Breakdown of Monitör titreyince teknisyen gelip kabloları kontrol etti.
gelmek
to come
-ince
when
kontrol etmek
to check
kablo
the cable
Questions & Answers about Monitör titreyince teknisyen gelip kabloları kontrol etti.
What does the suffix in titreyince mean?
The suffix -(y)ınca/ince/unce/unca makes an adverbial time clause meaning “when,” “once,” or “whenever.” So Monitör titreyince means “When the monitor flickered/trembled.” It’s relative to the main clause in time and doesn’t carry its own tense; the main verb (etti) supplies the past time reference.
Why is there a “y” in titreyince?
It’s a buffer consonant to prevent two vowels from meeting. The verb stem ends in a vowel (titre-), and the suffix begins with a vowel (-ince), so Turkish inserts -y-: titre-y-ince.
Compare:
- gelince (no buffer, stem ends in consonant: gel- + -ince)
- arıyınca (ara- + -yınca)
- The exact vowel in the suffix follows vowel harmony: -ınca/-ince/-unca/-ünce.
How does -ince compare with -diğinde, -ken, and the “as soon as” pattern?
- -ince: neutral “when/once/whenever,” often with a cause–effect feel.
Example: Monitör titreyince teknisyen geldi. - -diğinde: more formal/explicit “when” (“at the time that”).
Example: Monitör titrediğinde teknisyen geldi. - -ken: “while/during,” simultaneous overlap.
Example: Monitör titrerken teknisyen geldi = “While it was flickering, the technician came.” - “As soon as”: use -er…-mez or “start…as soon as.”
Examples:- Monitör titremeye başlar başlamaz teknisyen geldi.
- (Less common here) Monitör titrer titremez teknisyen geldi.