Learn Turkish: Öğleden sonra ofise dönüyorum. - I am returning to the office in the afternoon.

Öğle means 'noon'. To say that something happens after a certain time, Turkish uses the 'from' ending (-den or -dan) on the noun, followed by the word sonra ('after'). So öğleden sonra literally translates to 'after from noon', which is how you say 'in the afternoon'. This is exactly how you would answer a ne zaman (when) question about this part of the day!

Why is there an -e at the end of ofise?

The verb dönmek (to return) requires a direction, similar to how we say 'return to a place' in English. In Turkish, the 'to' or 'towards' direction is shown by adding -e or -a to the noun. Adding -e to ofis makes it ofise (to the office).

Can you break down the verb dönüyorum?

Sure! It starts with the root dön (return). Then we add the present continuous tense ending -üyor to show it is a planned future action or happening right now ('am returning'). Finally, the -um at the end is the personal suffix for 'I'. Together, the word means 'I am returning'.

Why is the time phrase öğleden sonra at the very beginning of the sentence?