Learn Hardcore Turkish: Akşamüstü trafik yoğun oluyor, yine de geleceğim. - Traffic gets heavy in the late afternoon; I will come anyway.

Akşamüstü and akşamüzeri are near-synonyms for “late afternoon/early evening” (roughly the time leading up to evening).
Akşam is “evening” proper (later than akşamüstü).
Öğleden sonra is “afternoon” in general and covers a broader, earlier span than akşamüstü.

Is Akşamüstü written as one word or two?

Standard spelling is one word: akşamüstü. You’ll also see the synonymous one-word form akşamüzeri. Writing it as two words (akşam üstü) appears in informal contexts but the recommended form is the single word.

Do I need the locative suffix -de/-da to say “in the late afternoon”?

No. Time words often function adverbially with no suffix: Akşamüstü means “in the late afternoon” by itself. You can specify: Pazartesi akşamüstü (“Monday late afternoon”). Forms like akşamüstünde exist but are less common and add a more “during that time period” flavor.

Why “trafik yoğun oluyor” instead of just “trafik yoğun”?

Trafik yoğun = “traffic is heavy (right now/as a state).”
Trafik yoğun oluyor adds a dynamic or recurring feel: “traffic gets/is becoming heavy (around that time)” or “tends to be heavy.” With a time expression like Akşamüstü, it reads as a regular pattern.

Could I use the aorist and say “Trafik yoğun olur”?

Yes. Trafik yoğun olur presents it as a general, habitual fact (“Traffic is heavy (as a rule)”). Yoğun oluyor can sound like an ongoing pattern observed nowadays or repeatedly in the current frame of reference. Both are natural; choose based on nuance.

Can I say “Trafik var” instead of “Trafik yoğun”?

Yes, but they’re not identical:

Trafik var ≈ “There’s traffic/there’s congestion.”
Trafik yoğun = “Traffic is heavy/intense.”
If you want to stress severity, yoğun (or çok yoğun) conveys it more clearly.

What exactly does “yine de” do, and how is it different from ama/ancak/fakat?

Yine de = “even so/nevertheless,” signaling you’re doing something despite an obstacle or expectation to the contrary.
Ama/ancak/fakat = “but/however,” a more neutral contrast.
You can use both: Trafik yoğun oluyor ama yine de geleceğim.

Is it “yinede” or “yine de”? Does the “de” ever become “te/ta”?

It’s always two words: yine de. The de here is the clitic “also/too” used idiomatically as “even so.” It’s written separately and always with d (never t), even after voiceless consonants.

Why is there a comma before “yine de”? Is it required?

The comma separates two independent clauses and marks the pause before the concessive adverbial yine de. It’s optional stylistically; you could also write a semicolon or a period:

Akşamüstü trafik yoğun oluyor; yine de geleceğim.
Akşamüstü trafik yoğun oluyor. Yine de geleceğim.

Why is there no subject pronoun “ben”?

Turkish is pro-drop: the verb ending shows the subject, so geleceğim already encodes “I.” You add ben for emphasis or contrast: Ben yine de geleceğim (“I, for my part, will still come”).

Why future tense “geleceğim” and not “gelirim” or “geliyorum”?

Geleceğim = planned/decided future or a firm promise: “I will come.”
Gelirim (aorist) = willingness/offer or habitual: “I’ll come (sure, I can)” or “I (typically) come.”
Geliyorum = present progressive: “I’m coming (now / I’m on my way).”
Given the contrast with traffic, geleceğim sounds like a determined promise.

How is “geleceğim” formed? Why the ğ?

Root gel- + future -ecek + 1sg -im → gel-ecek-im. When a vowel-initial personal ending follows -ecek/-acak, the k softens and merges: -ecek + -im → -eceğim (with ğ). Hence geleceğim. Compare alacağım, yapacağım.

Is “geleceğim” ambiguous with “my future”?

Yes. Gelecek (the noun “future”) + 1sg possessive -im → geleceğim = “my future.” Context disambiguates:

Yine de geleceğim. = “I will come.”
Geleceğim parlak. = “My future is bright.”

Can I move “yine de” or reorder parts of the sentence?

Some options:

Yine de geleceğim. (neutral, common)
Akşamüstü yine de geleceğim. (keeps time at the start)
Yine de akşamüstü geleceğim. (slight emphasis on the concession first)
Avoid placing yine de far from the verb phrase; it typically precedes what it scopes over.

Can I use a plural-of-time form like “Akşamüstleri”?

Yes. Akşamüstleri trafik yoğun olur emphasizes a habitual, recurring situation (“On late afternoons, traffic is heavy”). Similarly: Akşamları, Sabahları.

Is “yoğun” the only good adjective here? What about “kalabalık” or “ağır”?

Yoğun is the standard collocation for traffic (“heavy/dense”).
Ağır describes slow-moving traffic (“heavy/slow”): Trafik çok ağır.
Kalabalık (“crowded”) is more for places/people; trafik kalabalık is less idiomatic.