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Learn Hardcore Turkish: Toplantı biraz daha uzun sürebilir. - The meeting may last a bit longer.

Hardcore Turkish
/Lesson 89
/Toplantı biraz daha uzun sürebilir.

Toplantı biraz daha uzun sürebilir.

Word

Toplantı biraz daha uzun sürebilir.

Meaning

The meeting may last a bit longer.

Part of speech

sentence

Pronunciation

Course

Hardcore Turkish

Lesson

Breakdown of Toplantı biraz daha uzun sürebilir.

Questions & Answers about Toplantı biraz daha uzun sürebilir.

What does the verb sürmek mean here? I thought it meant “to drive” or “to smear.”

Sürmek is polysemous. In this sentence it means “to last” or “to continue (for a period of time).” Other common meanings are:

“to drive” (a car, etc.)
“to apply/spread” (cream, paint) Context disambiguates, and with time/duration, sürmek = “to last.”

What does the ending -ebilir in sürebilir express?

It’s the ability/possibility suffix (historically from the auxiliary bil- “to know/be able”). Here it marks possibility: “might/may.”
Morphology: sür-e-bil-ir = sür (last) + e (harmonic vowel) + bil (can/may) + ir (aorist, 3sg). The overall meaning is “it may last.”

How is sürebilir different from sürecek or sürüyor?

sürebilir: possibility/uncertainty (“might last”).
sürecek: future with strong expectation/prediction (“will last”).
sürüyor: present progressive (“is lasting/ongoing”), usually used with a specified time frame in context.

What’s the role of biraz daha uzun? Why that order?

to be able to last

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daha
- adjective makes a comparative: daha uzun = “longer.”
biraz quantifies it: biraz daha = “a bit more/a little more.”
So biraz daha uzun means “a bit longer.” The natural order is exactly that: biraz daha before the adjective or adverb it modifies.

Can I say daha biraz uzun instead?

Not in this structure. For comparatives with adjectives/adverbs, the natural expression is biraz daha uzun. daha biraz is uncommon here and can sound off.

Do I need uzun? What about Toplantı biraz daha sürebilir?

Toplantı biraz daha sürebilir is fine and idiomatic; biraz daha already implies “a bit longer.”
Toplantı daha uzun sürebilir (without biraz) is also fine (“may last longer”).
Toplantı sürebilir is grammatical but vague; with sürmek it’s normal to include a degree or duration.

Could I say Toplantı uzun olabilir instead of uzun sürebilir?

Yes, but there’s a nuance:

uzun olabilir: “might be long” (describes a property).
uzun sürebilir: “might last long” (explicitly frames it as duration).
Both are acceptable; the original is more transparently about duration.

How do I make this a yes–no question?

Add the question particle after the verb: Toplantı biraz daha uzun sürebilir mi?
The particle mi is written separately, and it typically carries the main stress: … sürebilir MI?

How do I negate it, and what’s the difference between sürmeyebilir and süremez?

sürmeyebilir: “might not last” (uncertain possibility of not lasting).
süremez: “cannot/won’t be able to last” (strong/impossible).
Example: Toplantı biraz daha uzun sürmeyebilir (it might not last a bit longer).

Is the word order fixed? Can the subject move?

Turkish is flexible. Neutral order keeps the verb last: Toplantı … sürebilir.
You can also say Biraz daha uzun sürebilir toplantı, which places focus differently (more emphasis on the predicate), but the original is the most neutral.

Does Turkish have articles? Is Toplantı “the meeting” or “a meeting”?

Turkish has no articles. Toplantı can mean “the meeting” or “a meeting,” depending on context. In many contexts like this, English will naturally use “the meeting.”

Why is uzun used before the verb? Isn’t it an adjective?

In Turkish, many adjectives can function adverbially. uzun sürmek literally “to last long,” where uzun behaves adverbially modifying the verb sürmek.

What’s the difference between daha and daha fazla here?

With adjectives/adverbs use daha: daha uzun (longer), daha hızlı (faster).
daha fazla is for quantities/nouns or verb phrases: daha fazla zaman (more time), daha fazla beklemek (to wait more).
So you should not say daha fazla uzun.

Is there a synonym for uzun sürebilir?

Yes: uzayabilir (from uzamak, “to get longer/be extended” in time).
Example: Toplantı biraz daha uzayabilir ≈ “The meeting might be extended a bit.”

Any pronunciation tips, especially for the i’s?

ı (dotless i) in Toplantı is a back, close, unrounded vowel—no exact English equivalent.
i (dotted i) in sürebilir is like English “ee” in “machine.”
Primary stress normally falls on the last syllable of the word: sürebilír. In the question form, mi takes the main stress: sürebilir MI?

Can you break down the words morphologically?

Toplantı: from toplan- (to gather/assemble) + -tı/-ntı (noun-forming), meaning “meeting/assembly.”
biraz: “a little, a bit.”
daha: “more” (comparative marker).
uzun: “long.”
sürebilir: sür- (last) + -e-bil- (may/can) + -ir (aorist 3sg).

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