Learn Hardcore Turkish: Saat yediyi beş geçe buluşalım.

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?

You can drop it. Yediyi beş geçe buluşalım is perfectly natural in conversation. Saat just makes it explicit that you’re talking about the clock time.

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?

Yes. The word dakika is normally omitted unless you need extra clarity. Beş geçe is understood as “five minutes past.”

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.