An event can start a stretch of time. You will name that event, say how long it has been and describe a situation continuing from then until now.
The idea
The converb -(y)alı / -(y)eli marks a starting point: taşınalı means “since moving”, not simply “after moving”. The main clause gives the elapsed time with oldu or geçti, or describes what has continued. Beri may follow for emphasis: alalı beri. The converb takes no person ending; its subject comes from context or an explicit word such as sen or biz, and may differ from the main subject.
Examples
- Buraya taşınalı üç ay oldu.It has been three months since I moved here.
- Kurs başlayalı herkes daha çok konuşuyor.Everyone has been speaking more since the course started.
- Sen gideli ev çok sessiz.The house has been very quiet since you left.
- Bu defteri alalı beri her gün yazıyorum.I have been writing every day since I bought this notebook.
- Yeni kütüphane açılalı iki hafta geçti.Two weeks have passed since the new library opened.
- Seni görmeyeli neredeyse bir yıl oldu.It has been almost a year since I last saw you.
- Biz geleli yağmur hiç durmadı.The rain has not stopped at all since we arrived.
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Watch out
In Seni görmeyeli neredeyse bir yıl oldu, the negative form measures a period without seeing you: almost a year since the last meeting. It does not mean that I failed to see you at one particular moment. Nor does -eli by itself mean “because”.
Try it yourself
Complete with the since-form of taşınmak: three months have passed since the move.
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taşınalı
taşınalı: the move starts the three-month interval. The back vowel in taşın- gives -alı; oldu says how much time has passed.
Complete with the since-form of gitmek: the house has been quiet since you left.
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gideli
gideli: sen identifies the person who left, while ev is the subject of the quiet state. The stem git- softens to gid- before the vowel.
Use the negative since-form of görmek: I have not seen you for almost a year.
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görmeyeli
görmeyeli: the negative stem görme- plus linking y gives the period without seeing the person. The last meeting is the starting point.
Complete with the since-form of gelmek: the rain has not stopped since we arrived.
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geleli
geleli: biz already names those who arrived, so no personal ending is attached. The rain is a separate subject; it has not stopped during that interval.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Turkish sentences and words where available. We keep your score.
Complete with the since-form of taşınmak: three months have passed since the move.
Complete with the since-form of gitmek: the house has been quiet since you left.
Use the negative since-form of görmek: I have not seen you for almost a year.
Complete with the since-form of gelmek: the rain has not stopped since we arrived.
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 one sentence giving the time since a move, one describing a change since a course began, and one about someone you have not seen. Identify each starting event and its subject.