Yeğenimi görünce gülmeden edemiyorum.

It has three parts:

• yeğen = niece / nephew
• -im = my
• -i = the accusative ending, used here because it is a specific direct object

So yeğenimi means my niece/nephew as the person being seen.

A very literal breakdown is:

yeğen-im-i = niece/nephew-my-(specific object)

Because görmek means to see, and here my niece/nephew is the direct object of that verb.

• yeğenim = my niece/nephew
• yeğenimi = my niece/nephew as the specific thing/person I see

Compare:

• Yeğenim burada. = My niece/nephew is here.
• Yeğenimi görüyorum. = I see my niece/nephew.

So the extra -i is there because the object is definite and specific.

It can mean either one. Turkish usually does not mark that distinction in the word itself.

So yeğenim can mean:

• my niece
• my nephew

You only know which one is meant from context, or from extra words if the speaker chooses to add them.

This is very normal in Turkish. English often forces you to choose a gendered word, but Turkish often does not.

görünce comes from görmek (to see) plus the adverbial suffix -(y)ınca / -(y)ince / -(y)unca / -(y)ünce.

Here:

• gör- = see
• -ünce = when / once / as soon as

So görünce means something like:

• when I see
• when one sees
• upon seeing
• once I see

The exact English wording depends on context.

By itself, görünce does not lock you into one English tense. Its time reference is understood from the rest of the sentence and the situation.

In this sentence, the main verb is edemiyorum, which is present, so the natural meaning is:

• when I see
• or more naturally in English, whenever I see

If the main verb were past, the whole sentence could be past:

• Yeğenimi görünce gülmeden edemedim.
• When I saw my niece/nephew, I couldn’t help laughing/smiling.

So görünce is flexible.

You know it mainly from the main verb edemiyorum.

The ending -um shows first person singular: I.

Also, in Turkish, a clause with -ince often shares its subject with the main clause unless another subject is clearly stated.

So the natural reading is:

• When I see my niece/nephew, I can’t help smiling/laughing.

Turkish often leaves subject pronouns unstated because the verb ending already tells you the person.

Because Turkish often expresses when by adding a suffix directly to the verb instead of using a separate word.

So instead of something like:

• when I see my niece/nephew

Turkish says:

• yeğenimi görünce

The when idea is carried by -ünce.

This is a very common Turkish pattern.

This is a very common Turkish expression pattern:

Verb-meden edememek

It means:

• to be unable not to do something
• more naturally in English: can’t help doing something

So:

• gülmeden = without laughing/smiling
• edemiyorum = I can’t do / I’m unable

Together, the whole expression means:

• I can’t help laughing
• I can’t help smiling
• I can’t stop myself from laughing/smiling

It is best learned as a set pattern, not translated word-for-word every time.

-madan / -meden means without doing.

So:

• gülmek = to laugh / smile
• gülmeden = without laughing / without smiling

On its own, that is straightforward. For example:

• Yemeden çıkma. = Don’t leave without eating.

But in gülmeden edemiyorum, it becomes part of the fixed pattern -meden edememek, which means can’t help doing.

It can be either, depending on context.

In everyday Turkish, gülmek can cover both laughing and smiling more broadly than English laugh does.

If you specifically want to smile, Turkish also has:

• gülümsemek = to smile

So in this sentence, English might choose:

• I can’t help smiling if the idea is warm affection
• I can’t help laughing if the niece/nephew is being funny

Both are possible readings of gülmek, depending on the situation.

Because Turkish usually puts the main finite verb at the end, and it often places time/background information first.

So the sentence is structured like this:

• Yeğenimi görünce = when I see my niece/nephew
• gülmeden edemiyorum = I can’t help smiling/laughing

That order is very natural in Turkish: first the situation, then the main reaction.

A very literal English-style order would sound unnatural in Turkish.

Yes. You could say:

• Yeğenimi gördüğümde gülmeden edemiyorum.

This is also grammatical and natural.

The difference is mostly one of style and feel:

• görünce often feels a bit more immediate: when / once / as soon as I see
• gördüğümde is also when I see / when I do see, but it can feel a little more neutral or explicit

In many everyday situations, both work.

The letter ğ in Turkish is not pronounced like a hard English g.

In yeğenimi, it usually just smooths or lengthens the sound between the vowels, so it sounds roughly like:

ye-enimi

So do not pronounce it like yeg-enimi.

This letter is called yumuşak g and often has a very soft effect rather than a clear consonant sound.