Misafirler gelmeden önce tavuğu fırına veriyorum.

It means before the guests come / before arriving.

It is built like this:

• gel- = come
• -meden = a converb form often used in expressions like before doing or without doing
• önce = before

So gelmeden önce is a very common pattern:

• gitmeden önce = before leaving
• yemeden önce = before eating
• uyumadan önce = before sleeping

In this sentence, the subject of that part is misafirler, so it means before the guests come.

That is a very common learner question.

By itself, gelmeden can mean without coming. But when it is followed by önce, the whole expression gelmeden önce means before coming / before someone comes.

So in this pattern, don’t translate each piece too mechanically. Treat -madan/-meden önce as a set expression:

• çıkmadan önce = before going out
• başlamadan önce = before starting
• gelmeden önce = before coming

So yes, it contains the same -ma/-me shape you know from negation, but in this structure the overall meaning is temporal: before.

Misafirler is the subject of the clause misafirler gelmeden önce.

Subjects in Turkish are usually in the nominative, and the nominative has no ending. So plain misafirler is normal.

Also, Turkish has no separate word for the. Whether English needs guests or the guests depends on context. In this sentence, English will usually say the guests.

Breakdown:

• misafir = guest
• misafirler = guests

The -ler is the plural ending.

Because tavuğu is a specific direct object.

In Turkish, a specific/definite direct object usually takes the accusative ending -(y)ı / -(y)i / -(y)u / -(y)ü.

So:

• tavuk = chicken / a chicken / chicken in general
• tavuğu = the chicken / a particular chicken

Compare:

• Tavuk pişiriyorum. = I’m cooking chicken / some chicken.
• Tavuğu pişiriyorum. = I’m cooking the chicken.

In your sentence, the speaker means a particular chicken, so tavuğu is used.

Because of a common sound change in Turkish.

When some words ending in k take a vowel-initial suffix, the k softens to ğ.

So:

• tavuk
  • -u → tavuğu

This is very common:

• çocuk → çocuğu
• renk → rengi
• köpek → köpeği

Also, the accusative vowel is -u because of vowel harmony. The last vowel in tavuk is u, so the suffix becomes u.

Because the sentence is about movement toward a destination.

• fırına = to / into the oven
  This is the dative ending -a / -e.
• fırında = in the oven
  This is the locative ending -da / -de.

Here, the chicken is being put into the oven, so Turkish uses fırına.

Compare:

• Tavuğu fırına koyuyorum. = I’m putting the chicken into the oven.
• Tavuk fırında. = The chicken is in the oven.

Yes, vermek usually means to give, but it is also used in many natural expressions where English would use a different verb.

Fırına vermek is an idiomatic way to say:

• to put in the oven
• to set in the oven to cook

So the sentence sounds natural in Turkish.

A close alternative is:

• tavuğu fırına koyuyorum

That is also correct and may feel more literal to an English speaker, because koymak means to put/place.

Very roughly:

• fırına koymak = physically put into the oven
• fırına vermek = put into the oven for cooking/baking/roasting

Veriyorum is the -iyor form, often called the present continuous.

But in Turkish, this form is used more broadly than English I am doing. Depending on context, it can mean:

• I am putting the chicken in the oven
• I put the chicken in the oven
• I’m putting the chicken in the oven as part of the current plan or routine

So in a sentence like this, it can sound natural in English as either a present action or a near-current plan, depending on the situation.

Because Turkish often leaves out subject pronouns when the verb ending already shows the person.

In veriyorum, the ending tells us the subject is 1st person singular:

• veriyorum = I am giving / I am putting

So ben is unnecessary unless you want emphasis.

You could say:

• Ben misafirler gelmeden önce tavuğu fırına veriyorum.

But the sentence sounds perfectly normal without ben.

The sentence is in a very natural, neutral order:

• Misafirler gelmeden önce = time expression
• tavuğu = direct object
• fırına = destination
• veriyorum = verb

Turkish word order is flexible, though the verb usually stays near the end. So you can move parts around for emphasis:

• Tavuğu misafirler gelmeden önce fırına veriyorum.
• Misafirler gelmeden önce fırına tavuğu veriyorum.

These are possible, but the original sentence is the most neutral and natural.

Yes.

Another way to express before the guests come is:

• misafirlerin gelmesinden önce

This is a more noun-like structure:

• misafirlerin = of the guests
• gelmesinden önce = before their coming / before they come

So you may see both:

• Misafirler gelmeden önce ...
• Misafirlerin gelmesinden önce ...

Both are correct. In everyday Turkish, gelmeden önce is very common and often feels simpler and more direct.