Learn Hardcore Turkish: Normalde toplantılarda soru sorarım, bu kez yalnızca dinleyeceğim. - I usually ask questions in meetings; this time I’ll only listen.

It’s the Turkish aorist (habitual) tense: sor- + -(A)r + -ım → sorarım. The aorist expresses habits, general tendencies, or timeless truths. So Normalde … sorarım means “As a rule/usually, I ask (questions).”

Why not use soruyorum instead of sorarım?

Soruyorum is present continuous (“I am asking” right now, or “I’ve been asking lately”). The sentence talks about a general habit, so the aorist sorarım is the right choice. Using soruyorum would shift the meaning to an ongoing present or a recent trend.

Why is toplantılarda plural? Could I say toplantıda?

Toplantılarda = “in meetings (in general).” It matches the habitual sense signaled by Normalde (“normally”).
Toplantıda = “in the meeting (specific).” If you mean a particular meeting, say Bu toplantıda (“in this meeting”). With Normalde, the plural feels more natural: “Normally, in meetings, I …”

How is toplantılarda formed, and how do I choose -da/-de vs. -ta/-te?

Formation: toplantı + -lar (plural) + -da (locative) → toplantılarda.
Choosing the vowel: -da vs. -de follows vowel harmony (last vowel a/ı/o/u → -da; e/i/ö/ü → -de).
d vs. t: After a voiceless consonant (p, ç, t, k, f, h, s, ş), the suffix uses t (e.g., parkta, ağaçta). Otherwise, d (e.g., evde, okulda, toplantılarda ends with voiced -r, so it’s -da).

Is soru sorarım redundant? Can I just say sorarım?

Soru sormak is the standard way to say “to ask a question.” It’s not redundant in Turkish.
Sormak alone means “to ask (someone/something).” Without soru, you typically specify what you ask: Öğretmene sordum (“I asked the teacher [it]”), Bir şey sordum (“I asked something”).
So in the habitual sense, soru sorarım is the idiomatic choice.

Why is the second clause in the future (dinleyeceğim) instead of present continuous (dinliyorum)?

Dinleyeceğim expresses a decision/intention about a specific upcoming instance: “This time, I will (only) listen.”
Using dinliyorum would mean “I’m listening (now)” or, less commonly, a scheduled near-future. Here, the future tense marks a deliberate deviation from the usual habit.

How is dinleyeceğim built morphologically?

Stem: dinle- (listen)
Future: -ecek → because the stem ends in a vowel, add buffer -y-: dinle- + y + ecek → dinleyecek
1st person singular: -im; the k of -ecek softens to ğ before a vowel: -ecek + -im → -eceğim
Result: dinle- + y + eceğ + im → dinleyeceğim
Pronunciation tip: ğ isn’t a hard “g”; it lengthens the preceding vowel (roughly din-le-ye-CE-ee-im).

What’s the difference among yalnızca, sadece, and yalnız?

yalnızca = “only/merely,” slightly more formal or careful.
sadece = the most common “only/just.”
yalnız can mean “only,” but also “alone” or even “but/however” (in writing).
In this sentence, yalnızca works like sadece: “only.”

Does word order change the meaning with yalnızca?

Yes, placement affects focus:

Bu kez yalnızca dinleyeceğim. = “This time I will only listen (not speak).”
Yalnız bu kez dinleyeceğim. = “Only this time I will listen” (implies other times I won’t).
So keep yalnızca right before what you want to limit.

What’s the nuance difference among bu kez, bu sefer, bu defa, and bu kere?

All mean “this time,” with mild register/region differences:

bu kez / bu defa: a bit more formal/neutral.
bu sefer: very common and conversational.
bu kere: regional/colloquial.

Is the comma before bu kez enough, or should I use ama?

The comma works fine in Turkish to mark contrast in a short sentence. To make the contrast explicit, add a conjunction:

… sorarım, ama bu kez …
… sorarım; fakat bu kez …
Both are perfectly natural.

Where is the subject “I”? Why isn’t ben used?

Turkish is pro-drop: the person/number is on the verb ending. sorar-ım and dinleyeceğ-im already say “I.” You add ben only for emphasis or contrast (e.g., Ben normalde…).

Why doesn’t soru take the accusative (-ı) here?

Indefinite direct objects in Turkish are bare (no accusative): soru sorarım = “I ask questions.”
Use the accusative when the object is specific/definite:

O soruyu soracağım. = “I will ask that question.”
Soruyu sordum. = “I asked the question.”

Pronunciation tips for tricky letters in this sentence?

ğ (in dinleyeceğim) lengthens the previous vowel; it’s not a hard “g.”
ı (dotless i, in toplantılarda) is like the relaxed vowel in English “roses” (the second syllable).
c (in dinleyeceğim) sounds like English “j.”
ç/ş (not in this sentence) would be “ch/sh” if you meet them elsewhere.

Can I use Genelde instead of Normalde?

Yes. Subtle nuance:

Normalde = “under normal circumstances / typically.”
Genelde = “in general / for the most part.”
Both work here; Normalde slightly highlights that today is an exception to the usual pattern.

How do I negate the habitual: “I don’t usually ask questions (in meetings)”?

Use the negative aorist: Normalde toplantılarda soru sormam.
Pattern: verb + -ma/-me (neg) + aorist personal ending
Examples:

1sg: sormam
2sg: sormazsın
3sg: sormaz
1pl: sormayız
2pl: sormazsınız
3pl: sormazlar