En fazla on dakika bekleyelim.

Let's wait at most ten minutes.

Breakdown of En fazla on dakika bekleyelim.

• beklemek: to wait
• dakika: the minute
• on: ten
• en fazla: at most

Questions & Answers about En fazla on dakika bekleyelim.

What form is the verb in bekleyelim, and what does it express?

It’s the 1st person plural optative/volitional mood: let’s wait. In Turkish this is formed with the suffix -(y)alım/-(y)elim, which expresses suggestions, proposals, or decisions that include the speaker and the addressee(s).

Why is there a y in bekleyelim?

Because the verb stem bekle- ends in a vowel, a buffer consonant y is inserted before the optative suffix to avoid two vowels bumping together. So:

• bekle- + -elim → bekle-ye-lim → bekleyelim More examples:
• ara- + -alım → arayalım (let’s call)
• ye- + -elim → yiyelim (let’s eat)
• git- + -elim → (no buffer needed) gidelim (let’s go)

What exactly does en fazla mean?

En fazla means “at most,” “no more than,” or “maximum.” It sets an upper limit. Related items:

• en çok: often interchangeable with en fazla in the sense “at most,” though it can also mean “the most” in other contexts.
• en az: “at least.”
• Formal/loanword equivalents for “maximum”: azami, maksimum.

Can I use en çok instead of en fazla here?

Yes. En çok on dakika bekleyelim is very common in speech and means the same thing (“let’s wait at most ten minutes”). Minor nuance:

• en fazla tends to feel like a stricter cap.
• en çok can also mean “the most” in other contexts (e.g., “the most popular”), but with numbers and durations it typically means “at most.”

Why is on dakika not pluralized?

After numbers, Turkish keeps the noun in the singular form. So it’s on dakika (ten minute), not “on dakikalar.” The number already indicates plurality/quantity.

Why doesn’t on dakika take an accusative ending?

Here, on dakika expresses a time duration and functions adverbially. Durations like this are left in the bare form:

• Beş dakika bekledim. (I waited five minutes.) If you put an accusative on a time word, you’d be turning it into a direct object, which would be odd here.

Could I say on dakikayı bekleyelim?

No, that would sound wrong or at least very odd. Beklemek is transitive when you’re waiting for something/someone (the bus, a person, a call), not when you’re specifying how long. Use the accusative on the thing you’re waiting for, not the duration:

• Otobüsü en fazla on dakika bekleyelim. (Let’s wait for the bus for at most ten minutes.)

Is there a negative way to express the same idea?

Yes:

• On dakikadan fazla beklemeyelim. (Let’s not wait more than ten minutes.) This is semantically equivalent to setting a max of ten minutes, just phrased negatively.

Can I move the time phrase around?

Yes, Turkish word order is flexible, though neutral placement is before the verb. Natural options:

• En fazla on dakika bekleyelim. (neutral)
• Otobüsü en fazla on dakika bekleyelim.
• En fazla on dakika otobüsü bekleyelim. Placing it after the verb (e.g., Bekleyelim, en fazla on dakika) can occur in speech for afterthought/emphasis, but the default is before the verb.

How can I make the suggestion softer or more polite?

• Add the question particle: Bekleyelim mi? (Shall we wait?)
• Add a softener: Lütfen en fazla on dakika bekleyelim.
• Soften with stance markers: Bence en fazla on dakika bekleyelim. / İstersen en fazla on dakika bekleyelim.
• Add a gentle prompt: Hadi en fazla on dakika bekleyelim.

What’s the difference between bekleyelim, bekleriz, and bekleyeceğiz?

• bekleyelim: optative suggestion “let’s wait.”
• bekleriz: aorist; can mean “we (generally) wait,” or a tentative/offer-like “we can/will wait.”
• bekleyeceğiz: definite future “we will wait.” Only bekleyelim clearly carries the “let’s…” suggestion.

How do I say “at least ten minutes”?

Use en az:

• En az on dakika bekleyelim. (Let’s wait at least ten minutes.)

Can I write the number as a digit?

Yes: En fazla 10 dakika bekleyelim. Notes on suffixing:

• If a case suffix attaches to a bare number standing alone, use an apostrophe: 10’da (at 10 o’clock).
• With a counted noun, the suffix goes on the noun, not the digit: 10 dakikaya (to 10 minutes), 10 dakikadan (than 10 minutes), etc.

How do I include what we’re waiting for?

Use beklemek with a (usually definite) object:

• Otobüsü en fazla on dakika bekleyelim. (Let’s wait for the bus for at most ten minutes.) Indefinite object (generic) takes no accusative:
• Otobüs bekleyelim. (Let’s wait for a bus.)

Does Sadece on dakika bekleyelim mean the same as using en fazla?

Not exactly.

• Sadece on dakika bekleyelim means “Let’s wait only/just ten minutes,” which sounds like an exact amount.
• En fazla on dakika bekleyelim sets a cap: up to ten minutes, possibly less.

Is bekleyelim inclusive “we,” or can it be a command to others?

It’s inclusive: it proposes an action that includes the speaker. To command others without including yourself, use the imperative:

• Bekleyin! (plural/polite) / Bekle! (singular) To tell a third person to wait: Beklesin.

Can I use kadar to express this “up to” idea?

Be careful:

• On dakika kadar bekleyelim usually means “Let’s wait about/approximately ten minutes,” not “at most.”
• To say “until 10 o’clock,” use time: 10’a kadar bekleyelim.
• For “at most ten minutes,” stick to En fazla/En çok on dakika bekleyelim or the negative alternative On dakikadan fazla beklemeyelim.

Is en fazla formal or casual? Any synonyms?

It’s neutral and common in everyday speech. Synonyms:

• en çok (very common, often interchangeable)
• azami (formal)
• maksimum (loanword, informal-to-neutral)

Does fazla by itself mean “too much”?

Yes. Fazla alone often means “too much/too many” or “excessive.” For example:

• Fazla beklemeyelim. (Let’s not wait too long.) Adding en changes it to the superlative/maximum sense: en fazla = “at most.”