Breakdown of Mahalleye dönmeyeli uzun zaman oldu, sanki gurbette gibi yabancılık çekiyorum.
uzun
long / tall
zaman
time
dönmek
to return
gibi
like (similar to)
mahalle
neighborhood
sanki
as if
olmak
to happen / to occur (general; also to be/become)
gurbet
being away from home, exile
yabancılık
feeling of being a stranger
çekmek
to suffer / experience (in collocations like 'yabancılık çekmek')
Questions & Answers about Mahalleye dönmeyeli uzun zaman oldu, sanki gurbette gibi yabancılık çekiyorum.
Why is the negative suffix -me used in dönmeyeli when the English translation is positive ("since I returned")?
When expressing how much time has passed since you last did something, Turkish uses the negative form of the verb with -(y)AlI (-meyeli or -mayalı). It literally translates closer to "since I have not returned," focusing on the duration of time that the action hasn't happened.
How do we know dönmeyeli means "since I returned" if there is no personal marker attached to it?
The converb suffix -(y)AlI does not take personal endings. The subject is inferred from the rest of the sentence. Here, the "I" ending on the main verb çekiyorum (I am experiencing) makes it clear that the speaker is talking about their own absence.
Why are both sanki and gibi used together in the phrase sanki gurbette gibi?
While gibi after a noun translates to "like," combining it with sanki creates the meaning "as if." It is very common in Turkish to bookend a hypothetical comparison this way, with sanki introducing the idea and gibi closing the phrase.
What is the literal meaning of the phrase yabancılık çekiyorum?
Yabancılık means "unfamiliarity" or "the state of being a stranger," while çekmek means "to pull," "to draw," or in this context, "to endure/suffer." The phrase yabancılık çekmek is a standard idiom for feeling alienated or out of place in your environment.
Is gurbette just a direct translation for "in exile"?
Not exactly. While it translates to "exile" here, gurbet more specifically refers to a place away from one's homeland, hometown, or family. It carries a heavy cultural sense of homesickness and longing. Being gurbette means living away from your roots, which explains why the speaker feels like a stranger.
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