Use süre to focus on an interval’s duration and zaman for time more broadly.

The idea

Süre focuses on how long an interval lasts: toplantının süresi kırk dakika. Zaman is broader and can refer to time passing or time available: yeterli zamanımız var. It can also describe a duration, so context matters rather than a rigid division.

Examples

  • Bu iş için yeterli zamanımız var.We have enough time for this task.
  • Ders için ne kadar süre ayırdın?How much time did you allocate for the lesson?
  • Bu işi yapmak için zaman bulamadım.I could not find time to do this task.
  • Toplantının süresi kırk dakika.The meeting’s duration is forty minutes.
  • Bekleme süresi on dakika.The waiting time is ten minutes.
  • Zaman geçiyor.Time is passing.

Read-aloud uses a synthetic Turkish voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.

Watch out

Do not assume zaman can never describe duration. The difference is the focus of the expression, and some contexts allow overlap.

Try it yourself

  1. Which noun focuses on the length of an interval? (süre / zaman)

    Show answer or example answer

    süre

    süre: this noun focuses on the length of an interval.

  2. Which broader noun can describe time passing or time available? (süre / zaman)

    Show answer or example answer

    zaman

    zaman: this broader noun can describe time passing or time available.

  3. Toplantının ___ kırk dakika. (süresi / süresini)

    Show answer or example answer

    süresi

    süresi: the possessive subject means its duration; süresini is accusative.

Use it today

State a meeting’s duration, say whether you have enough time for a task and explain the difference in focus.