Learn Hardcore Turkish: Seni uzun zamandır görmedim; buluşmadan önce sana mesaj atacağım. - I haven’t seen you for a long time; before we meet, I will text you.

Seni uzun zamandır görmedim = I haven’t seen you for a long time.
- görmek = to see
- seni = you (object)
- So literally: “You-ACC for a long time I-didn’t-see.”

If you said sen uzun zamandır görmedim, it would be ungrammatical, because the verb görmek needs a direct object in the accusative (seni).

What does uzun zamandır literally mean, and what is the -dır doing?

Literally:

uzun = long
zaman = time
-dır = a suffix often used as a kind of “is / has been” or for general statements

The frozen phrase uzun zamandır means “for a long time (now)”.

Here, -dır doesn’t add a strong separate meaning; it’s part of a very common time expression. You can also hear:

Uzun zamandır görmedim.
Uzun süredir görmedim. (süre = duration)

Both mean “I haven’t seen (you) for a long time.”

Why is it görmedim (simple past) even though English uses “I haven’t seen you” (present perfect)?

Turkish often uses the simple past (-di tense) where English uses the present perfect:

görmedim = I did not see / I haven’t seen

In Turkish, görmedim naturally covers the idea “from some time in the past up to now, I did not see you”.
So:

Seni uzun zamandır görmedim.
= I haven’t seen you for a long time.

You don’t need a special “have” construction in Turkish; the combination of time expression + simple past gives that meaning.

Can I also say Uzun zamandır seni görmedim? Is there any difference?

Yes, you can say:

Uzun zamandır seni görmedim.
Seni uzun zamandır görmedim.

Both are correct and mean the same as a neutral sentence: I haven’t seen you for a long time.

The difference is slight emphasis:

Seni uzun zamandır görmedim. – mild focus on you.
Uzun zamandır seni görmedim. – mild focus on the length of time.

In everyday speech, they’re interchangeable.

Why is there no ben or ben seni at the beginning? How do we know the subject?

Turkish is a pro‑drop language: subject pronouns are often omitted when the verb ending already shows the subject.

görmedim
- -di = past
- -m = I
  → I didn’t see
atacağım
- -acak = future
- -ım / -ım = I

So ben is understood from the verb endings. You only say ben for extra emphasis, e.g.:

Ben seni uzun zamandır görmedim. (I haven’t seen you for a long time – stressing “I”.)

What exactly is buluşmadan önce? What does -madan mean?

buluşmadan önce is built like this:

buluşmak = to meet
buluşma- = verb stem turned into a base for suffixes
-madan = “without doing / before doing” (negative converb)
önce = before

So buluşmadan önce literally means “before meeting” or “before we meet”, functioning as a time expression:

Buluşmadan önce sana mesaj atacağım.
= I’ll text you before (we) meet.

Could I say buluşmadan önce mesaj atacağım sana? Is that still correct?

Yes, it is correct:

Buluşmadan önce sana mesaj atacağım.
Buluşmadan önce mesaj atacağım sana.

Both mean the same. The difference is word order and emphasis:

Earlier in the sentence = more emphasis.
sana at the end lightly emphasizes “to you”.

Turkish word order is flexible as long as the verb is usually at (or near) the end.

Why is it sana mesaj atacağım and not seni mesaj atacağım?

Because mesaj atmak (to send a message) takes an indirect object, not a direct object, in this pattern:

sana = to you (dative case, “direction / recipient”)
seni = you (accusative, direct object)

Compare:

Seni gördüm. – I saw you. (direct object → accusative)
Sana mesaj atacağım. – I’ll send you a message. (recipient → dative)

So sana is correct here, because you are the recipient of the message, not the thing that is being thrown/sent.

Why do people say mesaj atmak? Doesn’t atmak mean “to throw”?

Literally, atmak = to throw / to toss.
In modern colloquial Turkish, atmak is also used for:

mesaj atmak – to send a (text) message
mail atmak – to send an email
mesaj göndermek – is also correct and a bit more formal/literal.

So:

Sana mesaj atacağım. = I’ll text you / I’ll send you a message.

In everyday speech, mesaj atmak is extremely common and very natural.

Could I say Seni uzun zamandır görmüyorum instead of görmedim? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can, but the nuance is slightly different:

Seni uzun zamandır görmedim.
– Focuses on the past period up to now. It feels a bit like a summary: I haven’t seen you for a long time (up to this point).
Seni uzun zamandır görmüyorum.
– Present continuous negative: I am not seeing you for a long time.
– More like describing an ongoing situation or habit.

In most casual contexts, both would be understood as “I haven’t seen you for a long time,” but native speakers might prefer görmedim for this exact sentence.

Why is there a semicolon (;) instead of a comma between the two parts?

The semicolon here separates two closely related independent clauses:

Seni uzun zamandır görmedim;
buluşmadan önce sana mesaj atacağım.

You could also use a comma or even split it into two sentences:

Seni uzun zamandır görmedim, buluşmadan önce sana mesaj atacağım.
Seni uzun zamandır görmedim. Buluşmadan önce sana mesaj atacağım.

In everyday writing, a comma or a period is more common; the semicolon is more of a stylistic choice.

Can I drop sana and just say Buluşmadan önce mesaj atacağım?

Yes, you can. It would still be understood as:

Buluşmadan önce mesaj atacağım.
= I’ll send a message before we meet.

Without sana, the sentence is a bit less explicit about the recipient, but in context it will almost always mean “I’ll text you.” Adding sana just makes it clearer and more personal.