Kütüphanede çalışırken kulaklık takmayı tercih ediyorum.

While studying in the library, I prefer to wear headphones.

Breakdown of Kütüphanede çalışırken kulaklık takmayı tercih ediyorum.

• tercih etmek: to prefer
• çalışmak: to study
• kütüphane: the library
• takmak: to wear
• -de: in
• -ırken: while
• kulaklık: the headphone

Questions & Answers about Kütüphanede çalışırken kulaklık takmayı tercih ediyorum.

What does -de in Kütüphanede mean, and when do I use it?

-de is the locative case in Turkish. It usually corresponds to English “in / at / on” depending on context.

• kütüphane = library
• kütüphane + de → kütüphanede = in/at the library

The locative has four forms because of consonant and vowel harmony: -de, -da, -te, -ta:

• evde = at home (ev + de)
• okulda = at school (okul + da)
• şehirde = in the city
• masada = on the table

You use -de/-da/-te/-ta whenever you want to say something is located in/at/on a place or happening there:
Kütüphanede çalışıyorum. = I am studying in the library.

Why is there no word for “the” in Kütüphanede? How do I know if it’s “in a library” or “in the library”?

Turkish has no separate word for “a” or “the”. Articles don’t exist as in English.

Whether kütüphanede means “in a library” or “in the library” is understood from context, not from a specific word:

• Kütüphanede çalışıyorum.
  Depending on context, this can be:
  • I am studying in the library. (a specific one you both know), or
  • I am studying in a library. (some library, not specified)

In your sentence, in a realistic conversation, it would almost always be understood as “in the library” (the one both people know about), even though Turkish doesn’t explicitly mark that.

How is çalışırken formed, and what exactly does -ken mean?

-ken is a suffix that roughly means “while doing X” / “as X is happening.”

Formation here:

• çalışmak = to study / to work
• remove -mak → çalış- (verb stem)
• add the appropriate -ken form: -ırken (because the last vowel is ı)
• çalış + ırken → çalışırken = while (I am) studying / working

General pattern for “while doing”:

• last vowel a / e → -erken
  
  • yazmak → yazarken (while writing)
• last vowel ı / i / u / ü → -ırken / -irken / -urken / -ürken
  
  • çalışmak → çalışırken
  • görmek → görürken

Meaning-wise, -ken expresses that two actions overlap in time:

• Kütüphanede çalışırken kulaklık takmayı tercih ediyorum.
  = I prefer wearing headphones while I’m studying in the library.

What’s the difference between çalışırken, çalıştığımda, and çalışınca?

All three can translate as “when I study”, but they have different nuances:

1. çalışırken – while I am studying

   • Overlapping actions, focus on the during part.
   • Çalışırken müzik dinlemem. = I don’t listen to music while studying.

2. çalıştığımda – when I study / when I am studying

   • More like “at the time when I study”, can be specific or general.
   • Çalıştığımda sessizliğe ihtiyacım var. = When I study, I need silence.

3. çalışınca – when I study / when I have studied / whenever I study

   • Often implies cause or result (after the action starts or is completed).
   • Çalışınca yoruluyorum. = When I study, I get tired.

In your sentence, çalışırken is used because the two actions happen at the same time: studying and wearing headphones.

Why is it kulaklık takmayı and not just kulaklık takmak?

This is because of the verb tercih etmek (to prefer).

In Turkish, when you say “I prefer doing X”, the verb tercih etmek normally takes a verbal noun in the form:

verb stem + -mA + (accusative -yI)

So:

• takmak = to put on / wear (an accessory)
• remove -mak → tak-
• add -ma → takma (the act of wearing/putting on)
• add -yı/-yi/-yu/-yü (accusative, here -yı) → takmayı

Then combine:

• kulaklık takmayı = (the act of) wearing headphones
• kulaklık takmayı tercih ediyorum. = I prefer to wear headphones.

