Learn Hardcore Turkish: Bugün gerçekten yorgunum, ama sen istersen yine de sinemaya gelirim. - I’m really tired today, but if you want, I’ll still come to the cinema.

Bugün gerçekten yorgun. → incomplete idea in Turkish; sounds like “Today really tired.” (Who is tired?)
Bugün gerçekten yorgunum. → “Today I am really tired.”

You only use the bare adjective (yorgun) when it modifies a noun (yorgun çocuk = “tired child”), or in certain reduced structures, but not as a normal “I am tired” sentence.

What does the ending “-um” in “yorgunum” mean exactly?

The ending -um is the 1st person singular personal suffix, corresponding to English “I am” in this kind of sentence.

The structure is:

[adjective/noun] + personal ending

Examples:

yorgunum → I am tired
açım (aç
- -ım) → I am hungry
öğrenciyim (öğrenci
- -yim) → I am a student

So yorgun + um = yorgunum → “I am tired.”

Why is “sen” written explicitly in “ama sen istersen”? Could we just say “ama istersen”?

Both are grammatically correct:

ama istersen
ama sen istersen

The pronoun sen is normally optional because the person is already marked on the verb (istersen = “if you want”).

However, using sen here adds:

emphasis/contrast: “but if *you want* (even though I’m tired)”
a more personal tone: directly addressing you as the decision-maker.

So:

ama istersen yine de sinemaya gelirim → neutral “but if you want, I’ll still come to the cinema”
ama sen istersen yine de sinemaya gelirim → “but if you want (it), I’ll still come to the cinema”, with a slightly stronger feeling that it depends on you.

Why is it “istersen” and not “istiyorsan”?

Both forms are grammatically correct but differ in nuance:

istersen → verb root iste-
- aorist (-r) + conditional -sen
- More neutral, general, often used in offers, suggestions, conditions:
- “if you want / if you’d like”
istiyorsan → istiyor (present continuous stem) + conditional -san
- Focuses more on a current, ongoing state of wanting:
- “if you are wanting it now / if you currently want”

In sentences like this (offers, polite conditions), Turkish typically uses the aorist + conditional:
istersen = “if you want (to)” in a general, polite way. It sounds more natural than istiyorsan here.

What exactly does “yine de” mean here?

Yine de means something like:

“still”
“nevertheless”
“even so”
“anyway”

It shows contrast: despite the previous negative or inconvenient fact, the second action still happens.

In this sentence:

First part: “Today I’m really tired”
Second part with yine de: “but I’ll still come to the cinema (despite that)”

So yine de signals: “Even though I’m tired, I will come anyway.”

Does “yine” always mean “again”? Why is it part of “yine de”?

On its own, yine usually means:

“again”
“once more”

But in the fixed expression yine de, it does not mean “again”. Instead, yine de is an idiomatic combination meaning:

“still, nevertheless, even so”

Think of yine de as a single unit, like a phrase you memorize:

yine de = “still / nevertheless”
not “again + also” or similar.

Why is it “sinemaya” and not just “sinema”?

Sinemaya is sinema (cinema) with the dative case ending -a / -e, meaning “to the cinema”.

sinema → cinema (place, subject, etc.)
sinemaya → to the cinema (direction)

The verb gelmek (“to come”) usually takes the dative case to show where you come to:

okula gelirim → I come to school
eve gelirim → I come home
sinemaya gelirim → I come to the cinema

So sinemaya gelirim = “I will come to the cinema.”

Why do we use “gelirim” instead of “geleceğim”?

Both are possible but have different nuances:

gelirim
- Aorist tense form (present simple / general tense)
- In this context, often expresses willingness, readiness, or a decision about the future:
- “I’ll come / I can come / I’m willing to come”
geleceğim
- Future tense form
- More like a clear, definite future plan:
- “I will come (for sure, as a future event)”

In offers and conditional sentences like this, gelirim is very natural and sounds like:
“I’m willing to come (if you want).”
It’s slightly softer and more about readiness than a fixed future arrangement.

Why isn’t the subject “ben” used in “Bugün gerçekten yorgunum” and “gelirim”?

In Turkish, the subject pronoun (ben, sen, o, etc.) is usually omitted because the personal endings on the verb/adjective already show who the subject is.

yorgun
- -um → “I am tired”
gelir
- -im → “I (will) come”

So ben is not needed:

Bugün gerçekten yorgunum. → “I’m really tired today.”
Yine de sinemaya gelirim. → “I’ll still come to the cinema.”

You use ben only when you want to emphasize it:

Ben bugün gerçekten yorgunum. → “I am really tired today.”
Ama ben istersen gelirim. → “But I will come if you want.”

What is the role of “gerçekten” here, and where can it appear in the sentence?

Gerçekten means:

“really”
“truly”

Here it intensifies yorgunum → “I’m really tired”.

Word order is flexible; all of these are possible, with small differences in emphasis:

Bugün gerçekten yorgunum. (neutral; “Today I’m really tired.”)
Gerçekten bugün yorgunum. (slight emphasis on “really” as a comment)
Bugün yorgunum gerçekten. (more conversational, “I’m tired today, really.”)

In this sentence, Bugün gerçekten yorgunum is the most straightforward and common order.

What does “ama” do in this sentence? Is it exactly like “but”?

Yes, ama is the normal, everyday conjunction meaning “but”.

It connects two clauses with a contrast:

Bugün gerçekten yorgunum,
ama sen istersen yine de sinemaya gelirim.

So:

“Today I’m really tired, but if you want, I’ll still come to the cinema.”

You could also use fakat or ancak for “but”, which are slightly more formal or written style, but ama is the most common in speech.

Is there a politeness or emotional nuance in “ama sen istersen yine de sinemaya gelirim”?

Yes. This structure is very considerate and polite.

It combines several softening elements:

sen istersen → “if you want”:
- Gives the other person the right to decide.
- Suggests: “I’m tired, but I don’t want to disappoint you.”
yine de → “still / nevertheless”:
- Highlights that you’re willing to make an effort despite being tired.
gelirim (aorist) instead of geleceğim:
- Sounds like willingness/offering rather than a cold, factual future.

Overall, it communicates:
“I’m really tired today, but if it’s important to you, I’m willing to come anyway.”