Teyzem gelince birlikte çay içeceğiz.

When my aunt arrives, we will drink tea together.

Breakdown of Teyzem gelince birlikte çay içeceğiz.

• içmek: to drink
• çay: the tea
• benim: my
• gelmek: to come

Questions & Answers about Teyzem gelince birlikte çay içeceğiz.

What does teyzem mean, and why does it end in -m?

Teyzem means my maternal aunt.

It breaks down like this:

• teyze = maternal aunt
• -m = my

So teyzem literally means my aunt.

A useful cultural/language note:

• teyze = mother’s sister
• hala = father’s sister

Turkish often builds possession directly onto the noun instead of using a separate word like my.

What does gelince mean exactly?

Gelince comes from the verb gelmek = to come.

Here, -ince / -ınca is a common ending meaning:

• when
• once
• as soon as

So teyzem gelince means when my aunt comes or once my aunt comes.

This form is very common for linking one action to another:

• Eve gidince ararım. = When I get home, I’ll call.
• Seni görünce sevindim. = I was happy when I saw you.

Why is it gelince and not something like geliyor or ?