Learn Hardcore Turkish: Film başlamadan önce telefonumu sessize alıyorum. - Before the film starts, I put my phone on silent.

Film – the film / the movie (no article in Turkish, context gives “the”)
başlamadan – before (it) starts / without starting
- from başlamak = to start
- başlama- (verb stem) + -dan/-den (here as -madan, a special form; more below)
önce – before
telefonumu – my phone as a direct object
- telefon = phone
- -um = my
- -u = accusative (definite object)
sessize – to silent / into silent mode
- sessiz = silent
- -e = “to, into”
alıyorum – I am taking / I put
- al- = take
- -ıyor = present continuous
- -um = I

Turkish order is essentially:

[Time phrase] + [Object] + [Manner/Result] + [Verb]
Film başlamadan önce + telefonumu + sessize + alıyorum

English is more like:

I + put + my phone + on silent + before the movie starts

So Turkish usually puts the time expression first and the main verb at the end.

Why is it “film başlamadan önce” and not just “filmden önce”?

Both are possible, but they are not identical:

Film başlamadan önce
Literally: before the film starts
Structure: film (subject) + başlamadan önce (before starting)
Focuses on the start time of the film as an event.
Filmden önce
Literally: before the film
Structure: film
- -den (from) + önce (before)
  More like “before the film (itself, as a block of time)” – often understood similarly, but grammatically it’s “before the film”, not “before it starts”.

In everyday speech, both can often refer to almost the same period, but:

If you want to be precise about before it begins, film başlamadan önce is clearer.
filmden önce is shorter and also very common:
Filmden önce telefonumu sessize alıyorum. – I put my phone on silent before the movie.

What exactly is “-madan” in başlamadan?

-madan / -meden is a verbal suffix that creates a form meaning roughly:

without doing X
before doing X (when combined with önce)

Formation:

verb: başla (stem) + -mak (dictionary form: başlamak = to start)
drop -mak, add -madan → başlamadan

Meaning:

başlamadan = without starting / before (it) starts

Other examples:

yemek yemeden – without eating / before eating
gitmeden – without going / before going
uyumadan – without sleeping / before sleeping

When you add önce after it, the “before” meaning becomes explicit:

gitmeden önce – before (I/you/etc.) go
film başlamadan önce – before the film starts

Why is “önce” after “başlamadan” instead of before it?

Önce is a postposition in Turkish, not a preposition. That means it comes after the word or phrase it relates to.

Patterns:

With a noun:
- filmden önce – before the film
  - film
    - -den
      - önce
With a verb phrase in -madan/-meden:
- film başlamadan önce – before the film starts
  - film
    - başlamadan
      - önce

So the order is:

[Thing/event] + [case or -madan/-meden] + önce

Why is it telefonumu and not just telefonum?

Telefonum and telefonumu are different cases:

telefonum = my phone (subject or non-object use)
- telefon
  - -um = my phone
telefonumu = my phone as a definite direct object
- telefon
  - -um (my) + -u (accusative)

In Turkish, a definite direct object takes the accusative ending:

Kitap okuyor. – He/she is reading a book. (non-specific)
Kitabı okuyor. – He/she is reading the book. (specific)

Here, “my phone” is:

specific and unique (you know which phone: my phone),
and it’s the object of “put on silent”.

So accusative is required:

Telefonumu sessize alıyorum. – I put my phone on silent.

Using telefonum sessize alıyorum is grammatically wrong.

What does “sessize almak” mean, literally and idiomatically?

Literally:

sessiz – silent
-e – to / into
almak – to take

So sessize almak literally is “to take into silent”, i.e. to put into a silent state.

Idiomatic meaning:

sessize almak = to put (a device) on silent mode

Common uses:

Telefonumu sessize aldım. – I put my phone on silent.
Televizyonu sessize alır mısın? – Can you mute the TV?

It’s a very common light-verb construction in Turkish: a noun/adjective + almak forming a verb phrase.

Why is it “sessize” and not just “sessiz”?

The -e ending (dative case) indicates direction / change of state:

sessiz – silent (adjective)
sessiz
- -e → sessize – to silent / into a silent state

With verbs of change or movement, Turkish often uses the dative:

odaya girmek – to go into the room
kırmızıya dönmek – to turn (into) red
sessize almak – to take (into) silent

So sessize almak literally says: “to take (it) into a silent condition.”
Using plain sessiz almak would sound wrong; the dative -e is needed.

Why is alıyorum (present continuous) used for something I do regularly, not just right now?

In Turkish, present continuous (-yor) is often used for:

Right now actions:
- Şu an telefonumu sessize alıyorum. – I am putting my phone on silent (right now).
Regular / habitual actions, especially in speech:
- Film başlamadan önce telefonumu sessize alıyorum.
  → I (typically / always) put my phone on silent before the movie starts.

So alıyorum here describes a habitual action, even though English uses simple present (I put).

You could also say:

Film başlamadan önce telefonumu sessize alırım.

This is the aorist/simple present (-r) and is also correct.
Nuance (in everyday use):

alıyorum – sounds more colloquial and often more natural in conversation.
alırım – can sound a bit more neutral/formal or rule-like: “I do this as a rule.”

What is the difference between alıyorum, aldım, and alırım in this sentence?

Using Film başlamadan önce telefonumu sessize …:

alıyorum – present continuous (often used as habitual):
- I (usually) put my phone on silent before the movie starts.
aldım – simple past:
- Film başlamadan önce telefonumu sessize aldım.
- I put my phone on silent before the movie started. (one specific past occasion)
alırım – aorist/simple present:
- I put my phone on silent before the movie starts (as a general rule).

So:

alıyorum – talking about a current/typical habit, common in speech.
alırım – more general statement of habit or rule.
aldım – a completed action in the past.

Can I change the word order, for example: “Telefonumu film başlamadan önce sessize alıyorum”? Does it change the meaning?

Yes, you can change the word order somewhat because Turkish is flexible, but the final verb position is usually kept.

Both of these are correct:

Film başlamadan önce telefonumu sessize alıyorum.
- Time phrase first (neutral, very natural):
  Before the movie starts, I put my phone on silent.
Telefonumu film başlamadan önce sessize alıyorum.
- Object first; it slightly emphasizes “my phone” more:
  My phone, I put on silent before the movie starts.

The core meaning is the same; the difference is a slight shift in emphasis or focus, not in basic content. In everyday speech, both are acceptable, with (1) probably a bit more common.

Is “film” definite here (“the film”) even though it has no suffix?

Yes. Film has no article or suffix, but Turkish has no articles (no “a/the”). Definiteness often comes from context.

In this sentence, film is understood as “the movie (we’re about to watch / that is known)” because:

You’re clearly talking about a specific event (“before the movie starts” in a cinema, at home, etc.).
The verb phrase başlamadan önce (before it starts) implies a particular movie.

So although film could mean “a movie” in other contexts, here it is naturally interpreted as “the movie.”