Once a year, every other time, time and again: how Turkish counts time
Turkish counts time with endings rather than separate words. For example: “Doktora yılda bir gidiyorum” — Once a year I go to the doctor. A rule from the Turkish course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Turkish counts time with endings rather than separate words.
A point in time takes the where-tail: saat beşte, at five; o anda, at that moment. Days and hours take it without exception.
Frequency is the same tail plus one: yılda bir, once a year, as in Doktora yılda bir gidiyorum. The phrase ikide bir formally says once in two, but in life it means time and again, said with irritation.
A span is held by beri and kadar: sabahtan beri, since morning; akşama kadar, until evening. The trap is the tail in front of them: beri always wants the from-tail, kadar the to-tail.
Table
| the device | the assembly | example | translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| a point | noun + -de | o anda | at that moment |
| frequency | noun + -de bir | yılda bir | once a year |
| frequency with a reproach | a doubled “-de bir” | ikide bir | every other minute |
| the start of a span | noun + -den beri | sabahtan beri | since morning |
| the end of a span | noun + -e kadar | akşama kadar | until evening |
| an adverb | adjective + olarak | düzenli olarak | regularly |
| a spread-out action | doubling | azar azar | little by little |
By example
- Doktora yılda bir gidiyorumOnce a year I go to the doctor
- İkide bir telefonuna bakıyorEvery other minute he checks his phone
- Arada sırada eski dostlarla buluşuruzNow and then we meet up with old friends
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
Once a year, every other time, time and again: how does it work in Turkish?
Turkish counts time with endings rather than separate words.
What does it look like in an example sentence Turkish?
“Doktora yılda bir gidiyorum” — Once a year I go to the doctor. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.