saat + -de

At What Time

Level 2

To say 'at [time]' in Turkish, you attach the locative case suffix to the hour. The question 'At what time?' is saat kaçta?.

How It Works

This pattern is used to pinpoint a specific moment on the clock for full hours and half hours.

1. The Question Form
To ask 'At what time?', use saat kaçta?. The suffix attaches to the word kaç. Because kaç ends in the voiceless consonant 'ç' and contains the back vowel 'a', the suffix -da changes to -ta due to consonant assimilation.

2. Vowel Harmony and Consonants
The suffix follows two-way vowel harmony:

  • Use -de / -te for front vowels (e.g., birde, beşte, sekizde).
  • Use -da / -ta for back vowels (e.g., altıda, dokuzda, onda).

Always check if the number ends in a voiceless consonant (f, s, t, k, ç, ş, h, p) to decide between -d and -t.

3. Full Hours, Half Hours, and 12:30

  • Full Hours: Attach the suffix directly to the number. Note that 'dört' (4) does not undergo consonant softening here because the suffix starts with a consonant (dörtte).
  • Half Hours: Use buçuk (half) after the hour: saat iki buçukta (at 2:30).
  • Special Case (12:30): You can say saat on iki buçukta, but it is also very common to use yarım (half) for 12:30: saat yarımda. Note that yarım is only used for 12:30; you cannot use it for other times like 1:30.

4. Writing Rules
When writing time with digits, use a period (.) to separate hours and minutes and an apostrophe before the suffix: 08.00'de. This follows the rules for capitals and the apostrophe.

Examples (6)

  1. Saat kaçta buluşuyoruz?

    At what time are we meeting?

    Word by Word: Hour at-how-many we-are-meeting?

    This is the standard way to ask for the specific time of an event.

  2. Film saat dokuzda başlıyor.

    The movie starts at nine o'clock.

    Word by Word: Movie hour nine-at it-is-starting.

    'Dokuz' ends in a voiced 'z' and has a back vowel, so it takes the '-da' suffix.

  3. Tren saat üçte kalkıyor.

    The train leaves at three o'clock.

    Word by Word: Train hour three-at it-is-leaving.

    'Üç' ends in the voiceless consonant 'ç', so the suffix changes to '-te'.

  4. Toplantı saat iki buçukta.

    The meeting is at half past two.

    Word by Word: Meeting hour two half-at.

    For half-hours, we use 'buçuk' followed by the locative suffix '-ta'.

  5. Öğle yemeği saat yarımda.

    Lunch is at half past twelve.

    Word by Word: Noon meal hour half-at.

    The word 'yarım' is specifically used to mean 12:30.

  6. Saat dörtte orada ol.

    Be there at four o'clock.

    Word by Word: Hour four-at there be.

    In 'dörtte', the 't' does not soften because the suffix starts with a consonant.

Common Mistakes

  • Misunderstanding why 'saat kaçta' ends in -ta.

    Saat kaçda buluşalım?
    Saat kaçta buluşalım?

    The suffix attaches to the word 'kaç', not 'saat'. Since 'kaç' ends in the voiceless consonant 'ç', consonant assimilation changes the suffix from -da to -ta.

  • Expecting consonant softening in 'dörtte'.

    Saat dördde gel.
    Saat dörtte gel.

    Consonant softening (t → d) only happens when a suffix starts with a vowel. Since the locative suffix starts with a consonant, 'dört' keeps its 't' and triggers consonant assimilation instead.

  • Using a colon instead of a period in written time.

    Toplantı 14:00'de.
    Toplantı 14.00'de.

    According to Turkish orthography rules, a period (.) is used to separate hours and minutes, not a colon (:).

How It Connects

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saat + -deLevel 2At What Time

Learn This First

To express 'at' a specific time in Turkish, you need to combine your knowledge of numbers with the locative case suffix. You must also apply consonant assimilation rules if the number ends in a voiceless consonant.

Words in This Pattern

-de