Learn Hardcore Turkish: Tren rötar yaptı, bu yüzden istasyonda bekliyorum. - The train is delayed, so I am waiting at the station.

Literally it’s “made a delay,” but idiomatically it means “was delayed/ran late” for transport (trains, planes, buses, etc.). The noun rötar means “delay” (for scheduled transport). The collocation rötar yapmak is natural and common. You may also hear rötar etti (same meaning, a bit more formal) or simply rötar var (“there is a delay”).

Why is the verb in the past tense (yaptı) if I’m still waiting now?

Because the delay is treated as an already-realized fact that causes your current situation. The train “became delayed,” and as a result you’re waiting. If you want to emphasize an ongoing delay, you could say:

Tren gecikiyor, bu yüzden istasyonda bekliyorum. (“The train is running late, so I’m waiting at the station.”)

Can I say Tren gecikti instead of Tren rötar yaptı?

Yes. Tren gecikti = “The train is/was late.” It’s more general and works for people and events too. Rötar is transport-specific and sounds natural with trains/planes. Both are fine here; rötar yaptı aligns with transport announcements.

How else can I express the cause–result, for example with çünkü or için?

With çünkü (because): İstasyonda bekliyorum çünkü tren rötar yaptı.
With için (because/due to): Tren rötar yaptığı için istasyonda bekliyorum. Note: …yaptığı için uses a verbal noun form (yaptığı) before için.

Is the comma before bu yüzden necessary?

It’s customary to put a comma when joining two clauses: Tren rötar yaptı, bu yüzden… You can also start a new sentence: Tren rötar yaptı. Bu yüzden istasyonda bekliyorum.

Can I use o yüzden or bu nedenle instead of bu yüzden?

Yes:

o yüzden = “that’s why” (very common in speech)
bu yüzden / bu nedenle / bu sebeple / dolayısıyla = “therefore/for this reason” (some are slightly more formal) Meaning is the same here.

How does the -da/-de/-ta/-te in istasyonda work?

It’s the locative suffix meaning “in/at/on.” Choose the right form by:

Vowel harmony (a/e) based on the last vowel of the noun
Consonant voicing (d → t) after a voiceless consonant Examples:
istasyon → istasyon-da (“at the station”)
şehir → şehir-de (“in the city”)
park → park-ta (“in the park”)

What’s the difference between istasyonda and istasyona?

istasyonda = “at the station” (locative, where you are)
istasyona = “to the station” (dative, direction/destination)

Why is it istasyonda bekliyorum and not istasyondayım?

istasyonda bekliyorum = “I’m waiting at the station” (action + place)
istasyondayım = “I’m at the station” (location as the main predicate) You can say both if you want: İstasyondayım ve bekliyorum.

How is bekliyorum formed from beklemek?

Present continuous: verb stem + -iyor/ıyor/uyor/üyor + personal ending.

bekle-
- -iyor → drop the final vowel of the stem → bekliyor
  - -um (1st sg) → bekliyorum. Use this for actions happening now or around now.

Do I need to say Ben bekliyorum?

No. Turkish marks the subject on the verb, so bekliyorum already means “I am waiting.” You add Ben only for emphasis or contrast: Ben bekliyorum (başkası değil).

Why doesn’t rötar take an accusative ending here?

In Tren rötar yaptı, rötar is an indefinite direct object (“a delay”), and indefinite objects in Turkish usually remain bare (no -ı/-i/-u/-ü). Definite objects take the accusative, but here it would sound unnatural.

Can I move words around, e.g., put bu yüzden at the start?

Yes. Common variants:

Bu yüzden istasyonda bekliyorum.
Tren rötar yaptı, bu yüzden istasyonda bekliyorum.
İstasyonda bekliyorum çünkü tren rötar yaptı. Keep the verb at the end of each clause. Moving elements changes emphasis, not core meaning.

Is rötar only for trains?

It’s used for all scheduled transport: Uçak rötar yaptı/etti (“The plane was delayed”), Otobüs rötar yaptı. With people/events, prefer gecikti or gecikme.

Can I just say Rötar var to mean the same thing?

Yes, that’s common in announcements and casual speech. You can also be specific: Trende rötar var (“There’s a delay with the train”). It’s a noun-based way of stating the delay.