Breakdown of Konuşmacı gelmediği halde oturumu iptal etmedik.
gelmek
to come
iptal etmek
to cancel
oturum
the session
konuşmacı
the speaker
Questions & Answers about Konuşmacı gelmediği halde oturumu iptal etmedik.
What does the postposition halde do here?
In this structure, halde means although/even though. It requires a nominalized clause before it, so you don’t use a plain finite verb; you use a verbal noun phrase (like “his/her not coming”) + halde. Outside this use, halde can also mean “in this state/condition” (e.g., bu halde = “in this state”), but here it is concessive (“despite the fact that…”).
Why is it gelmediği and not just gelmedi?
Because halde must attach to a nominalized clause. Gelmedi is a finite verb (“didn’t come”), but with halde you need a verbal noun: gel-me-diğ-i = “his/her not coming.” Breakdown:
- gel-: come
- -me-: negation
- -DIK: nominalizer (here surfacing as -diğ-)
- -i: 3rd person possessive (agreement with the subject of the subordinate clause)
Who does the possessive -i in gelmediği refer to?
It marks agreement with the (understood) subject of the subordinate clause. Here it’s 3rd person singular (“the speaker”). If the subject changes, the possessive changes too:
- Benim gelmediğ-im halde (although I didn’t come)
- Sizin gelmediğ-iniz halde (although you [pl] didn’t come)
- Konuşmacılar gelmediğ-leri halde (although the speakers didn’t come)
Where is the “we” in the sentence?