Learn Hardcore Turkish: Önyargısız dinleyince içten hikâyeler duyuyoruz. - When we listen without prejudice, we hear sincere stories.

It’s an adverbial time suffix meaning “when/once/whenever (doing).” So dinleyince = “when (we) listen.” This form often implies a cause-result relationship: “When we listen (without prejudice), we end up hearing (heartfelt stories).” The subject of the -ince clause is understood to be the same as the main clause unless otherwise marked, so it refers to “we.”

Why is there a y in dinleyince?

Because dinle- ends in a vowel, Turkish inserts a buffer consonant -y- before the vowel-initial suffix to avoid two vowels clashing: dinle + y + ince → dinleyince. Vowel harmony picks -ince (not -ınca) after the front vowel e.

Who is the subject here? Why is there no explicit biz?

The personal ending on the verb shows the subject. Duyuyoruz ends with -uz, which is “we.” The -ince clause shares the subject with the main clause by default, so both parts mean “we.” Turkish usually drops subject pronouns unless emphasized.

How is duyuyoruz formed, and how do you pronounce it?

Stem: duy- “hear”
Present continuous: -yor with vowel harmony → -uyor after the rounded back vowel, giving duyuyor-
1st person plural: -uz Result: duyuyoruz. Syllables: du-yu-yo-ruz. It’s not “duyoruz” or “duyuruz.”

Why use duyuyoruz (present continuous) instead of duyarız (aorist)?

Both are possible:

Duyuyoruz feels more conversational and immediate: “when we listen like that, we end up hearing…”
Duyarız is more general/proverbial: “when we listen without prejudice, we hear (in general)…”
Nuance, not correctness, is the difference.

Could we use dinlerken instead of dinleyince?

Grammatically yes, but the nuance changes:

-ken = “while (during the act of)” and stresses simultaneity.
-ince = “when/once,” often implying a result.
“Önyargısız dinlerken içten hikâyeler duyuyoruz” sounds more like “while we are listening we hear…,” which is less natural for the cause–effect idea.

What about dinlediğimizde or dinlediğimiz zaman?

Both are fine and more explicit/formal:

dinlediğimizde = “when we listen” (literally “at the time that we listen”)
dinlediğimiz zaman = “when we listen” (literally “the time that we listen”)
They foreground the subject “we” inside the clause. -ince is lighter and common in speech.

How is önyargısız built, and what does it literally mean?

ön “front/before” + yargı “judgment” → önyargı “prejudice”
-sız/-siz/-suz/-süz “without,” chosen by vowel harmony (last vowel is ı → -sız) So önyargısız = “without prejudice.” Opposite: önyargılı “prejudiced.”

Should it be önyargısız or önyargısızca?

Both work:

önyargısız (adj) can function adverbially in Turkish: “listen without prejudice.”
önyargısızca uses -ca/-ce to make a manner adverb: “in an unprejudiced way.”
Önyargısız is shorter and very common; önyargısızca is a bit more marked/emphatic as a manner adverb.

Why isn’t hikâyeler in the accusative (why not hikâyeleri)?

Because it’s an indefinite object (“heartfelt stories” in general). In Turkish, only definite/specific direct objects take the accusative:

Indefinite: içten hikâyeler duyuyoruz = “we hear heartfelt stories.”
Definite/specific: içten hikâyeleri duyuyoruz = “we hear the heartfelt stories (those particular ones).”

What does içten mean here? Any synonyms?

İçten literally “from the inside,” figuratively “sincere/heartfelt/genuine.” Here: “heartfelt.” Common near-synonyms: samimi (sincere), yürekten (from the heart, often adverbial), içtenlikle (sincerely, adverb).

Is the word order fixed? Can we move parts around?

Turkish is flexible, but the neutral order is Context/Time → Object → Verb. Starting with Önyargısız dinleyince sets the context, then içten hikâyeler (object), then duyuyoruz (verb). You can add biz for emphasis (e.g., “Önyargısız dinleyince biz…”), but the verb tends to stay at the end.

Do we need a comma after dinleyince?

Not required. Short adverbial clauses usually omit the comma. With longer or heavier clauses, a comma is common. Here, both “Önyargısız dinleyince içten hikâyeler duyuyoruz.” and “…, içten hikâyeler duyuyoruz.” are acceptable.

Any pronunciation tips for special letters like ö, ı, and the â in hikâyeler?

ö: like German “ö,” French “eu” in “peur.”
ı (dotless i): a high back unrounded vowel (like the second vowel in English “roses”).
â in hikâye: marks a long “a”; many say [hi-kah-ye], some lengthen it [hi-kaː-ye]. Both are understood.
Also, c in ince is pronounced like English “j” in “jam”: din-ley-in-“je.”

What’s the difference between duymak, işitmek, and dinlemek?

dinlemek: to listen (active, intentional).
duymak: to hear (perceive by ear; also “to hear that…” as in receiving news).
işitmek: more formal/literary for “to hear.”
In everyday speech, duymak is the default for “hear,” so dinleyince … duyuyoruz is natural.