Breakdown of Memlekete döneceğim zaman konsolosluğa başvuracağım.
zaman
time
dönmek
to return
başvurmak
to apply (for a job, etc.)
konsolosluk
consulate
memleket
hometown / home country
Questions & Answers about Memlekete döneceğim zaman konsolosluğa başvuracağım.
döneceğim and başvuracağım end exactly the same way. Are they the same type of word?
No, they serve different roles! In başvuracağım, the -ım is a personal suffix attached to a standard future tense verb ("I will apply"). In döneceğim zaman, the -im is a possessive suffix attached to a modifier, literally meaning "my future returning." They only look identical for the "I" form. If the subject were "you," they would be completely different: döneceğin zaman ("when you return") vs. başvuracaksın ("you will apply").
How exactly does döneceğim zaman translate to "when I return"?
To say "when" an action will happen in the future, Turkish uses a future participle (the verb root + -ecek / -acak) followed by a possessive suffix, plus the word zaman (time). So, döneceğim zaman breaks down as "the time of my future returning."
Why is it konsolosluğa instead of just konsolosluk?
The verb başvurmak (to apply) requires the dative case (-e / -a) to indicate where or to whom you are applying. Adding the dative -a to konsolosluk (consulate) causes the final hard k to soften into a ğ due to consonant mutation, resulting in konsolosluğa (to the consulate).
Why does memleket (hometown) also have an -e at the end?
Just like applying to somewhere, returning involves motion toward a destination. The verb dönmek (to return) takes the dative suffix (-e / -a) to show that destination. Therefore, memleket becomes memlekete (to the hometown).
The lesson mentions using vakit. Could I say döneceğim vakit?
Absolutely. zaman and vakit both mean "time." Using döneceğim vakit is grammatically correct and means the exact same thing, though zaman is slightly more common in modern everyday Turkish.
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