If you used the bare infinitive takmak, it would sound incomplete after tercih ediyorum. With other verbs you might say:

• Erken kalkmayı seviyorum. = I like getting up early.
• Film izlemeyi tercih ediyoruz. = We prefer watching a film.

What does takmak mean here, and how is it different from giymek?

Both takmak and giymek relate to “putting on” or “wearing,” but they are used with different kinds of items.

• takmak

  • for accessories or things you attach/hang/put on:
  • kulaklık takmak = to wear/put on headphones
  • gözlük takmak = to wear glasses
  • saat takmak = to wear a watch
  • küpe takmak = to wear earrings
  • kemer takmak = to wear a belt

• giymek

  • for clothes:
  • elbise giymek = to wear a dress
  • pantolon giymek = to wear trousers
  • mont giymek = to wear a coat/jacket

So in your sentence, kulaklık takmayı is correct because headphones are treated like an accessory.

Why is kulaklık singular in Turkish even though “headphones” is plural in English?

In Turkish, many objects that English treats as naturally plural are often used in the singular when we mean them in general:

• kulaklık (singular form) often means “headphones” as a general item.
• makas = scissors (form looks singular, but refers to a pair).
• gözlük = glasses.

So:

• kulaklık takmayı seviyorum.
  Literally: I like wearing headphone(s).
  Naturally understood: I like wearing headphones.

If you want to emphasize more than one pair or specific ones, you can use the plural:

• Yeni kulaklıklar aldım. = I bought new headphones (maybe several pairs).
• Bu kulaklıklar çok pahalı. = These headphones are very expensive.

But in general habits, the singular kulaklık is normal and natural.

Why do we use tercih ediyorum instead of tercih ederim here?

Both forms are grammatically correct, but they have slightly different nuances:

• tercih ediyorum

  • -(I)yor (present continuous) in Turkish is used for:
    • actions happening now,
    • current habits,
    • and often for personal, real-life preferences.
  • In this sentence, it gives a feeling of my actual, current habit.

• tercih ederim

  • -er/-ar (aorist) is used for:
    • general truths,
    • repeated or habitual actions,
    • neutral statements of preference.
  • Kütüphanede çalışırken kulaklık takmayı tercih ederim.
    sounds a bit more general or theoretical: “As a rule, I prefer…”

In everyday speech, tercih ediyorum sounds more natural and conversational when talking about what you actually do.

Why is there no ben (“I”) in the sentence? Where would I put it if I wanted to use it?

In Turkish, the personal ending on the verb usually makes the subject pronoun unnecessary:

• tercih ediyorum
  
  • -yor = present continuous
  • -um (here written as -um / -ım / -im / -üm) = “I”

So the sentence already means “I prefer” without ben.

You add ben only for emphasis, contrast, or clarity:

• Ben kütüphanede çalışırken kulaklık takmayı tercih ediyorum.
  = I prefer to wear headphones while studying in the library (as opposed to someone else).

Position: normally at the beginning, before the rest of the sentence.

Is the word order fixed, or can I move parts of the sentence around?

Turkish word order is fairly flexible, but there is a default pattern:

• Basic order: [time/place] – [other info] – [object] – [verb]

Your sentence:

• Kütüphanede çalışırken (time/place clause)
• kulaklık takmayı (object phrase)
• tercih ediyorum (verb)

This is very natural: adverbial clause → object → verb.

You can move parts around to change emphasis, but the finite verb usually stays at the end. For example:

• Ben kütüphanede çalışırken kulaklık takmayı tercih ediyorum.
  (emphasis on I.)
• Kulaklık takmayı kütüphanede çalışırken tercih ediyorum.
  (unusual, but shifts focus to wearing headphones.)

Most of the time, for a neutral statement, it’s best to keep something very close to what you have:

Kütüphanede çalışırken kulaklık takmayı tercih ediyorum.

This sounds natural and clear to native speakers.