When, after, despite: the link sits at the end of the first clause
This whole unit runs on one rule, and once you have it, half the connectors assemble themselves: the Turkish subordinate clause goes first, and its link sits at the very end — on the verb. English puts 'when', 'after', 'despite' at the front; Turkish glues them on at the back. For example: “İşim bitince seni ararım” — When I finish work I will call you. A rule from the Turkish course: worked out on examples, not…
How it works
This whole unit runs on one rule, and once you have it, half the connectors assemble themselves: the Turkish subordinate clause goes first, and its link sits at the very end — on the verb. English puts 'when', 'after', 'despite' at the front; Turkish glues them on at the back.
Time. -ince — 'when, as soon as': Eve gelince aradım — having-come-home, I called. -dikten sonra — after: yemek yedikten sonra. -meden önce — before: çıkmadan önce. -ken — while: ben çalışırken. -ir -mez — as soon as, the verb twice: gelir gelmez. -alı — ever since: taşınalı bir yıl oldu — a year has passed since we moved.
There is no person in these forms, and that is not an omission: the doer is named once, in the main clause, and the subordinate clause borrows him from there. Çıkmadan önce ışığı kapat — turn off the light before you leave (you); Çıkmadan önce ışığı kapattım — before leaving, I turned the light off. One and the same subordinate clause, different doers — the main clause decides everything.
Concession. -e rağmen — despite: with a noun yağmura rağmen, with a verb yorgun olmasına rağmen. The same meaning comes from -dığı halde: bildiği halde söylemedi — he knew, yet did not say. Both stand at the end of the first clause. And the colloquial gerçi behaves the European way: it opens the sentence and demands ama in the second half — Gerçi zor, ama denerim.
About the comma. A suffix-clause does NOT have to be cut off from the main clause by a comma, and in short sentences none is put. The comma is obligatory where the link is a separate word at the start of the second half: before çünkü, ama, ancak, fakat. Easiest to remember this way: a suffix asks for no comma; a separate word asks for one.
Table
| the connector | the meaning | example | where it stands |
|---|---|---|---|
| -ince | when, as soon as | gelince | the end of the first clause |
| -dikten sonra | after | yedikten sonra | the end of the first clause |
| -meden önce | before | çıkmadan önce | the end of the first clause |
| -ken | while | çalışırken | the end of the first clause |
| -ir -mez | as soon as | gelir gelmez | the end of the first clause |
| -alı | ever since | taşınalı | the end of the first clause |
| -e rağmen / -dığı halde | despite the fact that | olmasına rağmen | the end of the first clause |
| gerçi … ama | although … yet | Gerçi zor, ama denerim | the start of both clauses |
By example
- İşim bitince seni ararımWhen I finish work I will call you
- Yağmura rağmen yürüyüşe çıktıkDespite the rain we went for a walk
- Buraya taşınalı iki yıl olduIt has been two years since we moved here
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
When, after, despite: how does it work in Turkish?
This whole unit runs on one rule, and once you have it, half the connectors assemble themselves: the Turkish subordinate clause goes first, and its link sits at the very end — on the verb. English puts 'when', 'after', 'despite' at the front; Turkish glues them on at the back.
What does it look like in an example sentence Turkish?
“İşim bitince seni ararım” — When I finish work I will call you. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.