Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Turkish grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about En az beş dakika bekle.
What form is the verb in bekle, and who is being addressed?
It’s the informal second-person singular imperative: a direct command to one person you’re on familiar terms with (you = “sen”).
How do I say this more politely or formally?
Use the plural/formal imperative Bekleyin (or very formal Bekleyiniz) or make a polite request: Lütfen en az beş dakika bekler misiniz?
Where can I put lütfen (please)?
Common placements are:
- Lütfen en az beş dakika bekleyin.
- En az beş dakika lütfen bekleyin.
- En az beş dakika bekleyin, lütfen. All are fine; putting it at the beginning sounds especially polite.
Why is there no subject pronoun like “sen”?
Turkish drops subject pronouns when the verb form already shows the person. Bekle inherently means “(you singular) wait.”
Why is it beş dakika and not “beş dakikalar”?
After numerals, Turkish keeps the noun singular. So it’s always beş dakika, iki elma, etc.
Do I need any case ending or a word for “for” to express duration?
No. Bare duration nouns work: beş dakika bekle = “wait for five minutes.” You can add boyunca for emphasis: beş dakika boyunca bekle.
What’s the difference between en az and en azından?
- en az directly quantifies numbers/amounts: en az beş dakika (at least five minutes).
- en azından is more like “at least” as a sentence adverb: En azından beş dakika bekle. Both work with numbers, but en az is tighter/quantitative.
Can I change the word order?
Keep en az right before the amount: En az beş dakika bekle is natural. Beş dakika en az bekle sounds odd; don’t split the quantifier from its number.
Shouldn’t a command take an exclamation mark?
Both En az beş dakika bekle. and En az beş dakika bekle! are correct. The exclamation mark adds firmness/urgency.
How do I say “at most five minutes”?
Use en çok: En çok beş dakika bekle.
How do I say it as advice/necessity rather than a command?
Use the necessity suffix: En az beş dakika beklemelisin (you should/must wait at least five minutes). Formal/plural: beklemelisiniz.
How do I make it negative (don’t wait…)?
Negative imperative is bekleme (singular) / beklemeyin (plural/formal). For “Don’t wait more than five minutes,” say Beş dakikadan fazla bekleme.
What’s the difference between bekle and dur?
- bekle = wait (let time pass, stay put until something happens).
- dur = stop (cease moving/acting). They’re not interchangeable.
How do I say “Wait for me (at least five minutes)”?
Use a direct object with beklemek: Beni en az beş dakika bekle. (Don’t use “için” here; beklemek already means “wait for.”)
How do I say “at least five more minutes”?
Add daha: En az beş dakika daha bekle.
Is Minimum beş dakika bekle okay?
You may hear minimum in technical/advert contexts, but everyday Turkish prefers en az. So stick with En az beş dakika bekle.
What’s the nuance of beş dakika boyunca bekle vs. plain beş dakika bekle?
Both mean “wait for five minutes.” Boyunca emphasizes the entire span (“throughout the five minutes”) and can sound a bit more explicit/formal.
Pronunciation tips?
- en az = “en az” (as spelled), said together smoothly.
- beş = “besh” (ş = sh).
- dakika = “da-KEE-kah,” stress usually on the last syllable.
- bekle = “bek-leh,” stress on the last syllable.