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Questions & Answers about Bu kez parkta buluşalım.
What does the ending in buluşalım express? Is it an imperative?
It’s the first-person plural optative, meaning a suggestion or proposal: let’s meet. It’s not a command to “you”; it includes the speaker in the action. So buluşalım is a friendly, inclusive “Let’s…”.
How is buluşalım formed morphologically?
- Verb stem: buluş- (to meet up)
- Optative marker: -A- (here as -a-, by vowel harmony)
- First-person plural ending: -lIm (here as -lım, realized as -alım with harmony) Overall: buluş-a-lım → buluşalım.
Where does buluş- come from? Is it related to bul- (to find)?
Yes. Buluşmak is derived from bul- (find) + the reciprocal suffix -(I)ş-, roughly “find each other,” which idiomatically means “to meet (up).” So buluşmak is inherently mutual.
Why parkta and not parka?
- parkta uses the locative case (-DA), meaning “in/at the park.”
- parka uses the dative case (-A), meaning “to the park.” In this sentence, you’re specifying the meeting location, so the locative (parkta) is correct.
Why is it parkta with -ta, not -da?
The locative suffix is -DA, which follows two rules:
- Vowel harmony: -da after back vowels (a, ı, o, u); -de after front vowels (e, i, ö, ü).
- Voicing assimilation: after a voiceless consonant (p, ç, t, k, f, h, s, ş), d becomes t. Since park ends in the voiceless k and has a back vowel, you get -ta → parkta.
Does parkta mean “at” or “in” the park?
It can be either, depending on context. The locative -da/-de/-ta/-te covers both “in” and “at.” Here, parkta is naturally understood as “at the park” (i.e., meet there), but it can also mean “inside the park” if that’s the intended nuance.
What nuance does Bu kez add, and how does it compare to Bu sefer or Bu defa?
Bu kez means “this time,” often with a contrastive flavor (as opposed to last time). Synonyms:
- Bu sefer: very common in speech, neutral-colloquial.
- Bu defa: also common; slightly more formal in some contexts.
- Bu kez: can sound a touch more written/formal, but is perfectly normal in speech too.
Can I change the word order, like Parkta buluşalım bu kez?
Yes. Turkish word order is flexible:
- Bu kez parkta buluşalım (neutral; sets the “this time” frame first)
- Parkta buluşalım bu kez (ends with contrastive “this time”)
- Bu kez buluşalım parkta (focuses the location at the end) All are grammatical; choose based on what you want to emphasize.
Do I need to say biz to mean “we”?
No. The verb ending -alım already encodes “we.” You can add Biz for emphasis or contrast: Biz bu kez parkta buluşalım (as opposed to someone else).
What’s the difference between buluşmak and görüşmek?
- buluşmak: to meet up (physically come together). Requires coming to the same place.
- görüşmek: to meet/see each other or to be in contact (can be in person, by phone, online). It also means “to discuss.” In many casual plans either can work, but buluşmak emphasizes the act of gathering in one place.
How can I make the suggestion softer or more polite?
- Parkta buluşalım mı? (Shall we meet at the park?) — invites agreement.
- Bu kez parkta buluşabilir miyiz? (Could we meet at the park this time?) — more polite.
- Uygunsanız, bu kez parkta buluşalım. (If it suits you, let’s meet at the park this time.) — respectful.
How do I say “this time too/again” with this sentence?
- Bu kez de parkta buluşalım. — “Let’s meet at the park this time too.” Here, -de is the clitic meaning “also/too.”
- Yine parkta buluşalım. — “Let’s meet at the park again.” (yine = again).
How would I contrast locations, like “not at the café”?
- Bu kez parkta buluşalım, kafede değil.
- Or front the contrast: Kafede değil, bu kez parkta buluşalım.
How do I include who I’m meeting with?
Use ile (“with”) or its fused form -la/-le/-yla/-yle:
- Ali ile bu kez parkta buluşalım.
- Ali’yle bu kez parkta buluşalım. Both are common; the fused form is very frequent in speech.
Pronunciation tips for the whole sentence?
- Bu kez: [bu kez] — stress on kez.
- parkta: [paɾkˈta] — stress on the last syllable; the r is a tap [ɾ].
- buluşalım: [buɫuʃaˈɫɯm] — stress on the last syllable; ş is [ʃ]; dotless ı is [ɯ] (a back, unrounded sound); l before back vowels is dark [ɫ]. Overall stress falls near the ends of parkta and buluşalım.
Can I add particles like hadi for a friendlier tone?
Yes:
- Hadi, bu kez parkta buluşalım. — “Come on, let’s meet at the park this time.”
- Colloquial softener: Bu kez parkta buluşalım ya. — adds a casual, persuasive tone.
Can kez stand alone, or does it need something like bu?
Kez normally needs a determiner or number: bu kez (this time), ilk kez (first time), bir kez (once), kaç kez (how many times). Bare kez is uncommon without such modifiers.
How do I say “next time” with a similar structure?
- Bir dahaki sefere parkta buluşalım.
- Gelecek sefer parkta buluşalım. Both mean “Let’s meet at the park next time,” with bir dahaki being very common in speech.