Taze ekmeği görünce bir dilim almadan edemiyorum.

When I see fresh bread, I cannot help taking a slice.

Breakdown of Taze ekmeği görünce bir dilim almadan edemiyorum.

• bir: a
• ekmek: the bread
• taze: fresh
• görmek: to see

Questions & Answers about Taze ekmeği görünce bir dilim almadan edemiyorum.

What does görünce mean here?

Görünce means when (I) see or upon seeing.

It comes from the verb görmek = to see plus the suffix -ünce/-ınca/-unca/-ünce, which often gives the meaning when/once/as soon as.

So:

• görmek → gör-
• görünce = when I see / when one sees

In this sentence, it connects the first idea to the second:

• Taze ekmeği görünce... = When I see fresh bread...

Even though English needs a subject like I, Turkish often leaves it understood from the context.

Why is it ekmeği and not ekmek?

Because ekmeği is the accusative form of ekmek.

• ekmek = bread
• ekmeği = the bread / the bread (as a specific direct object)

In Turkish, when a direct object is specific or definite, it often takes the accusative ending.

Here, taze ekmeği görünce suggests when I see the fresh bread or when I see fresh bread in a specific, noticeable sense.

There is also a sound change:

• ekmek
  • -i
• final k often becomes ğ before a vowel
• so it becomes ekmeği

This is very common in Turkish:

• köpek → köpeği
• çocuk → çocuğu
• ekmek → ekmeği