Learn Hardcore Turkish: Eve dönüş yolu on dakika sürüyor, bu yüzden erken çıkıyorum. - The way home takes ten minutes, so I’m leaving early.

Eve = to home (dative case, -e/-a), showing movement toward a place.
Evde = at home (locative case, -de/-da), showing location.
Evden = from home (ablative case, -den/-dan), showing movement away from a place. In this sentence, the return is oriented toward home, so dative (Eve) is used.

How does dönüş yolu work, and why is it yolu with -u?

Dönüş yolu is an indefinite noun compound (belirtisiz isim tamlaması): Noun1 + Noun2-(s)I.
Here: dönüş (return) + yol-u (its way/road, 3rd person possessive).
It literally means “the return way/route.” The -u on yol is the possessive marker of this compound; vowel harmony turns it into -u.
So the subject is “the way/route of returning (home).”

Could I drop yolu and say Eve dönüş on dakika sürüyor?

Yes. Eve dönüş on dakika sürüyor is grammatical and means “Returning home takes ten minutes,” focusing on the activity rather than the route. Other natural variants:

Eve dönmek on dakika sürüyor/sürer.
Eve dönmem on dakika sürüyor. (my returning)

Who or what is the subject of sürüyor? Where is the “it”?

The subject is Eve dönüş yolu. Turkish doesn’t need an explicit “it.” The 3rd person singular verb form sürüyor already matches that subject.

Why is there no ending on on dakika? When would I use on dakikada?

Bare number + time unit (e.g., on dakika) expresses duration: “for ten minutes.”
On dakikada (locative) means “in ten minutes / within ten minutes (by the end of ten minutes).”
- Duration: on dakika sürüyor = “it lasts/takes ten minutes.”
- Deadline/speed: On dakikada bitiririm = “I (can) finish it in ten minutes.”

Why is dakika singular and not dakikalar after a number?

In Turkish, nouns stay singular after numerals. So it’s on dakika (not “on dakikalar”) just like “ten minute” in structure, but understood as plural in meaning.

Why use present continuous (sürüyor, çıkıyorum) instead of simple present (sürer, çıkarım)?

-yor (present continuous) in Turkish often covers ongoing, current, or even habitual actions in everyday speech. It sounds natural for regular commutes: “It takes ten minutes, so I leave early (as a habit/these days).”
Simple present (-r):
- sürer can sound more general, timeless, or schedule-like (“It takes ten minutes (as a rule/fact)”).
- çıkarım sounds like a firm habit or rule (“I (generally) leave early”). Both are correct; -yor feels a bit more conversational and “nowadays,” -r more general or formal.

Are there other common ways to say “it takes ten minutes”?

Yes:

On dakika sürüyor/sürer. (standard)
On dakika tutuyor/tutar. (very common colloquial alternative)
With “to take time”: Eve dönmek on dakika alıyor/alır or Bu iş on dakika alıyor/alır. All are natural; sürmek and tutmak are the most common for durations.

What does bu yüzden mean, and how is it different from çünkü, o yüzden, bu nedenle?

Bu yüzden = “for this reason / so / therefore,” introducing the result clause.
O yüzden = “that’s why,” very common in speech; functionally similar.
Bu nedenle / bu sebeple / dolayısıyla = more formal “therefore/hence.”
Çünkü = “because,” introducing the reason. To use it, flip the order:
- Erken çıkıyorum çünkü eve dönüş yolu on dakika sürüyor.

Is the comma before bu yüzden correct? Could I punctuate it differently?

Yes, a comma is common. You could also use a semicolon or a period:

Eve dönüş yolu on dakika sürüyor; bu yüzden erken çıkıyorum.
Eve dönüş yolu on dakika sürüyor. Bu yüzden erken çıkıyorum.

Does çıkmak need a case ending like “from work/home,” or can it stand alone?

It can stand alone: erken çıkıyorum = “I leave early / I head out early.” To specify the origin, use the ablative (-den/-dan): işten erken çıkıyorum (I leave work early), evden erken çıkıyorum (I leave home early). You can also say dışarı çıkıyorum (I go outside).

What’s the difference between erken and erkenden?

Both mean “early,” but:

Erken is the neutral adverb (“early”).
Erkenden adds a nuance like “rather early/early on,” often with a bit of emphasis that it’s earlier than usual or deliberately early.

How does vowel harmony show up in sürüyor and çıkıyorum?

The progressive suffix is -(I)yor, and the vowel changes with harmony:

sür-üyor (root vowel ü → -üyor)
çık-ıyor-um (root vowel ı → -ıyor + 1st person -um) In 3rd person singular (sürüyor), there’s no extra personal ending.

How do I pronounce the special letters in this sentence?

ö: like German ö (rounded front o).
ü: like German ü (rounded front u).
ı (dotless i): a back, unrounded vowel (like the a in “sofa” but further back).
ş: “sh.”
ç: “ch.” Stress in Turkish typically falls on the last syllable, with some exceptions; verbs with -yor often sound stressed just before -yor (e.g., sü-RÜ-yor).

Can I change the word order?

Yes. Turkish is flexible with order and emphasis. Natural alternatives include:

Bu yüzden erken çıkıyorum, çünkü eve dönüş yolu on dakika sürüyor.
Erken çıkıyorum, çünkü eve dönüş yolu on dakika sürüyor.
Eve dönüş yolu on dakika sürüyor; bu yüzden erken çıkıyorum. All are fine; choose based on which part you want to foreground.

How would I say it in the past or future?

Past: Eve dönüş yolu on dakika sürdü, bu yüzden erken çıktım.
Ongoing past: … sürüyordu, … çıkıyordum.
Future: Eve dönüş yolu on dakika sürecek, bu yüzden erken çıkacağım.