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Questions & Answers about Salon boşken prova yapalım.
What does the word salon mean here?
In Turkish, salon can mean:
- the living room of a house
- a hall/auditorium/function room in a venue
- a large room in a public building (e.g., conference room)
In a rehearsal context, it usually means a hall/auditorium or rehearsal space rather than a home living room.
What does the suffix -ken in boşken do?
It means “while/when” and describes a simultaneous state. boşken is a contracted form of boş iken = “when it is empty.”
- With adjectives/nouns: boşken, gençken (when young), öğrenciyken (when a student), evdeyken (when at home), yokken (when absent/when nobody is there).
- It’s tenseless by itself; the main verb supplies the time reference.
Do I need an explicit “to be” (like “is”) in boşken?
No. Turkish often omits a separate “to be” in the present. boşken already carries the idea of “(it is) empty.” It literally comes from boş iken, with iken contracting to -ken.
When do I insert the buffer consonant -y- in -(y)ken?
- If the preceding word ends in a vowel, insert -y-: iyi → iyiyken, öğrenci → öğrenciyken.
- If there’s a case ending ending in a vowel, you also use -y-: evde → evdeyken, işte → işteyken, Ankara’da → Ankara’dayken.
- If it ends in a consonant, no -y-: boş → boşken, hazır → hazırken, yok → yokken.
Why is it salon boşken and not salondayken?
- salon boşken = “when the hall is empty” (the hall’s state is empty).
- salondayken = “when (someone) is in the hall” (location).
Use salon boşken to focus on the hall being empty; use salondayken to focus on being located in the hall.
What exactly does yapalım express?
It’s the 1st person plural optative/imperative: “let’s do/make.”
Breakdown: yap- (do/make) + -alım/-elim (let’s; vowel harmony). So prova yapalım = “let’s rehearse.”
Where is the subject “we” (biz)?
It’s built into the verb ending -alım/-elim. Turkish doesn’t need the pronoun unless you want emphasis or contrast. Biz is optional: Biz prova yapalım (we, as opposed to others).
How do I make it negative (“let’s not …”)?
Insert the negative -ma/-me before the optative: yap-mayalım = “let’s not do.”
Examples: gitmeyelim (let’s not go), konuşmayalım (let’s not talk).
Why say prova yapmak? Is there a single verb for “rehearse”?
Turkish commonly uses “noun + yapmak/etmek.” The most natural is prova yapmak. You’ll also hear:
- prova etmek (also fine)
- In theatre: prova almak (“run/take a rehearsal”)
- More general “practice”: çalışma yapmak or simply çalışalım (“let’s practice”).
Is prova the object here? Why no accusative -ı?
Yes, it’s an indefinite direct object, and indefinite objects typically take no accusative: prova yapalım (“let’s rehearse [some]”).
Use the accusative when it’s specific/definite: provayı yapalım (“let’s do the rehearsal [the particular one we planned]”).
Can I change the word order?
Yes. Common variants:
- Salon boşken, prova yapalım. (neutral, time clause first)
- Prova yapalım, salon boşken. (afterthought/emphasis)
- Prova yapalım salon boşken. (informal; a comma often helps clarity) The meaning stays the same; fronting the time clause emphasizes the condition.
How is boşken different from boş olduğunda, boş olunca, and boşsa?
- boşken: while/whenever it is in the state of being empty (state-focused).
- boş olduğunda: when it is empty/whenever it is empty (more formal/explicit).
- boş olunca: when/once it becomes empty (sequence/change into emptiness).
- boşsa: if/assuming it is empty (conditional, not guaranteed).
Does -ken attach to verbs too?
Yes:
- beklerken (while waiting), çalışırken or çalışıyorken (while working), gelirken / geliyorken (while coming).
Forms with -yorken highlight an ongoing action; the shorter -irken forms are also common and idiomatic.
If I mean “as long as it’s empty,” what should I use?
Use -dığı sürece:
- boş olduğu sürece = as long as it is empty
- Stronger focus on duration: boş kaldığı sürece (as long as it stays/remains empty)
How can I make the suggestion softer or more polite?
- Prova yapalım mı? (Shall we rehearse?)
- Hadi prova yapalım. (Come on, let’s rehearse.)
- Prova yapsak mı? (Maybe we should rehearse?)
- İstersen(iz) prova yapalım. (If you like, let’s rehearse.)
How do I pronounce the dotless ı in yapalım and ş in boşken?
- ı is a close, unrounded vowel (no exact English equivalent). Think of a quick, relaxed vowel like the second vowel in “roses” or the ‘a’ in “sofa”: ya-pa-lım.
- ş is “sh” as in “shoe”: boş ≈ “bosh.”
Is the time reference now or future?
The -ken clause itself is tenseless. With yapalım, it usually suggests an immediate or near-future plan. It can also state a general rule (“whenever the hall is empty, let’s rehearse”).
Could I use the conditional -sa/-se instead of -ken?
Yes: Salon boşsa, prova yapalım. That reads “If/when the hall is empty, let’s rehearse.” It sounds slightly more conditional (it might or might not be empty), whereas boşken frames it as a state during which the action should happen.