Learn Hardcore Turkish: Birlikte oyun oynamak insanları yakınlaştırır. - Playing games together brings people closer.

Birlikte translates to “together” and functions as an adverb modifying the activity of playing. It emphasizes that the action (playing games) is done in a joint or collective manner.

How does the phrase oyun oynamak work grammatically in this sentence?

Oyun oynamak literally means “to play games” or “playing games.” In Turkish, this infinitive phrase functions as the subject of the sentence, encapsulating the general activity being discussed.

Why is insanları in this particular form and what does the suffix indicate?

İnsan means “person” or “people.” With the plural suffix -lar, it becomes insanlar. The additional accusative suffix -ı transforms it into insanları, marking it as a definite object. This shows that the action of bringing people closer applies to a specific, recognized group.

What is the meaning and formation of the verb yakınlaştırır?

Yakınlaştırır means “brings (them) closer” or “makes (them) close.” It is formed from the adjective yakın (close) with the causative suffix -laştır (to make something have a property), creating yakınlaştırmak (to make close). The verb is then conjugated in the third person singular present tense, which is typical for stating general truths in Turkish.

How does the word order in this Turkish sentence compare with typical English sentence order?

Turkish generally follows a Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) order. In this example, oyun oynamak (playing games) is the subject, insanları (people) is the object, and yakınlaştırır (brings closer) is the verb at the end. Additionally, the adverb birlikte appears at the beginning to clearly modify the subject’s activity.