Learn Hardcore Turkish: Evde üşenince işleri ertelememeliyim. - When I feel lazy at home, I shouldn’t postpone tasks.

It comes from the verb üşenmek (to feel too lazy/reluctant to do something). The suffix -ince/-ınca/-ünce/-unca makes a time clause meaning “when/once/as soon as.”

üşen- (to feel lazy)
-ince (when → chosen by vowel harmony because the last vowel is e) = üşenince “when I get/feel lazy”

The subject is understood from context; here it’s “I.”

Is üşenince the same as üşenirsem or üşendiğimde?

They’re close but not identical in nuance.

üşenince: “when(ever)/once I get lazy” (neutral, general time).
üşenirsem: “if I get lazy” (conditional, hypothetical).
üşendiğimde: “when I get lazy/at the time that I get lazy” (more explicit, slightly heavier).

All three can work; -ince is the most concise and common here.

Why is there no subject pronoun ben?

Turkish puts person/number on the verb. In ertelememeliyim, the ending shows “I.” Adding ben is optional and adds emphasis, like “I, for my part.”

How is ertelememeliyim constructed?

From ertelemek (to postpone) with negation, necessitative, and 1st-person ending:

ertele- (postpone)
-me (negation: not)
-meli (necessitative: should/must)
-(y)im (1sg: I am/should)

→ ertele-me-meli-yim = ertelememeliyim “I shouldn’t postpone.”

Is memeli a double negative?

No. It just looks that way. The sequence is:

-me (negation)
followed by -meli (should/must)

Because -meli starts with m, it touches the negation -me, giving me + meli → memeli. The meaning is simply “should not,” not a double negative.

Could I say ertelemeli değilim instead of ertelememeliyim?

No; they mean different things.

ertelememeliyim = “I should not postpone.” (the action is negated)
ertelemeli değilim = “I am not (someone who) must postpone / I don’t have to postpone.” (the obligation itself is negated)

If you want “I don’t have to postpone,” say ertelemek zorunda değilim or ertelemem gerekmez.

Why is it işleri and not işler?

In Turkish, an indefinite direct object stays unmarked (no accusative):

işler ertelememeliyim = ungrammatical (you can’t put the object after the verb)
işler(i) …: The correct choices are:
- işler (indefinite “tasks/chores” in general) → e.g., Evde üşenince işler ertelememeliyim is off because the object should precede the verb.
- işleri (definite accusative “the tasks/chores”) → used in the original sentence and natural: those particular tasks.

So here işleri marks a definite object: “the chores/tasks.”

Could işleri also mean “his/her/their tasks”?

Yes, işleri is ambiguous in isolation. It can be:

definite accusative plural (“the tasks”), or
3rd-person possessive plural (his/her/their tasks).

Context disambiguates. If possession is intended, Turkish usually shows the possessor: onların işleri (their tasks), Ayşe’nin işleri (Ayşe’s tasks).

Does iş here mean “job,” “work,” or “chore”?

İş is broad: work, job, task, matter, thing to do. In a home context, iş often means chores/housework. To be explicit, you can say ev işleri (house chores): Evde üşenince ev işlerini ertelememeliyim.

Why Evde and not Evimde?

Evde = at home (often understood as my home, in general).
Evimde = at my home (explicitly “at my place,” contrastive if needed).

Both are correct; evde is more general.

Can I change the word order?

Yes, within limits. Verb-final is preferred; time/place usually come early.

Natural:
- Evde üşenince işleri ertelememeliyim.
- Üşenince evde işleri ertelememeliyim. (slight emphasis shift)
Less natural/awkward:
- İşleri evde üşenince ertelememeliyim. (splits the time clause strangely) Don’t move the object after the verb in neutral statements.

Do I need a comma after üşenince?

Optional. A short -ince clause usually works fine without one:

Evde üşenince(,) işleri ertelememeliyim. If the clause is long, a comma can aid readability.

How was -de in Evde chosen (de/da vs te/ta)?

Two rules:

Vowel harmony: -de/-da (front/back vowels).
Voicing: after a voiceless consonant, -te/-ta. Since ev ends with v (voiced) and has a front vowel e, you get -de → evde.

How is -ince chosen in üşenince?

By vowel harmony. The last vowel of üşen- is e (front), so choose -ince:

a/ı → -ınca
e/i → -ince
o/u → -unca
ö/ü → -ünce

Pronunciation tips for tricky letters here?

ü as in German/French ü/u (front rounded vowel).
ş like English “sh.”
c (in ince) like English “j” in “judge” → in-je.
Final -yim in ertelememeliyim is “yeedim” type y-glide: meh-lee-yeem.

Is there another way to say “I shouldn’t postpone (the tasks)”?

Yes:

İşleri ertelememem gerek/gerekiyor. (I need/must not postpone the tasks.)
Softer advice: İşleri ertelememekte fayda var. (It’s beneficial not to postpone.) All are acceptable; -meli/-malı is the most direct “should/ought to.”