Panik yapmayın, birazdan otobüs gelecek.

Don’t panic; the bus will arrive shortly.

Breakdown of Panik yapmayın, birazdan otobüs gelecek.

• otobüs: the bus
• gelmek: to arrive
• birazdan: shortly
• panik yapmak: to panic

Questions & Answers about Panik yapmayın, birazdan otobüs gelecek.

Why is it Panik yapmayın instead of a single verb meaning “don’t panic”?

Turkish often forms actions from nouns using a “light verb,” commonly yapmak (to do/make). So panik yapmak literally means “to do panic,” i.e., “to panic.” There is also a true verb paniklemek (“to panic”). Both are natural:

• Panik yapmayın! = Don’t panic!
• Paniklemeyin! = Don’t panic! “Panik yapmayın” is extremely common in speech; “paniklemeyin” can feel a touch more standard/concise.

What does the ending -mayın in yapmayın tell me?

It’s the negative imperative for the second person plural (also used as polite “you”). Structure: verb stem + -ma/-me (negation) + (buffer) -y- + -ın/-in/-un/-ün (2nd pl).

• yap-ma-yın = don’t do (you all / you, polite)
• Informal singular: yapma
• Very formal (announcements/signs): yapmayınız The same pattern gives panikle-me-yin → “don’t panic.”

How do I pronounce the tricky letters here (like ı, c, ç, ü)?

• ı (dotless i) in yapmayın is a close, unrounded sound (like the second vowel in “roses”): yuhp-ma-yuhn.
• c is like English “j” in “jam,” so gelecek sounds like ge-le-jek.
• ç (not in this sentence) is “ch” in “church.”
• ü in otobüs is like German ü/French u (front rounded): o-to-BÜS. Syllables: bi-raz-dan | o-to-büs | ge-le-cek.

What exactly does birazdan mean?

Birazdan = “in a little while (from now).” It comes from biraz (a bit) + ablative -dan (from), literally “from a little (time).” Close equivalents:

• biraz sonra ≈ a little later (very close in meaning)
• az sonra = shortly
• yakında = soon/nearby (temporal “soon,” but also spatial “near”; less precise for “in a few minutes”)

Can I change the word order? For example, Otobüs birazdan gelecek?

Yes. Word order affects emphasis:

• Birazdan otobüs gelecek. (Neutral; sets the time first.)
• Otobüs birazdan gelecek. (Emphasizes when the bus will come.)
• Otobüs gelecek birazdan. (Colloquial, end-focus on time.) All are understandable; placing time adverbs early is very common.

How is the future form gelecek built?

From the stem gel- (come) + future -ecek/-acak (chosen by vowel harmony). Because the stem has a front vowel (e), it takes -ecek → gel-ecek. No personal ending is visible for 3rd person singular: gelecek = “(he/she/it) will come.” Other persons:

• geleceğim (I will come)
• geleceksin (you will come)
• geleceğiz (we will come)
• geleceksiniz (you pl./polite will come)
• gelecekler (they will come)

Could I say Otobüs geliyor instead of gelecek?

Yes, and it’s very natural for the near future.

• Otobüs geliyor can imply “It’s on its way / I can see it on the route tracker / it’s due now.”
• Otobüs gelecek is a plain “will come” (prediction/schedule). With birazdan, both are fine; geliyor often feels more immediate.

Does gelecek also mean “next” or “the future”? Will that confuse anything?

Yes, gelecek can be:

• A verb: otobüs gelecek = the bus will come.
• An adjective: gelecek hafta = next week (“the coming week”).
• A noun: gelecek = the future. Context disambiguates easily.

Why is there no “the” before otobüs? How would I say “a bus”?

Turkish has no articles. Definiteness comes from context and case-marking.

• Otobüs gelecek. = “The bus will come” (contextually definite).
• Bir otobüs gelecek. = “A bus will come.” Note: As a subject, otobüs stays unmarked. The accusative -ı/-i/-u/-ü (e.g., otobüsü) marks definite objects, not subjects: Otobüsü bekliyoruz = “We are waiting for the bus.”

Is Panik yapmayın polite? How can I soften it?

It’s polite (plural/polite you), but still a direct command. Softeners:

• Lütfen panik yapmayın.
• Sakin olun, lütfen.
• Panik yapmayın, rica ederim. For signs/announcements: Panik yapmayınız (very formal).

Is Paniklemeyin better than Panik yapmayın?

Both are correct and common. Nuance:

• Paniklemeyin uses the dedicated verb and sounds compact/standard.
• Panik yapmayın is extremely common in everyday speech and perfectly acceptable. Use whichever you prefer; you’ll hear both regularly.

What does sakın add, as in Sakın panik yapmayın?

Sakın strengthens a negative imperative: “Whatever you do, don’t…”

• Sakın panik yapmayın. = “Don’t panic under any circumstances.” It pairs with negative forms; don’t use it with positive imperatives.

Is the comma necessary? Could I use an exclamation mark?

Punctuation is flexible here. Options:

• Panik yapmayın! Birazdan otobüs gelecek. (Very natural: a firm reassurance.)
• Panik yapmayın, birazdan otobüs gelecek. (Also fine; softer tone.) Either is acceptable; the exclamation often fits imperative clauses well.

Can I drop the subject otobüs if it’s obvious?

Yes. Turkish allows subject drop when context is clear:

• Birazdan gelecek. = “(It) will come soon.” You can also say O birazdan gelecek (“That one/he/she will come soon”), but pronouns are usually omitted unless needed for clarity.

Any other natural ways to express the same idea?

• Sakin olun, otobüs birazdan geliyor.
• Panik yapmayın, otobüs gelmek üzere. (It’s about to arrive.)
• Panik yapmayın, az kaldı. (Almost here.)
• Otobüs birazdan burada olur. (Colloquial: It’ll be here shortly.)