Learn Hardcore Turkish: Otopark dolu olsa bile toplantıya zamanında gitmeye çalışıyorum. - Even if the parking lot is full, I try to get to the meeting on time.

In this sentence, otopark dolu olsa means if the car park is full / even if the car park is full. It’s a hypothetical or conditional situation, not tied to a specific tense like past or future. Context tells us it’s about a repeated or potential situation in the present/future.

What does bile mean in olsa bile, and how is olsa bile different from just olsa?

Bile means even in this context.

olsa = if (it) is
olsa bile = even if (it) is

So otopark dolu olsa would be if the car park is full, but otopark dolu olsa bile is stronger: even if the car park is full (I still do X).

The bile adds the idea that this condition is something that might normally stop you, but you continue anyway.

What is the difference between olsa bile and olsa da?

Both olsa bile and olsa da can be translated as even if / although in many contexts, and often they are interchangeable.

otopark dolu olsa bile ≈ otopark dolu olsa da
→ even if / although the car park is full

Subtle differences:

bile is more clearly even, so olsa bile often feels slightly stronger or more emphatic: even if… still…
-sa da is the conditional + da (which here acts like though / even though).

In everyday speech, you will hear both. In this sentence, using bile nicely emphasizes the contrast: even if the parking lot is full, I still try…

Why is there no separate word for “is” in otopark dolu?

Turkish does not usually use a separate verb for to be in the present tense with adjectives and nouns.

otopark dolu = literally the car park full, but functionally the car park is full

So:

otopark = car park
dolu = full (adjective)
otopark dolu = the car park is full

When you make it conditional:

otopark dolu olsa = if the car park is full / if the car park were full

You only see olmak (here: olsa) when you add a mood or tense that requires a verbal form, like the conditional, past, etc.

Why is it toplantıya and not just toplantı?

Toplantıya is toplantı (meeting) in the dative case, marked by -a / -e.

toplantı = meeting
toplantı-ya = to the meeting

The dative -a / -e is used:

with verbs of movement (go, come, run, drive)
→ toplantıya gitmek = to go to the meeting
also for purposes and targets (for, toward, to in various senses)

So toplantıya zamanında gitmeye çalışıyorum is literally I am trying to go to the meeting on time.

Why is it gitmeye çalışıyorum and not gitmek çalışıyorum?

The structure -meye / -maya çalışmak is the standard way to say to try to do something.

gitmek = to go (dictionary form, infinitive)
git-me-ye
- git- = go
- -me = verbal noun/infinitive suffix
- -ye (dative) = to (to the act of going)

So gitmeye çalışmak literally means to try (towards) going, i.e. to try to go.

You cannot say gitmek çalışıyorum. Çalışmak by itself means to work or to study, and when it means to try, it needs this pattern:

[verb-me-ye/maya] çalışmak = to try to [verb]

Examples:

Türkçe öğrenmeye çalışıyorum. = I’m trying to learn Turkish.
Erken kalkmaya çalışıyorum. = I’m trying to wake up early.

Why is çalışıyorum in the present continuous, when in English we’d usually say “I try”, not “I am trying”?

In Turkish, the -yor form (çalışıyorum) covers both:

actions happening now, and
regular or habitual actions (things you generally do)

So:

Her zaman toplantıya zamanında gitmeye çalışıyorum.
→ literally: I am trying to go to the meeting on time (as a habit).
→ natural English: I try to get to the meeting on time.

Turkish often uses present continuous (-yor) where English uses simple present for habits or general behavior.

Using çalışırım (simple present) would sound more like:

a strong general tendency, or
something like a rule / promise:
Toplantıya zamanında gitmeye çalışırım. = I (always) make an effort to go on time. (more like a general statement about yourself)

Why is the subject “I” not written in the sentence?

In Turkish, the subject pronoun is usually dropped because the person is clear from the verb ending.

çalış-ıyor-um
- çalış = try / work
- -yor = present continuous
- -um = I

So çalışıyorum already tells you I am doing it.

Adding ben (I) is only necessary for emphasis or contrast:

Ben toplantıya zamanında gitmeye çalışıyorum.
→ I try to get to the meeting on time (as opposed to others).

Can the word order be changed, or must the sentence start with Otopark dolu olsa bile?

Turkish word order is flexible, especially with clauses like this. Your sentence:

Otopark dolu olsa bile toplantıya zamanında gitmeye çalışıyorum.

Common and natural alternatives:

Toplantıya zamanında gitmeye çalışıyorum, otopark dolu olsa bile.
(Main clause first, condition second.)
Toplantıya zamanında, otopark dolu olsa bile, gitmeye çalışıyorum.
(Condition inserted in the middle.)

The most neutral / typical pattern in written Turkish is:

[conditional clause] + [main clause]
→ Otopark dolu olsa bile, toplantıya zamanında gitmeye çalışıyorum.

Changing the order doesn’t change the basic meaning, but putting the conditional first often emphasizes that condition.

What does zamanında literally mean, and is it the only way to say “on time”?

Zamanında comes from:

zaman = time
zaman-ı = its time (3rd person possessive)
zaman-ın-da = in its time / at its time

Over time, zamanında has become a fixed expression meaning on time / at the right time.

In this sentence, toplantıya zamanında gitmek = to go to the meeting on time.

Other common ways to say on time:

vaktinde = on time (very similar, also common)
tam zamanında = exactly on time
geç kalmadan = without being late (slightly different angle)

All of these could fit, with small changes in nuance:

Toplantıya vaktinde gitmeye çalışıyorum.
Toplantıya geç kalmamaya çalışıyorum. (I try not to be late to the meeting.)