Learn Hardcore Turkish: Tren gelinceye kadar istasyonda bekliyorum. - I am waiting at the station until the train arrives.

gel- = come
-ince = when/once (converb that makes a time clause: gelince = when it comes)
-e = dative case (to, until) added after the converb
Buffer y = inserted to link vowel-ending gelince to vowel-starting -e, giving gelinceye
kadar = until/up to (a postposition) So: gel-ince-ye kadar = up to when it comes → until it arrives.

What’s the difference between gelinceye kadar and gelene kadar?

Both mean until (it) comes and are correct.

gelinceye kadar: converb-based (when it comes + to + until). Slightly more formal/explicitly temporal.
gelene kadar: participle-based (gel-en-e
- kadar = to the coming + until). Very common and often a bit simpler-sounding. In everyday speech, gelene kadar is extremely frequent; gelinceye kadar is also common and fully natural.

Why is there a y in gelinceye?

It’s a buffer consonant used to prevent two vowels from clashing. gelince ends with a vowel, and adding the dative -e would create vowel-vowel contact, so Turkish inserts y: gelince + e → gelinceye.

Why is it istasyon-da and not istasyon-de or istasyon-ta?

The locative suffix is -DA / -DE chosen by vowel harmony: after a back vowel (like o in istasyon), use -DA.
The consonant is d (not t) because the preceding sound (n) is voiced; Turkish uses t only after voiceless consonants. Hence: istasyon + da → istasyonda = at the station.

Why is tren unmarked (no article like “the”)?

Turkish has no definite article. tren can mean the train or a train depending on context. Here, context makes it “the train.” If you wanted to emphasize indefiniteness, you could add bir: bir tren, but that would mean “until a train (any train) arrives,” which is a different idea.

Is tren in any special case here? How do subjects work in the -ince clause?

No. tren is in the nominative (bare form) as the subject of the -ince time clause. With -ince clauses, the subject is typically nominative. You do not use the genitive-possessive pattern here (that pattern appears with nominalized clauses like -mesi).

Could I say Trenin gelmesine kadar instead? Is that different?

Yes: Trenin gelmesine kadar is also correct. It nominalizes the event: tren-in gel-me-si-ne kadar = until the train’s arriving. It’s a bit more formal or “nouny.” Meaning-wise it’s the same in most contexts; gelene kadar / gelinceye kadar are usually more conversational.

Is the word order fixed? Can I move phrases around?

You can move the adverbial and locative:

Tren gelinceye kadar istasyonda bekliyorum. (neutral)
İstasyonda, tren gelinceye kadar bekliyorum. (focus on place first)
İstasyonda bekliyorum, tren gelinceye kadar. (end-focus on the time limit; more speech-like) All are acceptable; Turkish is flexible. Final position often carries emphasis.

Should there be a comma after Tren gelinceye kadar?

Usually no comma is needed. A comma is sometimes inserted for breathing/clarity in longer sentences, but Tren gelinceye kadar istasyonda bekliyorum is fine without one.

Why is it bekliyorum (present continuous) instead of a future form?

Because you’re describing an ongoing action now: I am waiting. The endpoint is in the future (when the train arrives), but the waiting is happening at the moment of speaking, so -yor fits. If you want to promise/intend a future action, use the future:

Tren gelinceye kadar bekleyeceğim. = I will wait until the train arrives.

How would I say “I usually wait until the train arrives”?

Use the aorist (habitual) for routine behavior:

Tren gelene/geli̇nceye kadar beklerim.

How do I negate this?

Present continuous negative: Tren gelene/gelinceye kadar istasyonda beklemiyorum. = I’m not waiting at the station until the train arrives. (Contexts where this makes sense: explaining you won’t do that now.)
Future negative: Tren gelene/gelinceye kadar beklemeyeceğim. = I won’t wait until the train arrives.
Habitual negative: Tren gelene/gelinceye kadar beklemem. = I don’t (generally) wait until the train arrives.

What’s the difference between gelinceye kadar and gelince without kadar?

gelince = when/once it arrives (a point in time).
gelinceye kadar = until it arrives (the entire span up to that point). So Tren gelince istasyonda bekliyorum would mean “When the train arrives, I am waiting at the station,” which is odd; you want the duration idea, hence kadar.

Can I add Ben? And can I drop tren?

Ben is optional. Ben istasyonda bekliyorum adds emphasis on I.
You can drop tren only if context already makes the subject obvious: Gelinceye kadar istasyonda bekliyorum = I’m waiting at the station until it arrives. Without context, that’s vague.

What exactly does kadar do? Are there synonyms?

kadar is a postposition meaning until, up to, as much as. With times, distances, amounts, or events:

saat üçe kadar = until 3 o’clock
buraya kadar = up to here
bu kadar = this much Synonyms for the temporal sense: dek and değin. Example: Tren gelinceye dek/değin.

How is bekliyorum formed? Why not bekleyorum?

Stem: bekle- (to wait)
Present continuous: -yor. Before -yor, the preceding vowel raises: e → i, so bekle- + -yor → bekliyor
1st person singular: -um (chosen by vowel harmony after o): bekliyor + um → bekliyorum So it’s bekliyorum, not bekleyorum.

Can the subject of the time clause be different?

Yes. You can specify another subject:

Sen gelinceye kadar istasyonda bekliyorum. = I’m waiting at the station until you arrive. With -ince, the embedded subject stays in the nominative (here sen), which is straightforward.