Learn Hardcore Turkish: Muhtemelen toplantı kısa sürecek, ama yine de zaman ayıralım. - The meeting will probably be short, but let’s allocate time anyway.

Muhtemelen toplantı kısa sürecek, ama yine de zaman ayıralım. (Neutral; the whole first clause is under the scope of probability.)
Toplantı muhtemelen kısa sürecek, ama yine de zaman ayıralım. (Slightly more emphasis on the predicate.)
Toplantı kısa sürecek muhtemelen, ama yine de zaman ayıralım. (Colloquial/speechy; tags the guess at the end.)

Why use both ama and yine de? Isn’t that redundant?

It’s common and natural. Ama = but/however (connects two clauses). Yine de = still/even so (adds concessive emphasis to the second clause). Together they yield English-like “but still,” which sounds normal in Turkish for strengthening contrast. You can drop one:

Ama zaman ayıralım.
Yine de zaman ayıralım. Using both just heightens the contrast.

Do I need the comma before ama?

It’s optional in this case. Writing either

Muhtemelen toplantı kısa sürecek ama yine de zaman ayıralım or
Muhtemelen toplantı kısa sürecek, ama yine de zaman ayıralım is fine. The comma simply marks a pause.

Is it yine de or yinede? And does de ever become da?

Write it as two words: yine de. This de/da is the clitic meaning “also/even,” written separately and obeying vowel harmony:

After a front-vowel word: de (e.g., yine de)
After a back-vowel word: da (e.g., sonunda da) Don’t confuse this with the locative suffix -de/-da, which is attached to the word.

What’s the nuance of yine de compared with yine, gene, and hala?

yine = again.
gene = colloquial variant of yine (“again”); in some regions gene de is used like yine de.
yine de = even so/nevertheless (concessive).
hala = still (continuing state), not concessive. For example, hala bekliyorum = I’m still waiting.

Why kısa sürecek instead of kısa olacak?

For durations, Turkish uses sürmek (“to last”). Kısa sürmek is the standard way to say “to last a short time.” Kısa olmak is “to be short” (length/height/briefness as a property), not “to last briefly.”

Isn’t kısa an adjective? How can it modify a verb like sürecek?

In Turkish, many adjectives can function adverbially without any suffix in set expressions. Kısa sürmek, uzun sürmek, hızlı gitmek are normal. Note that kısaca means “briefly/in short” (as in a brief explanation), not “for a short time,” so kısaca sürecek is not idiomatic.

Why the future -ecek in sürecek? Could I use sürer instead?

sürecek (future) points to this specific meeting and a forward-looking prediction.
sürer (aorist) can express general tendency or a more hedged expectation. With muhtemelen, both are possible:
- Muhtemelen toplantı kısa sürecek (specific future meeting).
- Muhtemelen toplantı kısa sürer (more general/less committed vibe).

What does -alım in ayıralım mean? Is it an imperative?

It’s the first-person plural optative/cohortative: -(y)alım/elim = “let’s …”. So ayıralım = “let’s set aside/allocate.” Root: ayır- + -alım (vowel harmony from the last vowel ı).

Why is there no biz? Would adding it change the meaning?

Person is encoded in the verb ending, so biz is unnecessary. Adding biz gives emphasis or contrast:

Biz zaman ayıralım (We, as opposed to others, should set aside time.)

Why isn’t it zamanı ayıralım? When would I use the accusative?

Bare zaman is an indefinite direct object (“some time”). Use accusative -ı/-i when it’s specific/definite:

Indefinite: Biraz zaman ayıralım.
Definite: Dün konuştuğumuz zamanı ayıralım. (that specific time)

Is vakit ayıralım okay too? Any nuance vs zaman?

Yes. Zaman and vakit are near-synonyms here. Vakit feels a bit more colloquial/everyday; zaman is fully neutral and slightly more general/formal. Both are widely used: Biraz vakit/zaman ayıralım.

Can I move yine de elsewhere in the second clause?

Yes, with slight changes in emphasis:

…, ama yine de zaman ayıralım. (default)
…, ama zaman ayıralım yine de. (afterthought emphasis)
Without ama: …, yine de zaman ayıralım. (also very natural)

Are there more formal alternatives to ama?

Yes:

ancak and fakat are more formal: …, ancak/fakat yine de zaman ayıralım.

Can I express the concession without ama/yine de?

Use a concessive clause with -sa/-se de:

Toplantı kısa sürecek olsa da, zaman ayıralım. You can keep yine de for extra emphasis, but it’s not required here.

How strong is muhtemelen? Alternatives?

Rough scale (weak → strong or formal):

galiba, sanırım (I guess/I think; subjective)
muhtemelen, büyük ihtimalle (probably; the latter is a bit stronger/wordier)
herhalde (context-dependent; can be “presumably/probably,” sometimes quite strong) Choose based on formality and how confident you are.