A fact can challenge what someone believed, expected or just said. You will connect those two viewpoints and recognise when either oysa or hâlbuki works.
The idea
Oysa and hâlbuki introduce a contrasting statement, often one that undermines an expectation. Put the belief or situation first and the counterpoint after the connector. In the two key examples, changing the connector leaves the basic meaning intact. Neither word has an exclusive meaning of “whereas” or “yet”; the context supplies that nuance. A comparison of habits can also use oysa without either habit being false.
| Connector | Contrast |
|---|---|
| oysa | Bu anahtarın kapıyı açacağını sanıyordum. Oysa kilide bile girmiyor. |
| hâlbuki | Bu anahtarın kapıyı açacağını sanıyordum. Hâlbuki kilide bile girmiyor. |
Examples
- Bugün dükkân kapalı, oysa ışıklar yanıyor.The shop is closed today, yet the lights are on.
- Bugün hava sıcak, hâlbuki dün kar yağıyordu.It is warm today, whereas it was snowing yesterday.
- Şimdi salon boş, oysa az önce doluydu.The hall is empty now, yet it was full just a moment ago.
- Bu anahtarın kapıyı açacağını sanıyordum. Oysa kilide bile girmiyor.I thought this key would open the door. Yet it will not even fit in the lock.
- Bu anahtarın kapıyı açacağını sanıyordum. Hâlbuki kilide bile girmiyor.I thought this key would open the door. Yet it will not even fit in the lock.
- Kimse yolu bilmiyordu. Hâlbuki girişte büyük bir harita vardı.Nobody knew the way. Yet there was a large map at the entrance.
- Sen çayı şekersiz içiyorsun, oysa ben iki kaşık şeker koyuyorum.You drink your tea without sugar, whereas I add two spoonfuls of sugar.
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Watch out
Do not force a different answer just because both words are offered: they overlap here. Nor do they simply mean “because”: çünkü gives a reason. Write hâlbuki as one word, with â and final ki, not a separate ki.
Try it yourself
Choose a listed connector: we thought the door was locked, but it was open.
Show answer or example answer
oysa / hâlbuki
oysa / hâlbuki: an open door contradicts the belief that it was locked. Either connector can introduce this correction; the sentence gives no reason to exclude one.
Choose a listed connector: nobody came to the meeting, although we had told everyone.
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oysa / hâlbuki
oysa / hâlbuki: telling everyone should have made attendance likely, but nobody came. The earlier notification remains true; it makes the absence surprising.
Choose the word that gives the reason for staying home: there was a storm outside.
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çünkü
çünkü: the storm explains why we stayed at home. The second clause supplies a cause, rather than a fact that challenges staying home.
Write the connector as one word, preserving its standard spelling.
Show answer or example answer
hâlbuki
hâlbuki: this connector is written as one word. Its final ki stays attached, and the standard spelling retains â.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Turkish sentences and words where available. We keep your score.
Choose a listed connector: we thought the door was locked, but it was open.
Choose a listed connector: nobody came to the meeting, although we had told everyone.
Choose the word that gives the reason for staying home: there was a storm outside.
Write the connector as one word, preserving its standard spelling.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
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Write a mistaken expectation and the fact that corrects it. Connect them first with oysa, then with hâlbuki. Explain what clashes, and compare the two versions.