Amcam geç geldiği için çay soğudu, ama menemen hâlâ sıcaktı.

Amca means uncle.
Amcam means my uncle.

The -m at the end is the 1st person singular possessive suffix:

• amca = uncle
• amcam = my uncle
• amcan = your uncle
• amcası = his/her uncle

So the sentence begins with Amcam because it means my uncle.

Here, geç means late.

In geç geldiği, it works like an adverb modifying the verb:

• geç gelmek = to come late / arrive late

So amcam geç geldiği için means because my uncle came late.

Because Turkish does not normally say geldi için for because he came.

Instead, Turkish commonly uses this pattern for reasons:

verb + -DIK/-DIĞI + için

So:

• geldiği için = because he came
• literally something like for/because of his coming

This is a very common Turkish way to make a because clause.

Geldiği comes from gelmek (to come).

A useful breakdown is:

• gel- = come
• -dik / -dık / -duk / -dük = a suffix that turns the verb into a clause-like form
• -i = 3rd person possessive ending

Because of sound changes, -dik + i becomes -diği.

So geldiği is roughly his/her coming or that he/she came, depending on context.

In this sentence, it refers to my uncle, so it means because my uncle came late.

Because the person doing the action is my uncle, which is 3rd person singular.

Compare:

• geldiğim için = because I came
• geldiğin için = because you came
• geldiği için = because he/she/it came

So the ending matches the subject of the subordinate clause.

In this kind of -DIĞI için reason clause, Turkish commonly uses the noun subject in its plain form:

• Amcam geç geldiği için...

That is the natural structure here.

So even though geldiği contains 3rd-person marking, the subject itself is still simply amcam, not something extra-marked.

These two parts describe different kinds of things:

• soğudu = got cold / became cold
• sıcaktı = was warm/hot

So:

• çay soğudu describes a change of state
• menemen hâlâ sıcaktı describes a state at that past moment

This is an important difference:

• soğumak = to become cold
• sıcak olmak / sıcaktı = to be warm/hot

If the second clause had used a verb like ısındı, it would mean became warm, which is not the idea here.

Hâlâ means still.

It adds the idea that, even though enough time passed for the tea to get cold, the menemen remained warm.

So the contrast is:

• the tea had already cooled down
• but the menemen was still warm

Without hâlâ, the sentence would still make sense, but the sense of continuing warmth would be weaker.

The circumflex in hâlâ helps show the correct word and pronunciation.

• hâlâ = still
• hala = paternal aunt

In careful writing, the circumflex helps avoid confusion.

In speech, context usually makes the meaning clear.

Because in this sentence they are subjects.

In Turkish, the basic subject form has no case ending. That basic form is often called the nominative.

So:

• çay soğudu = the tea got cold
• menemen hâlâ sıcaktı = the menemen was still warm

Also, Turkish does not have articles like a or the, so bare nouns are very common.

Not completely, but this order is very natural.

The sentence uses a common pattern:

1. reason clause first
2. main result clause
3. contrasting clause

So:

• Amcam geç geldiği için = because my uncle came late
• çay soğudu = the tea got cold
• ama menemen hâlâ sıcaktı = but the menemen was still warm

You can move things around in Turkish for emphasis, but this version sounds neutral and natural.

Yes, but the structure changes.

For example:

• Çay soğudu çünkü amcam geç geldi, ama menemen hâlâ sıcaktı.

This is also correct.

The difference is:

• geldiği için makes the reason a subordinate clause
• çünkü introduces a more separate because clause

Both are common, but -DIĞI için often sounds a bit tighter and more integrated into the sentence.

Usually, ğ is not pronounced like a strong English g.

In many words, it:

• lengthens the previous vowel, or
• makes the vowels flow together more smoothly

So:

• geldiği: don’t say a hard g; let the vowels run together
• soğudu: again, no strong g sound

A good learner rule is:

When you see ğ, don’t force a hard consonant.

Ama means but.

It shows a contrast between the two results:

• the tea got cold
• but the menemen was still warm

So ama is important because the sentence is not just giving two facts; it is highlighting a contrast between them.