Evdeyken genellikle pijama giyiyorum.

While I am at home, I usually wear pajamas.

Breakdown of Evdeyken genellikle pijama giyiyorum.

• ev: the house
• genellikle: usually
• giymek: to wear
• -de: in
• -yken: while
• pijama: the pajamas

Questions & Answers about Evdeyken genellikle pijama giyiyorum.

What does Evdeyken mean, and how is it formed?

It means “while/when (I’m) at home.” It’s built like this:

• ev = house
• evde = at home (locative case: -de/-da)
• -(y)ken = while/when

Because evde ends with a vowel, the buffer consonant y is inserted: evde + y + ken → evdeyken. The suffix -ken does not change with vowel harmony. You may also see the more formal/older spelling evde iken, but in modern usage evdeyken (one word) is standard.

Could I just say Evde genellikle pijama giyiyorum instead of Evdeyken? Any difference?

Both are correct and very natural.

• Evde genellikle… focuses on the location “at home.”
• Evdeyken… frames it as a time/situation “whenever/while I’m at home.”

In everyday speech the meaning overlap is big, but evdeyken slightly emphasizes the condition “being at home” as the time when this habit occurs.

Why is pijama singular in Turkish when English uses the plural “pajamas”?

In Turkish, many clothing items used generically take the singular:

• pijama giyiyorum = I wear pajamas (as a general item)

Use the plural pijamalar only when you truly mean multiple pairs:

• pijamalarım = my pajamas (my multiple pairs)
• Yeni pijamalar aldım = I bought new pajamas (several pairs)

If you refer to the specific pair you’re putting on right now, you can make it definite:

• Pijamayı giyiyorum = I’m putting on the pajamas (a specific pair).

Why doesn’t pijama take the accusative (-ı) here?

Because it’s an indefinite (non-specific) object. In Turkish:

• Indefinite objects are unmarked: pijama giyiyorum.
• Definite/specific objects take accusative: pijamayı giyiyorum (“I’m putting on the [specific] pajamas.”)

Is the word order flexible? Where can I put genellikle?

Yes, Turkish word order is flexible (the verb tends to be last). With adverbs like genellikle, common options are:

• Evdeyken genellikle pijama giyiyorum.
• Genellikle evdeyken pijama giyiyorum.
• Evdeyken pijama genellikle giyiyorum is unnatural—don’t split the noun from its verb like that. Keep genellikle near the beginning of the clause or just before the verb phrase.

Why is the progressive -iyor used with “usually”? Shouldn’t it be the aorist?

Both are possible:

• giyerim (aorist) is the canonical form for habits/general truths.
• giyiyorum (present continuous) is very common in everyday speech for current, typical, or repeated behavior, especially with adverbs like genellikle.

So:

• Evdeyken genellikle pijama giyerim (textbook-habitual).
• Evdeyken genellikle pijama giyiyorum (very natural colloquial).

What’s the difference between giymek, giyinmek, and takmak?

• giymek: to wear/put on clothing items; takes a direct object.
  • pijama giyiyorum / pijamayı giyiyorum
• giyinmek: to get dressed (in general); intransitive.
  • Sabahları çabuk giyinirim.
• takmak: to wear/put on accessories (watch, earrings, necklace, belt, glasses, etc.).
  • Gözlük takıyorum.

Don’t say pijama giyiniyorum; use pijama giyiyorum or, for “I’m getting dressed,” just giyiniyorum without an object.

How do I make it negative or ask a question?

• Negative (present continuous): Evdeyken genellikle pijama giymiyorum. (“I usually don’t wear pajamas at home.”)
• Yes/no question: Evdeyken genellikle pijama giyiyor musun? (“Do you usually wear pajamas at home?”)

Remember the question particle mi/mi/mu/mü is separate and harmonizes with the preceding vowel; personal endings go on the auxiliary: musun, musunuz, mu, muyum, etc.

Why does giyiyorum have two “y” letters? Is that a mistake?

It’s correct: giy-iyor-um → giyiyorum.

• The verb root ends with y: giy- (to wear/put on).
• The progressive is -(I)yor; since the stem ends in a consonant, the vowel appears: -iyor.
• Result: giy + i + yor + um → giyiyorum (two y’s in a row across the morpheme boundary).

A parallel is ye- (to eat): yiyorum.

Are there other ways to say “when I’m at home,” like evde olduğumda?

Yes:

• Evdeyken = while/whenever at home (compact, very natural).
• Evde olduğumda = when I am at home (more explicit, a bit heavier/formal).
• Evde iken = older/formal spacing variant of evdeyken.

All can work here with minimal meaning change.

Can I say evdeyimken?

No; that sounds ungrammatical/unnatural. Use evdeyken. The -(y)ken converb attaches to a noun/adjective (optionally with a case ending) or a verbal form, not to the predicative ending -yim. So prefer:

• evdeyken, not evdeyimken.

Could I express “in pajamas” with an adjective like pijamalı?

Yes, -lı/-li can create an adjective meaning “with/in X”:

• Evdeyken genellikle pijamalı gezerim. = “When at home, I usually go around in pajamas.”

This is stylistic; the original pijama giyiyorum is the most straightforward.