Time Expressions in Turkish

Overview

Time expressions are essential vocabulary from your very first day of learning Turkish. Words like "bugün" (today), "yarın" (tomorrow), and "şimdi" (now) appear in nearly every conversation. Turkish time expressions are mostly standalone words that slot easily into sentences, making them one of the more approachable topics at the A1 level.

One helpful aspect of Turkish time expressions is that they typically come at the beginning of the sentence or right before the verb, serving as a natural frame for whatever you want to say. You do not need to worry about complex grammar to use them — just place them in the sentence and they work.

Many time expressions combine simple words in logical ways. For instance, "bugün" literally means "this day" (bu + gün), and "her gün" means "every day." This compositionality makes them easier to remember once you see the patterns.

How It Works

Basic Time Words

Turkish	English	Note
bugün	today	bu (this) + gün (day)
dün	yesterday
yarın	tomorrow
şimdi	now
sonra	later / after
önce	before / earlier
her zaman	always	her (every) + zaman (time)
bazen	sometimes
hiç	never (with negative verb)
sık sık	often
nadiren	rarely
hemen	immediately
henüz	yet / just now

Days of the Week

Turkish	English
Pazartesi	Monday
Salı	Tuesday
Çarşamba	Wednesday
Perşembe	Thursday
Cuma	Friday
Cumartesi	Saturday
Pazar	Sunday

Parts of the Day

Turkish	English
sabah	morning
öğle	noon
öğleden sonra	afternoon
akşam	evening
gece	night

Frequency Expressions

Turkish	English
her gün	every day
her hafta	every week
her ay	every month
her yıl / her sene	every year
haftada bir	once a week
ayda iki kez	twice a month
günde üç kez	three times a day

Position in a Sentence

Time expressions usually come at the beginning of the sentence or just before the verb:

• Bugün hava güzel. (Today the weather is nice.)
• Yarın geliyorum. (I'm coming tomorrow.)
• Her gün kahve içerim. (I drink coffee every day.)

Combining with Postpositions

Turkish	English	Structure
sabahtan beri	since morning	sabah + -dan + beri
akşama kadar	until evening	akşam + -a + kadar
öğleden sonra	after noon	öğle + -den + sonra
yemekten önce	before the meal	yemek + -ten + önce

Examples in Context

Turkish	English	Note
Bugün hava güzel.	The weather is nice today.	Beginning of sentence
Dün ne yaptın?	What did you do yesterday?	Past tense context
Yarın görüşürüz.	See you tomorrow.	Common farewell
Şimdi meşgulüm.	I'm busy now.	Current state
Sonra konuşalım.	Let's talk later.	Postponing
Her gün Türkçe çalışıyorum.	I study Turkish every day.	Habitual action
Sabah erken kalkıyorum.	I wake up early in the morning.	Daily routine
Akşam ne yapıyorsun?	What are you doing this evening?	Making plans
Pazartesi işe başlıyorum.	I start work on Monday.	Day of the week
Haftada iki kez spor yapıyorum.	I exercise twice a week.	Frequency

Common Mistakes

Confusing Sonra and Önce

• Wrong: Yemekten sonra ellerimi yıkıyorum. (meaning before)
• Right: Yemekten önce ellerimi yıkıyorum. (I wash my hands before the meal.)
• Why: Sonra = after, önce = before. They are frequently mixed up by beginners.

Forgetting the Case Suffix Before Postpositions

• Wrong: Sabah beri bekliyorum.
• Right: Sabahtan beri bekliyorum.
• Why: Time postpositions like "beri" and "sonra" require the ablative case (-dan/-den) on the time word.

Using Hiç Without a Negative Verb

• Wrong: Hiç gidiyorum. (meaning "I never go")
• Right: Hiç gitmiyorum.
• Why: "Hiç" means "never" only when paired with a negative verb. With an affirmative verb, "hiç" means "ever."

Practice Tips

• Build a daily routine narrative. Describe your typical day using time expressions: "Sabah kalkıyorum. Kahvaltı yapıyorum. Sonra işe gidiyorum..." This combines time vocabulary with present continuous practice.

• Learn the days of the week with a song or mnemonic. The Turkish days do not resemble English ones, so a memory aid helps. Practice by saying what day it is every morning: "Bugün Salı" (Today is Tuesday).

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