Film başlar başlamaz telefonumu sessize alıyorum.

As soon as the film starts, I put my phone on silent.

Breakdown of Film başlar başlamaz telefonumu sessize alıyorum.

• ben: I
• benim: my
• film: the film
• telefon: the phone
• sessize almak: to put on silent
• başlar başlamaz: as soon as

Questions & Answers about Film başlar başlamaz telefonumu sessize alıyorum.

What does the structure in bold — başlar başlamaz — mean and how is it formed?

It means as soon as (it) starts. It’s a fixed temporal pattern built as:

• verb stem + aorist 3rd person singular + same verb stem + negative aorist
• In this sentence: başla-
  • r and başla-
    • maz → başlar başlamaz

Other common examples:

• gelir gelmez = as soon as (s/he) arrives
• görür görmez = as soon as (s/he) sees
• biter bitmez = as soon as (it) ends
• çıkar çıkmaz = as soon as (s/he/it) leaves/comes out
• yapar yapmaz = as soon as (s/he) does

Why does one part look affirmative (başlar) and the other negative (başlamaz)?

That’s inherent to the pattern. The combination “aorist affirmative + aorist negative” idiomatically yields the meaning the very moment that X happens. You don’t interpret the second verb literally as a negation here; it’s just how Turkish encodes “no sooner than.”

Could I use başlayınca instead? What’s the difference?

• başlar başlamaz = as soon as the film starts (immediacy emphasized).
• başlayınca = when/once the film starts (looser timing; not necessarily immediate).

Both are correct, but başlar başlamaz is stronger and sharper in timing.

Why is it alıyorum (present continuous) and not alırım (aorist) for a habitual action?

• alırım is the canonical way to express a general habit or rule.
• alıyorum is often used in everyday speech for routines or near-future intentions and can sound more conversational or immediate. Both are acceptable; for a timeless rule, alırım is slightly more textbook-neutral: Film başlar başlamaz telefonumu sessize alırım.

How do I say this for a single past or future event?

Keep the başlar başlamaz part and change the main verb:

• Past: Film başlar başlamaz telefonumu sessize aldım.
• Future: Film başlar başlamaz telefonumu sessize alacağım.
• Habitual: … sessize alırım.
• Polite instruction: Film başlar başlamaz telefonunuzu sessize alın.

Why is telefonumu in the accusative case (-u)?

Because it’s a definite, possessed direct object of a transitive action:

• telefon
  • 1sg possessive → telefonum (my phone)
• • definite accusative → telefonumu The -ı/-i/-u/-ü form is chosen by vowel harmony; here it’s -u because the last vowel in telefonum is back/rounded.

Can I drop the accusative and say telefonum sessize alıyorum?

No. Without the accusative, telefonum would look like a subject (“my phone”), not the object. With a possessed, specific object like “my phone,” you mark it with accusative: telefonumu. So the correct object is telefonumu sessize alıyorum.

What does sessize almak literally mean, and why is it -e?

Literally “to take (something) to silent,” i.e., to put it in silent mode. The -e is the dative case showing a change of state/target state. Common pattern: X-(acc) + STATE-(dat) + light verb, e.g.:

• rengi siyaha çevirmek = to turn the color to black
• ışıkları kapalıya almak (less common but analogous) = to set the lights to “off” Here: telefonu sessize almak = set the phone to silent.

Are there natural synonyms for sessize almak?

Yes, you’ll also hear:

• sessize çevirmek
• sessize ayarlamak
• sessiz moda almak (note the dative: moda) The most idiomatic day-to-day choice is sessize almak.

Can I change the word order, e.g., Sessize alıyorum telefonumu?

Yes. Neutral order is object-before-complement: Telefonumu sessize alıyorum. You can move elements for focus:

• Sessize alıyorum telefonumu. (focus on the action/state)
• Telefonumu sessize alıyorum ben. (emphasizing “I”) Avoid unnatural splits like Telefonumu alıyorum sessize in this meaning.

Why is it Film and not Filmi at the start?

Because film is the subject of başlar. Subjects stay in the bare (nominative) form in Turkish. Filmi would be accusative and would imply it’s an object, which it isn’t here.

Do I need a comma after başlar başlamaz?

Not required, but commonly used for readability:

• Film başlar başlamaz, telefonumu sessize alıyorum. Both with or without the comma are fine.

Can I use this pattern with different persons/subjects?

Yes, but inside the pattern you typically keep the verbs in their bare aorist forms (no personal endings):

• Ben gelir gelmez ararım.
• Ali görür görmez çıkar.
• Filmler biter bitmez ışıklar açılır. Even when the subject isn’t 3rd singular, the template remains V-(a)r V-mez.

How is başlar başlamaz chosen vs. gelir gelmez / görür görmez morphologically?

It follows regular aorist and negative-aorist formation with vowel harmony:

• başla- → başlar / başlamaz
• gel- → gelir / gelmez
• gör- → görür / görmez
• yap- → yapar / yapmaz
• bit- → biter / bitmez

Is adding hemen redundant?

It’s optional emphasis. Başlar başlamaz already encodes immediacy, but hemen adds extra punch:

• Film başlar başlamaz hemen telefonumu sessize alırım.

Do I need to say Ben?

No. Person is already marked on alıyorum. Use Ben only for emphasis/contrast:

• Neutral: Film başlar başlamaz telefonumu sessize alıyorum.
• Emphatic: Ben, film başlar başlamaz telefonumu sessize alıyorum.

Any tips on pronunciation?

• Many speakers pronounce film as two syllables: roughly “fi-lim” in casual speech.
• Syllables: baş-lar baş-la-maz | te-le-fo-no-mu ses-si-ze a-lı-yo-rum
• Turkish stress is generally word-final; in these words you’ll typically hear the last syllable stressed: bașlaR, başlamA Z, telefonuMU, sessiZE, alıyoRUM.