In the previous lesson, we learned how to tell the current time using geçiyor (it is passing) and var (there is). But what if you want to state that an event happens at a specific time?
To answer the question Saat kaçta? (At what time?) when exact minutes are involved, Turkish replaces geçiyor and var with two special time words: geçe and kala.
Actions Past the Hour (Geçe)
To state that an action happens a certain number of minutes past the hour, use the word geçe. Just like when telling the current time, the hour takes the Accusative case suffix (-(y)ı, -(y)i, -(y)u, -(y)ü), while the minutes are stated as a plain number.
Structure: [Hour + Accusative] + [Minutes] + geçe + [Action]
| The observer started the stopwatch at twenty past nine. | Gözlemci dokuzu yirmi geçe kronometreyi başlattı. |
Remember to use the buffer letter -y- if the number for the hour ends in a vowel:
| The runners looked at the stopwatch at ten past twelve. | Koşucular on ikiyi on geçe kronometreye baktı. |
Actions To the Hour (Kala)
To state that an action happens a certain number of minutes before the next hour, replace var with the word kala. The hour you are counting down towards takes the Dative case suffix (-(y)a, -(y)e).
Structure: [Next Hour + Dative] + [Minutes] + kala + [Action]
| The athlete saw the finish line at ten to eleven. | Atlet on bire on kala bitiş çizgisini gördü. |
| The observers will leave the track at twenty to five. | Gözlemciler beşe yirmi kala pistten ayrılacak. |
Using Quarters (Çeyrek) with Geçe and Kala
Just as we saw when telling the time, you can replace the number fifteen with the word çeyrek (quarter). It fits right into our new structures without any grammatical changes.
Here is how you use çeyrek geçe (at a quarter past):
| Despite his slow pace, the marathon runner passed the checkpoint at a quarter past eight. | Yavaş temposuna rağmen maraton koşucusu noktayı sekizi çeyrek geçe geçti. |
And here is how you use çeyrek kala (at a quarter to):
| The fastest runner passed the first checkpoint at a quarter to three. | En hızlı koşucu ilk noktayı üçe çeyrek kala geçti. |