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.
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?