How would I say it with explicit “because” instead of “when”?

Use -dığı için: Kalorifer yandığı için kızım artık üşümüyor, oğlum da ders çalışırken rahat ediyor. That’s “Because the heating is on …”

Any pronunciation tips for oğlum and kızım?

oğlum: ğ is silent; it lengthens the preceding vowel (roughly “o-oom”).
kızım: the vowel is dotless ı (a central, relaxed sound), not “i.” Both have the 1st-person possessive: kız-ım (my daughter), oğl-um (my son).