Questions & Answers about Saat yediyi beş geçe buluşalım.
Why is it yediyi and not yedi?
Because with the time postposition geçe (“past”), the hour takes the accusative case -(y)i. Conceptually, the minutes are “passing” the hour, and the hour is marked like a direct object.
- at 10 past 8: saat sekizi on geçe
- at 3 past 1: saat biri üç geçe
So “at five past seven” is saat yediyi beş geçe.
What exactly is geçe, and is it the same as gece?
They’re different:
- geçe (with ç) is a fixed adverbial/postpositional form from geçmek “to pass,” used only in telling time: “past [the hour].”
- gece (with c) means “night.”
So beş geçe = “five past,” while gece = “night.”
Could I say saat yedide instead?
No, not for “five past seven.” -de/-da (locative) means “at,” so saat yedide means “at seven o’clock (exactly).”
For “X past Y,” Turkish uses:
- hour in accusative + minutes + geçe → saat yediyi beş geçe.
How do I say “five to seven” instead?
Use kala (“to, before”). With kala, the hour takes dative -e/-a:
- saat yediye beş kala = at five to seven Pattern: hour in dative + minutes + kala (e.g., sekize on kala, üçe çeyrek kala).
Is saat required, or can I drop it?
Is the word order fixed? Can I say Buluşalım saat yediyi beş geçe?
Yes, time phrases are flexible. All of these are fine (normal emphasis varies):
- Saat yediyi beş geçe buluşalım.
- Yediyi beş geçe buluşalım.
- Buluşalım saat yediyi beş geçe.
Can I say it in a more “digital clock” way, like saat yedi beşte?
Yes. Another common way is hour + minute + locative:
- saat yedi beşte = at 7:05
- saat yedi kırk beşte = at 7:45
- saat yedi buçukta = at 7:30 This style is very common in scheduling.
Why use buluşalım and not buluşuyoruz?
- buluşalım is the 1st person plural optative: a suggestion/offer “let’s meet.”
- buluşuyoruz literally means “we are meeting,” often used to confirm an arrangement (“So we’re meeting (then), right?”).
- buluşuruz (aorist) can mean “we’ll meet (then)” as a plan/prediction.
How can I make the suggestion more tentative or polite?
Add the question particle or a softener:
- Saat yediyi beş geçe buluşalım mı? (Shall we meet at five past seven?)
- Add istersen(iz), uygunsa for extra softness:
- İstersen saat yediyi beş geçe buluşalım.
- Uygunsa yediyi beş geçe buluşalım.
What does the -alım in buluşalım mean? Is this vowel harmony?
Yes. -alım/-elim is the optative ending for “let’s …” and follows vowel harmony:
- If the last vowel is a back vowel (a, ı, o, u): use -alım → buluşalım, yapalım
- If it’s a front vowel (e, i, ö, ü): use -elim → gidelim, bekleyelim
Why is there a buffer y in yediyi?
When a word ends in a vowel and you add a vowel-starting suffix, Turkish often inserts a buffer consonant y to prevent a vowel clash:
- yedi + -i → yediyi
- Compare: altı + -ı → altıyı, iki + -i → ikiyi If the hour ends with a consonant, no buffer is needed: beş + -i → beşi.
Can I use çeyrek and buçuk with this pattern?
- Quarter past/to:
- saat yediyi çeyrek geçe = at a quarter past seven (7:15)
- saat yediye çeyrek kala = at a quarter to seven (6:45)
- Half past is usually with the locative:
- saat yedi buçukta = at half past seven (7:30) You can also say digital-style: saat yedi on beşte (7:15), saat yedi kırk beşte (7:45).
Is beş geçe the same as beş dakika geçe?
Is buluşalım the only verb for “meet,” or can I use görüşmek?
Both are common but have nuances:
- buluşmak: to meet up (physically, to get together at a place).
- görüşmek: to meet/talk/see each other (can be in person, on the phone, online). For an in-person meetup time, buluşmak is the default: Saat yediyi beş geçe buluşalım.
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