Hava kararmadan eve dönüyorum.

I return home before it gets dark.

Breakdown of Hava kararmadan eve dönüyorum.

• ev: the house
• hava: the weather
• -e: to
• -madan: before
• dönmek: to return
• kararmak: to get dark

Questions & Answers about Hava kararmadan eve dönüyorum.

What does the form kararmadan literally mean and how is it built?

It’s the negative converb meaning “without V‑ing / before V‑ing.” Formation: verb stem + -ma/-me (negation) + -dan/-den (ablative).

• kararmak (to get dark) → stem karar-
  • ma
    • dan → kararmadan = “without getting dark,” used temporally as “before it gets dark.”

Do I need önce after kararmadan?

No. -madan already means “before.”

• Hava kararmadan eve dönüyorum. = “I return home before it gets dark.”
  Adding önce is also common and a bit more explicit/emphatic:
• Hava kararmadan önce eve dönüyorum. (also correct and natural)

Why is it hava? Doesn’t hava mean “air”?

In Turkish, hava covers “weather/sky/outdoor light.” The idiom hava kararmak means “it gets dark (outside).” So Hava kararmadan = “before it gets dark (outside).”

Can I drop hava and just say Kararmadan?

Yes. Kararmadan eve dönüyorum. is perfectly natural and understood as “before it gets dark.” Including hava is slightly more explicit but not required.

What tense/aspect is dönüyorum, and how does it compare to dönerim?

dönüyorum is present progressive (“I am returning”), often used for current/near-future plans.
dönerim is the aorist/habitual (“I (usually) return”), used for routines or general truths.

How is dönüyorum formed, and why is it -üyor?

Stem dön- + progressive -(I)yor (here the allomorph -üyor due to vowel harmony) + 1st person -um → dön-üyor-um = dönüyorum.

Why is it eve and not ev or evi?

Because motion “to” a place takes the dative -e/-a: ev → eve (“to home”).
evi is accusative (direct object, specific “the house”) and isn’t used with motion verbs like dönmek.

Should I say eve or evime?

Both work:

• Eve dönüyorum is the idiomatic way to mean “I’m going (back) home,” and it usually implies your own home.
• Evime dönüyorum explicitly says “to my home/house,” adding emphasis on possession.

Can I say geri dönüyorum or use gitmek instead?

• geri dönmek (“to return back”) is common, though geri is somewhat redundant. Eve geri dönüyorum is fine.
• Eve gidiyorum means “I’m going home” (not necessarily emphasizing “return”), so use it if you don’t need the “back” nuance.

Can I change the word order?

Yes, adverbials are flexible. Most natural: Hava kararmadan eve dönüyorum.
Also acceptable: Eve, hava kararmadan, dönüyorum (more marked) or Eve hava kararmadan dönüyorum (fine). Keep the verb near the end for neutral flow.

How do I say it in past or future?

• Past: Hava kararmadan eve döndüm.
• Future: Hava kararmadan eve döneceğim.
• Habitual: Hava kararmadan eve dönerim.

How do I say “until it gets dark” instead of “before it gets dark”?

Use -a/-e kadar:

• Hava kararana kadar or Hava kararıncaya kadar = “until it gets dark.”

What’s the “after it gets dark” version?

Use a verbal noun with -dikten sonra:

• Hava karardıktan sonra eve dönüyorum. = “I return home after it gets dark.”
  Note: -madan/-meden pairs with “before,” not with “after.”

Does -madan require the same subject as the main clause?

No. Different subjects are fine: here it’s “the weather” (hava) vs “I.”

• Different: Hava kararmadan eve dönüyorum.
• Same: Yemeden yatmam. (“I don’t go to bed without eating.”)

Any pronunciation tips?

• dönüyorum: the “n+y” glide sounds like “nyo” [dö-nyo-ru-yom].
• kararmadan: break it as ka-rar-ma-dan; keep both r’s clear. Primary stress typically falls late in the word.

Are there natural alternatives to hava kararmadan?

Yes, depending on nuance:

• Akşam olmadan (before evening)
• Güneş batmadan (before the sun sets)
• Karanlık çökmeden (before darkness falls)

Is kararmaktan önce correct?

Prefer -meden önce or a noun + -dan önce:

• Kararmadan önce (best)
• Karanlıktan önce (using the noun “darkness”)
  Kararmaktan önce is not idiomatic in this meaning.