Learn Hardcore Turkish: Film uzun olsa da birlikte vakit geçirmek bize iyi gelecek. - Even if the film is long, spending time together will do us good.

“also / too / as well”
- Ben de geliyorum. – I’m coming too.
Concessive “though / even so” (as in this sentence)
- Film uzun olsa da… – Even if the film is long…

In writing, the form is the same (da/de, written separately), but the meaning comes from context:

If it can be translated as “also/too”, it’s the additive meaning.
If it introduces a contrast like “even though / although”, it’s the concessive meaning.

Here, da clearly introduces a contrast, so it’s concessive: “even though”.

Why is it olsa da and not olsa bile? Do they mean the same thing?

Both are correct and very close in meaning:

olsa da – even if it is / although it is
olsa bile – even if it is (really) / even though it may be

bile also means “even”, so olsa bile can sound a bit stronger or more emphatic, like “even if it’s long (still…)”.

You could say:

Film uzun olsa bile birlikte vakit geçirmek bize iyi gelecek.

The difference is subtle; in many contexts they’re interchangeable. Olsa da is slightly more neutral and very common in speech.

What exactly does birlikte vakit geçirmek mean? Is it just “to spend time together”?

Yes. Birlikte vakit geçirmek literally means:

birlikte – together
vakit – time (in the sense of “time period”)
geçirmek – to pass/spend (time)

So it’s “to spend time together” in the social sense.

Examples:

Arkadaşlarımla birlikte vakit geçiriyorum.
I spend time with my friends.

You also often see zaman geçirmek with the same meaning:

birlikte zaman geçirmek ≈ to spend time together

vakit and zaman overlap a lot here; both are natural.

Why is vakit geçirmek in the -mek form? Why not conjugated like a normal verb?

Here, birlikte vakit geçirmek is acting as the subject of the sentence, so it stays in the dictionary form (-mek), which is a type of verbal noun.

The structure is:

(Subject) Birlikte vakit geçirmek
(Indirect object) bize
(Verb) iyi gelecek

Literally: > Spending time together will be good for us.

In English we often use -ing (spending time together).
Turkish uses -mek/-mak in a similar way to turn a verb phrase into something that can act like a thing (subject or object).

What does bize do in this sentence, and why the dative case?

bize is the dative form of biz (we/us):

biz – we / us
bize – to us / for us

The verb iyi gelmek works like “to be good for someone / to do someone good” and usually takes the dative case for the person:

Bu ilaç sana iyi gelir. – This medicine is good for you.
Tatil hepimize iyi gelecek. – The vacation will be good for all of us.

So:

bize iyi gelecek = will be good for us / will do us good.

That’s why it’s bize, not just biz or bizi.

What does iyi gelecek literally mean, and why “come” and not “be”?

Literally:

iyi – good
gelecek – will come (future of gelmek – to come)

So iyi gelecek = “will come good”.

But idiomatically, iyi gelmek means:

to be good for someone
to make someone feel good
to do someone good / be beneficial

Examples:

Biraz temiz hava sana iyi gelir.
Some fresh air will do you good.

In your sentence:

bize iyi gelecek = it will be good for us / it will do us good.

The “come” idea is metaphorical: goodness “comes” to you, so it’s good for you.

Could we say bize iyi olacak instead of bize iyi gelecek? What’s the difference?

Yes, bize iyi olacak is also possible:

iyi olacak – will be good
iyi gelecek – will come good → will do (someone) good

Nuance:

bize iyi olacak: more neutral, “it will be good (for us/situation).”
bize iyi gelecek: more about benefit, comfort, relief, “it will do us good / it’ll be good for our mood, health, etc.”

In the context of “spending time together”, iyi gelecek feels especially natural because it suggests emotional or psychological benefit.

Can I change the word order, like put bize at the beginning?

Yes, Turkish word order is flexible, and you can move elements for emphasis:

Bize birlikte vakit geçirmek iyi gelecek.
Emphasis on bize – For us, spending time together will be good.
Birlikte vakit geçirmek bize iyi gelecek.
More neutral; emphasis mainly on the whole idea.

The most important rule is that the finite verb (gelecek) usually comes last in standard sentences. The rest can move around for emphasis or style.

Could the concessive clause go at the end? For example:
Birlikte vakit geçirmek bize iyi gelecek, film uzun olsa da.

Yes, that’s also grammatically correct:

Birlikte vakit geçirmek bize iyi gelecek, film uzun olsa da.

Meaning is the same:
Spending time together will be good for us, even if the film is long.

Differences:

Film uzun olsa da birlikte vakit geçirmek…
Starts with the condition/contrast, then gives the main idea.
… bize iyi gelecek, film uzun olsa da.
States the main idea first, then adds the “even if” part as a comment or afterthought.

Both are natural; the choice depends on what you want to emphasize first.

What is the role of uzun here? Is there an implied olmak?

In Film uzun olsa da, the structure is:

Film – subject
uzun – predicate adjective (“long”)
olsa – conditional form of olmak (to be)

Together: “If the film is long” / “Even if the film is long”.

There is no omitted verb; olsa is explicitly there.
Without it:

Film uzun da… would be incomplete and odd in this concessive sense.
You need olsa da (or olsa bile) to get that “even if it is” meaning.

What’s the difference between birlikte and beraber here?

In this sentence, they are almost interchangeable:

birlikte vakit geçirmek
beraber vakit geçirmek

Both mean “to spend time together”.

Nuances:

birlikte is slightly more neutral/formal.
beraber is very common in everyday speech, maybe a bit more colloquial.

You can safely use either in this context:

Film uzun olsa da beraber vakit geçirmek bize iyi gelecek.
is also natural.