Learn Hardcore Turkish: Birkaç dakikadır bekleme odasındayım; çıktı gelince görevliye vereceğim. - I have been in the waiting room for a few minutes; when the printout arrives, I will give it to the attendant.

It marks duration: “for X time.” So Birkaç dakikadır means “for a few minutes (now).” This use of -DIr turns a time expression into “it has been X time (that …).” Examples:

İki saattir buradayım. = I’ve been here for two hours.
Uzun zamandır bekliyorum. = I’ve been waiting for a long time.

Can I say the sentence without -dır, like Birkaç dakika bekleme odasındayım?

That’s unnatural. To express a continuing state up to now, Turkish prefers the time word + -DIr: Birkaç dakikadır bekleme odasındayım. Without -DIr, you’d typically switch structure, e.g. Birkaç dakika oldu; bekleme odasındayım (It’s been a few minutes; I’m in the waiting room) or use a different verb: Birkaç dakikadır bekliyorum.

Why is it bekleme odasındayım and not just bekleme odasında?

Because Turkish predicates need a personal ending. Bekleme odasında = “in the waiting room” (a phrase). Bekleme odasındayım adds the 1st-person ending -(y)ım to say “I am in the waiting room.”

How is bekleme odasındayım formed morphologically?

bekle- (wait) + -me (nominalizer) → bekleme (waiting)
oda (room) + -sı (3rd person possessive used in noun compounds) → odası
buffer -n-
- locative -da → odasında (in the room)
buffer -y-
- 1sg copula -ım → odasındayım (I am in the room)

Why is there an -sı in bekleme odası?

It’s the standard noun-compound marker in Turkish (literally “the room of waiting”). Many set phrases use it: yemek odası (dining room), toplantı odası (meeting room). It doesn’t mean real “possession” here; it’s a lexicalized compound.

Is birkaç one word or two?

One word: birkaç. It means “a few.” Writing bir kaç is a common mistake.

Why is dakika singular in birkaç dakikadır?

After quantifiers like birkaç (a few), the counted noun stays singular: birkaç dakika, birkaç gün, birkaç kitap.

What does çıktı mean here?

As a noun, çıktı means “output/printout” (as in something printed). You’ll also hear çıktı almak = “to print (get a printout).” Don’t confuse it with the past-tense verb çıktı (“he/she/it went out”); context shows it’s a noun here.

Why say çıktı gelince instead of something like çıktı çıkınca?

In printing contexts, Turkish often uses gelmek metaphorically for “arrive/be ready/come through,” so çıktı gelince = “when the printout comes/arrives (is ready).” Çıkınca would sound odd here; it’s more like “when it goes out/comes out,” which isn’t the usual phrasing for a printout being ready.

What does the suffix -ince/-ınca/-unca/-ünce in gelince mean?

It forms a time clause: “when/once/as soon as.” Gelince = “when (it) comes.” The suffix varies with vowel harmony (e.g., olunca, başlayınca, bitince).

Could I use other “when” forms like geldiğinde or gelirse?

Yes, with nuance:

geldiğinde = “when (it) comes/at the time it comes” (slightly more formal/specific)
gelirse = “if/when it comes” (conditional, a bit less certain)
gelince is the most neutral and common for “when/once it comes.”

Why is it görevliye?

Because vermek (to give) takes its indirect object in the dative: give something “to someone” → -e/-a. So “to the attendant” = görevli + -e → görevliye.

Do I need to repeat the object (e.g., onu) in the second clause?

No. Turkish commonly drops the object if it’s understood. Çıktı gelince görevliye vereceğim is natural. You can add it for clarity or emphasis: Çıktı gelince onu görevliye vereceğim or Çıktı gelince çıktıyı görevliye vereceğim.

What’s the difference between vereceğim and veririm here?

Both can follow a “when” clause for future meaning, but:

vereceğim (future) = a specific planned/intentional future act.
veririm (aorist) = more neutral/habit-like or a promise/assurance. Here vereceğim fits better as a concrete plan.

Is the semicolon (;) normal in Turkish?

Yes. It links two closely related independent clauses, much like in English. A comma or a coordinating conjunction (e.g., ve) could also work, but the semicolon neatly separates the time clause from the planned action.

Could I say the first clause with an activity instead of a location, like Birkaç dakikadır bekliyorum?

Absolutely. Both are fine:

Birkaç dakikadır bekleme odasındayım emphasizes your location.
Birkaç dakikadır bekliyorum (bekleme odasında) emphasizes the act of waiting.