Learn Hardcore Turkish: Bugün işten sonra alışveriş merkezine gitmek istemiyorum. - Today after work I don’t want to go to the mall.

Bugün – today (time expression)
işten – from work (iş = work, -ten = ablative case “from”)
sonra – after (postposition that usually follows an ablative form)
alışveriş merkezine – to the shopping mall
- alışveriş – shopping
- merkez – center
- -i – (compound/possessive marker: “shopping’s center”)
- -ne – dative case “to” (actually -n(e) after a word ending in a possessive -i)
gitmek – to go (infinitive)
istemiyorum – I don’t want
- iste- – to want
- -me- – negation
- -iyor – present continuous
- -um – 1st person singular “I”

Literally: Today from-work after to-the-shopping-center to-go I-don’t-want.

What does “işten” mean exactly, and why is there a -ten ending?

İşten comes from:

iş – work, job
-ten / -dan – ablative case, meaning from, out of, away from

So işten literally means “from work”.

The ablative ending has two main shapes: -den or -ten. Which one you use depends on the last consonant of the word:

After a voiceless consonant (like ş, k, p, t), you usually get -ten.
After a voiced consonant (like b, c, d, g, ğ, l, m, n, r, v, y, z), you get -den.

Since iş ends in ş (voiceless), it takes -ten → işten.

What is the role of “sonra” in “işten sonra”?

Sonra means “after”.

In the pattern [noun in ablative] + sonra, it means “after [noun]”.

işten sonra = after work
(literally: after from-work)

So the structure is:

iş (work) → işten (from work) → işten sonra (after work)

Why is it “alışveriş merkezine” and not just “alışveriş merkezi”?

Alışveriş merkezi by itself means “shopping mall / shopping center”.

Alışveriş merkezine adds the dative case -e / -a, which usually corresponds to English “to” (direction):

alışveriş merkezi – shopping mall
alışveriş merkezine – to the shopping mall

So in this sentence, gitmek (to go) needs a direction, so the mall must take the dative:

alışveriş merkezine gitmek – to go to the shopping mall

How is “alışveriş merkezine” built morphologically?

Breakdown:

alış – buying
veriş – giving
→ Together alışveriş = shopping (a fixed word)
merkez – center
alışveriş merkez-i – shopping’s center (compound noun, marked with 3rd person possessive -i)
alışveriş merkez-i-n-e – to the shopping center
- -i – possessive/compound marker
- -n- – buffer consonant
- -e – dative “to”

So alışveriş merkezine is actually alışveriş merkez-i-n-e: to the shopping center.

Why is “gitmek” (to go) in the infinitive, not conjugated like “gitmiyorum”?

In Turkish, when you say “want to do something”, you use:

[verb in infinitive] + istemek (to want)

So:

gitmek istiyorum – I want to go
gitmek istemiyorum – I don’t want to go

You do not say “gitmiyorum istemek” or similar. The action you want (or don’t want) stays in the -mek / -mak infinitive form, and istemek is the verb that gets conjugated and negated.

How is “istemiyorum” formed, and what does each part do?

İstemiyorum = iste- + -me- + -iyor + -um

iste- – verb root “want”
-me- – negation suffix (not)
-iyor – present continuous tense marker (am/is/are …-ing)
-um – 1st person singular ending (I)

Phonologically, -me- + -iyor becomes -miyor.

So istemiyorum literally means “I am not wanting”, which in natural English is “I don’t want”.

Where is the pronoun “I” in this sentence? Why isn’t “ben” used?

Turkish usually drops subject pronouns when they are clear from the verb ending.

In istemiyorum:

The ending -um = “I”
So the subject “I” is already built into the verb.

Saying Ben bugün işten sonra alışveriş merkezine gitmek istemiyorum is correct, but ben is only used for emphasis or contrast (e.g. “I (not someone else) don’t want to go…”). In neutral speech, ben is often omitted.

Is the word order fixed? Can I move “bugün” or “işten sonra” around?

Turkish word order is flexible, but the default is:

Time → Place → Object → Verb

Your sentence:

Bugün (today – time)
işten sonra (after work – time/when)
alışveriş merkezine (to the mall – place/direction)
gitmek istemiyorum (I don’t want to go – verb phrase)

Some other acceptable variants:

Bugün alışveriş merkezine işten sonra gitmek istemiyorum.
İşten sonra bugün alışveriş merkezine gitmek istemiyorum.

The meaning stays the same, but emphasis changes slightly. The verb phrase usually stays at the end, and big changes in word order mainly affect focus/emphasis, not the core meaning.

Why is there no word for “the” before “alışveriş merkezi”?

Turkish has no articles like “a/an” or “the.”

Definiteness is expressed mostly by:

Context
Word order
Case endings (especially accusative on direct objects)

In alışveriş merkezine gitmek istemiyorum, the phrase can mean either:

I don’t want to go to *the shopping mall*, or
I don’t want to go to *a shopping mall*,

depending on context. The Turkish form does not mark this difference explicitly.

How strong is “istemiyorum”? Is it like “I don’t feel like going” or “I refuse to go”?

İstemiyorum is neutral in strength and literally means “I don’t want (to)”.

Depending on tone and context, it can sound like:

Mild: “I don’t really want to go.”
Neutral: “I don’t want to go.”
Stronger: “I don’t want to go (I’m not going).”

If you want a softer, more “I don’t feel like it” nuance, Turkish often uses:

Canım gitmek istemiyor. – I don’t feel like going.
(literally: “My soul doesn’t want to go.”)

How would I turn this into a question like “Do you want to go to the shopping mall after work today?”?

You mainly:

Change the subject from I to you.
Remove negation.
Add the yes–no question particle mi.

Result:

Bugün işten sonra alışveriş merkezine gitmek istiyor musun?
(informal singular “you”)

Breakdown of the verb:

istiyor – wants (present continuous)
mu – question particle (here as mu → mu / mü / mı / mi changes by vowel harmony)
sun – you (singular informal)

For polite plural/formal you:

Bugün işten sonra alışveriş merkezine gitmek istiyor musunuz?