Learn Turkish: Program saat yedi buçuk değil. - The program is not at half past seven.

When stating a specific time on the clock, the word saat (which means "clock" or "hour") comes before the number. Think of saat yedi like saying "the hour is seven." To add "half past," you simply add buçuk after the number: saat yedi buçuk.

Can I use yarım for "half" instead of buçuk here?

No, you must use buçuk when adding a half to a whole number (like seven and a half). The word yarım is only used for a standalone half of an object, like yarım saat (half an hour) or yarım elma (half an apple).

The translation says "at half past seven", but there is no "at" suffix like -ta on buçuk. Why?

Literally, this Turkish sentence translates to "The program is not seven thirty." While you could say saat yedi buçukta değil (using the -ta suffix for "at"), it is very common in Turkish to drop the "at" suffix when you are directly stating the time an event starts. The English translation adds "at" to sound more natural.

Why do we use değil for "not" in this sentence?

Değil is used to negate sentences that don't have an action verb (sentences that act like the English "to be"). Since we are just describing what time the program is not, rather than describing an action, we place değil at the end.