Learn Hardcore Turkish: Bilet ucuz olunca hepimiz sevindik. - When the ticket was cheap, we were all glad.

-ınca/-ince/-unca/-ünce is a converb suffix that makes an adverbial time clause meaning “when/once/whenever” (often with a causal feel, like “since/once”). Here, ol-unca = “when it became/gets.”

Stem: ol- (be/become)
Suffix chosen by vowel harmony: -unca (because of the back, rounded vowel o)

Why use olunca instead of ucuzken?

ucuzken = “while it was cheap” (a state, ongoing, simultaneous time)
ucuz olunca = “once it became cheap” (a change of state that triggers the main action) In this sentence, we’re reacting to a price change, so olunca is more natural.

Could I say olduğunda instead of olunca?

Yes: Bilet ucuz olduğunda hepimiz sevindik. It’s a bit more formal/literary and feels like “at the time when it was/became cheap.” Both are correct; -ınca is shorter and very common in speech.

Does -ınca itself mark past tense?

No. -ınca is tenseless; the main clause sets the time.

Past: Bilet ucuz olunca hepimiz sevindik.
Present/habitual: Bilet ucuz olunca hepimiz seviniyoruz.
Future: Bilet ucuz olunca hepimiz sevineceğiz.

Why do we need olmak with the adjective ucuz?

Adjectives can’t take -ınca directly; you “verbalize” the adjective with olmak.

Change-of-state: ucuz olunca (“when it gets/became cheap”)
Ongoing state (no change): you can use -ken directly on adjectives: ucuzken (“while it is/was cheap”)

Who is the subject of each clause here?

Subordinate clause: bilet is the subject of ucuz olunca (“when the ticket became cheap”).
Main clause: hepimiz is the subject of sevindik (“we all were glad”). No case marker on bilet because it’s the subject (nominative).

What exactly does hepimiz mean? Can I say biz hepimiz or hepsi?

hepimiz = “all of us” (hep
- 1st-person plural possessive -imiz).
biz hepimiz is acceptable but redundant; hepimiz already implies “we all.”
hepsi = “all of them” (3rd person). You’d use hepsi sevindi for “they all were glad,” not with “we.”

Can I omit hepimiz and just say sevindik?

Yes. Sevindik already means “we were glad” (the -k ending = 1st plural). Adding hepimiz emphasizes that it was every one of us: “we all.”

How is sevindik formed?

Root: sevin- (to rejoice/be glad)
Past tense: -di → vowel harmony gives -di
Person: -k (1st person plural) Result: sevin-
- -di
  - -k → sevindik (“we were glad”)

Is sevinmek different from mutlu olmak or memnun olmak?

sevinmek: to rejoice/be (momentarily) glad about something (event-focused, immediate reaction).
mutlu olmak: to be happy (broader, more general/lasting).
memnun olmak: to be pleased/satisfied (often about service, outcome, etc.). All are positive, but their nuance and typical contexts differ.

How do I say “we were happy about the ticket being cheap” more explicitly?

Use the dative with a nominalized clause:

Biletin ucuz olmasına sevindik. Here, olma-sı-na = “to its being” (nominalizer -ma, possessive -sı, dative -na). This is very natural with sevinmek.

How do I say “The ticket being cheap made us happy”?

Use the causative sevindirmek:

Biletin ucuz olması hepimizi sevindirdi. Now the clause biletin ucuz olması is the subject, and hepimizi (accusative) is the object of sevindirdi (“made [us] happy”).

Why -unca and not -ince in olunca?

Vowel harmony:

After back rounded vowels (o, u), use -unca.
After back unrounded (a, ı), use -ınca.
After front unrounded (e, i), use -ince.
After front rounded (ö, ü), use -ünce. So: ol-unca, but gel-ince, dön-ünce, bak-ınca.

Do I need plural for general meaning? What about biletler?

Turkish often uses singular for general statements. Bilet ucuz olunca… can mean “when tickets are cheap/when the ticket is cheap” depending on context. If you want to be explicit about plurality: Biletler ucuz olunca…

Where’s “the” or “a” in bilet? Why no article?

Turkish has no definite article like “the.” The word bir can act like “a,” but it’s used only when you need that specificity (“a/one ticket”). Here, bilet is article-less and relies on context for definiteness.

Can I change the word order or add a comma?

Yes. Common options:

Bilet ucuz olunca, hepimiz sevindik. (Comma often used after an initial subordinate clause, especially if long.)
Hepimiz, bilet ucuz olunca sevindik. (Focus on “we all.”)
Bilet ucuz olunca sevindik hepimiz. (Emphatic, colloquial; end-focus on “all of us.”)

How do I negate the -ınca clause?

Negate the verb: olmayınca = “when it is/was not/doesn’t become.”

Bilet ucuz olmayınca kimse sevinmedi. = “When the ticket wasn’t cheap, nobody was glad.”

Could I use a single verb for “become cheaper”?

Yes: ucuzlaşmak (“to become cheaper”).

Bilet(ler) ucuzlaşınca hepimiz sevindik. = “When the ticket(s) got cheaper, we all were glad.”

Any quick pronunciation tips here?

c in ucuz/olunca sounds like the English “j” in “judge.”
Stress typically falls near the end: u-CUZ, se-VİN-dik, o-LUN-ca.
Vowels are pure (no diphthongs): u like “oo” in “food,” ı is the dotless i (a close, central vowel).