Telefonum toplantı sırasında donup duruyor, bu yüzden not alamıyorum.

Turkish often drops subject pronouns when the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

In alamıyorum, the ending -um tells you the subject is I. So ben is unnecessary unless you want emphasis, contrast, or clarity.

• (Ben) not alamıyorum = I can't take notes
• Adding ben would sound more like I can't take notes, maybe unlike someone else.

Telefonum means my phone.

It breaks down like this:

• telefon = phone
• -um = my

So Turkish usually adds a possessive ending directly to the noun instead of always using a separate word like my.

You could also say benim telefonum, but benim is often omitted unless you want emphasis.

They are similar, but not the same.

• toplantıda = at/in the meeting
• toplantı sırasında = during the meeting

So toplantı sırasında focuses on the time period while the meeting is happening, not just the location or setting.

In this sentence, during the meeting fits better because the problem happens over the course of the meeting.

Sırasında means during or in the course of.

It comes from sıra, which can mean order, turn, or sequence/time. In this expression, it is part of a fixed pattern:

• X sırasında = during X

So:

• toplantı sırasında = during the meeting
• ders sırasında = during class
• yemek sırasında = during the meal

You do not need to translate it word-for-word every time; it is best learned as a common time expression.

This is a very common Turkish verb combination.

• donmak = to freeze
• donup durmak = to keep freezing / to freeze repeatedly / to be constantly freezing up

So duruyor is not just the plain idea of standing here. In combinations like this, durmak helps express repeated or ongoing behavior, often with a slightly annoying tone.

So donup duruyor is stronger and more expressive than just donuyor.

• donuyor = it is freezing / it freezes
• donup duruyor = it keeps freezing up again and again

The ending -up links one verb to another. It is a converb ending, often shown as:

• -ıp / -ip / -up / -üp

The choice depends on vowel harmony.

Here:

• don-
  • -up
    • duruyor

So the first verb is connected to the second one, creating a combined meaning: freeze and keep doing that.

This structure is very common in Turkish:

• ağlayıp duruyor = keeps crying
• sorup duruyor = keeps asking
• konuşup duruyor = keeps talking

Because of vowel harmony.

The last vowel in don is o, which is a back rounded vowel, so the linking ending becomes -up.

The four-way pattern is:

• -ıp
• -ip
• -up
• -üp

So:

• bakıp
• gelip
• donup
• düşünüp

This is just the normal vowel-harmony version of the same grammatical ending.

Bu yüzden means because of this, for this reason, or simply so / therefore.

In this sentence, it connects the first clause to the result:

• phone keeps freezing
• bu yüzden = because of that / so
• I can't take notes

It is a very common connector in Turkish and works much like so or therefore in English.

This is a very important difference.

• almıyorum = I am not taking / I don't take
• alamıyorum = I can't take / I am unable to take

So alamıyorum expresses inability, not just simple negation.

That extra -a- is part of the structure that gives the meaning cannot.

So in this sentence:

• not almıyorum would sound like I’m not taking notes
• not alamıyorum means I can't take notes

Because the phone is freezing, inability is the correct meaning.

Because not almak is the standard Turkish expression for to take notes.

Literally:

• not = note
• almak = to take

So it matches English pretty closely here.

One thing that may feel unusual is that Turkish often uses the bare singular noun in these kinds of expressions, where English may prefer a plural:

• not almak = to take notes

So even though not looks singular, the whole phrase naturally means take notes.

The order is very natural for Turkish:

• Telefonum toplantı sırasında donup duruyor
• bu yüzden not alamıyorum

Turkish often presents:

1. the situation/problem first
2. the consequence after that

That makes the logic very clear.

You could move things around for emphasis, but this version sounds normal and straightforward.

It can mean both.

• literal: The water froze
• figurative/technical: The phone/computer froze

So using donmak for a phone is completely natural in Turkish, just like freeze in English for a device that stops responding.

Yes. It sounds more vivid and a bit more frustrated.

Compare:

• Telefonum donuyor = my phone is freezing / freezes
• Telefonum donup duruyor = my phone keeps freezing up, over and over

So the longer form suggests repetition and annoyance. It is a very natural way to complain about a recurring problem.