Signification
Using time for an activity.
Contexte culturel
Turkish people value 'sohbet' (conversation). Spending hours talking over tea is seen as a productive use of time for building social capital. In the fast-paced business world of Istanbul, 'zaman harcamak' is often used negatively regarding the city's notorious traffic. The concept of 'harç' (expenditure) was central to the Ottoman treasury, influencing how modern Turks view the 'spending' of abstract resources like time. Younger Turks use 'boş yapmak' as a slang alternative to 'boşa zaman harcamak', especially regarding meaningless talk.
The 'Boşa' Rule
Whenever you want to complain about wasting time, always add 'boşa' (in vain) before 'zaman harcamak'.
Social Trap
Be careful using this with people. Saying 'Seninle zaman harcadım' sounds like you regret the relationship.
Signification
Using time for an activity.
The 'Boşa' Rule
Whenever you want to complain about wasting time, always add 'boşa' (in vain) before 'zaman harcamak'.
Social Trap
Be careful using this with people. Saying 'Seninle zaman harcadım' sounds like you regret the relationship.
Dative Case
Remember the activity always gets the -a/-e suffix. 'Yemek yapmaya', 'ders çalışmaya', etc.
Vakit vs Zaman
Use 'vakit' to sound a bit more traditional or warm; use 'zaman' for everything else.
Teste-toi
Fill in the blank with the correct form of 'zaman harcamak'.
Dün akşam üç saat ödev yapmaya ______.
Since it's an activity (homework) and a specific duration, 'zaman harcadım' is the best fit.
Which sentence is more natural for a social meeting?
Arkadaşlarımla kafede...
'Zaman geçirmek' is used for enjoyable, social time. 'Harcamak' would imply it was a waste.
Complete the dialogue.
A: Neden bu kadar yorgunsun? B: Yeni projemiz için çok ______.
The speaker is explaining their fatigue as a result of effort spent on a project.
Match the phrase to the situation.
Boşa zaman harcamak
'Boşa' means 'in vain', which fits a useless meeting perfectly.
🎉 Score : /4
Aides visuelles
Time as Currency
Banque d exercices
4 exercicesDün akşam üç saat ödev yapmaya ______.
Since it's an activity (homework) and a specific duration, 'zaman harcadım' is the best fit.
Arkadaşlarımla kafede...
'Zaman geçirmek' is used for enjoyable, social time. 'Harcamak' would imply it was a waste.
A: Neden bu kadar yorgunsun? B: Yeni projemiz için çok ______.
The speaker is explaining their fatigue as a result of effort spent on a project.
Boşa zaman harcamak
'Boşa' means 'in vain', which fits a useless meeting perfectly.
🎉 Score : /4
Questions fréquentes
10 questionsNo, it can be neutral. It just means you are using time as a resource. However, it often implies effort.
Yes! 'Para harcamak' is the standard way to say 'to spend money'.
'Zaman' is the general word for time. 'Vakit' is often used for a specific point in time or a duration, but in this phrase, they are synonyms.
You say 'Zamanımı boşa harcıyorum'.
Yes, it is perfectly acceptable in formal Turkish.
Turkish doesn't use prepositions like 'on'. Instead, it uses the dative case suffix (-a/-e) on the activity.
Yes, 'vakit gömmek' (to bury time) is a very informal way to say you spent a lot of time on something.
You can, but it implies you are putting effort into them, which can sound cold. 'Onun için zaman harcadım' (I spent time for him/her).
'Zaman kazanmak' (to gain time).
Both are used. 'Zaman harcamak' is general, while 'zamanı harcamak' refers to a specific, previously mentioned block of time.
Expressions liées
vakit geçirmek
similarTo pass time
zaman ayırmak
specialized formTo set aside time
vakit öldürmek
synonymTo kill time
zaman kazanmak
contrastTo gain/save time
boşa harcamak
builds onTo waste
