Bedeutung
Not making any progress
Kultureller Hintergrund
In Turkish offices, 'yerinde saymak' is a common complaint among 'White Collar' (Beyaz Yakalı) workers who feel trapped by bureaucracy. It is often used in LinkedIn posts about personal growth. Because of the intense focus on national exams, students often use this to describe their test scores not improving despite hours of study at 'dershane' (private tutoring centers). Since military service is compulsory for men in Turkey, almost every Turkish man has literally 'yerinde saymak'-ed on a parade ground, giving the idiom a very visceral, shared physical memory. Financial journalists use this term to describe periods of 'stagflation' or when the Turkish Lira remains stable but doesn't gain value against the Dollar.
Use Possessives
To sound like a native, always change 'yerinde' to 'yerimde' if you are talking about yourself.
Not for Physical Objects
Don't use this for a broken elevator or a stuck car. Use it for abstract progress like skills or projects.
Bedeutung
Not making any progress
Use Possessives
To sound like a native, always change 'yerinde' to 'yerimde' if you are talking about yourself.
Not for Physical Objects
Don't use this for a broken elevator or a stuck car. Use it for abstract progress like skills or projects.
Business Context
This is a very safe and common way to express dissatisfaction in a professional way during performance reviews.
Teste dich selbst
Fill in the blank with the correct form of 'yerinde saymak' according to the subject.
Üç yıldır aynı maaşı alıyorum, resmen ________.
Since the subject is 'I' (alıyorum), you must use the first-person possessive 'yerimde' and the first-person verb 'sayıyorum'.
Which situation best fits the idiom 'yerinde saymak'?
Hangi durum için 'yerinde saymak' deyimi kullanılır?
'Yerinde saymak' is used for a lack of progress in tasks or projects.
Complete the dialogue.
Ahmet: 'Yeni işin nasıl gidiyor?' Mehmet: 'Berbat. Hiçbir şey öğrenmiyorum, resmen ________.'
The context of 'Berbat' (terrible) and 'Hiçbir şey öğrenmiyorum' (I'm not learning anything) implies stagnation.
Match the idiom to the correct meaning.
Yerinde saymak = ?
'Gelişme göstermemek' means 'to not show progress,' which is the definition of the idiom.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Visuelle Lernhilfen
Aufgabensammlung
4 AufgabenÜç yıldır aynı maaşı alıyorum, resmen ________.
Since the subject is 'I' (alıyorum), you must use the first-person possessive 'yerimde' and the first-person verb 'sayıyorum'.
Hangi durum için 'yerinde saymak' deyimi kullanılır?
'Yerinde saymak' is used for a lack of progress in tasks or projects.
Ahmet: 'Yeni işin nasıl gidiyor?' Mehmet: 'Berbat. Hiçbir şey öğrenmiyorum, resmen ________.'
The context of 'Berbat' (terrible) and 'Hiçbir şey öğrenmiyorum' (I'm not learning anything) implies stagnation.
Yerinde saymak = ?
'Gelişme göstermemek' means 'to not show progress,' which is the definition of the idiom.
🎉 Ergebnis: /4
Häufig gestellte Fragen
10 FragenNo, that would be 'durmak.' This idiom requires the implication that there should be progress or that there is effort being made.
It can be seen as a criticism of their productivity. It's better to use it for yourself or for abstract things like 'the project' or 'the economy.'
The most common opposite is 'yol katetmek' (to cover distance/make progress) or 'ilerlemek' (to advance).
Yes, literally it means 'counting steps in place.'
Yes! 'Geçen sene yerimizde saydık' (We stagnated last year) is very common.
No, it is a standard idiom used in newspapers, books, and formal speeches.
Yes, it's a common way to say a relationship isn't moving toward marriage or deeper commitment.
You would say: 'Yerimde saymak istemiyorum.'
You could use 'gelişim gösterememek' (to be unable to show development), but 'yerinde saymak' is acceptable even in formal contexts.
Yes, if a team is playing but not improving their position in the league.
Verwandte Redewendungen
patinaj yapmak
similarTo spin one's wheels
bir arpa boyu yol gidememek
synonymTo not progress even a tiny bit
ilerleme kaydetmek
contrastTo make progress
gerilemek
contrastTo regress
olduğu yerde kalmak
similarTo stay where one is
