Jeneratör devreye girer girmez elektrik geldi.

to come

Breakdown of Jeneratör devreye girer girmez elektrik geldi.

• elektrik: the electricity
• jeneratör: the generator
• devreye girer girmez: as soon as it goes into operation

Questions & Answers about Jeneratör devreye girer girmez elektrik geldi.

What exactly does the phrase girer girmez mean and how is it formed?

It means as soon as. It’s formed by repeating the same verb twice: first in the affirmative aorist (girer), then in the negative aorist (girmez). The pattern is: V-(A)r V-maz. Despite the negative form, the whole pair together expresses immediate succession, not negation.

• girer = gir- (to enter) + -er (aorist, 3rd person)
• girmez = gir- + -mez (negative aorist, 3rd person)

Other examples:

• gelir gelmez = as soon as he/she comes
• çıkar çıkmaz = as soon as he/she goes out
• yapar yapmaz = as soon as he/she does (it)

Why is the first verb in the aorist (girer) while the second clause is in past tense (geldi)?

That’s the normal tense pairing for this construction. The time-clause uses the fixed aorist pattern V-(A)r V-maz, and the main clause takes the tense of the actual event. Here, the main event is in the past (geldi), so you get girer girmez + geldi: As soon as X happened, Y happened.

Could I use girince instead of girer girmez? What’s the difference?

girince means when/once (after it enters) and is less emphatic about immediacy. girer girmez specifically means the second event happened immediately. So:

• devreye girer girmez = the instant it kicked in
• devreye girince = when/once it kicked in (not necessarily immediately)

What does devreye girmek literally and idiomatically mean?

Literally, devre means circuit and -e is the dative case: into the circuit. girmek is to enter. Idiomatically, devreye girmek means to come online, to be engaged/activated, to go into operation. It’s used for systems, generators, backup plans, etc.