Learn Hardcore Turkish: Nem yükselince nefes almak daha zor hale geliyor. - As humidity rises, breathing becomes more difficult.

The suffix -ince attached to the verb stem yüksel- creates a temporal subordinate clause meaning “when” or “once.” Therefore, nem yükselince means “when the humidity rises.”

What does nefes almak mean, and why is it in the infinitive form?

Nefes almak literally means “to take breath,” i.e. “to breathe.” It’s in the infinitive because Turkish often uses the infinitive as a noun or subject of the sentence. Here, it functions as the subject of daha zor hale geliyor.

How do we translate daha zor hale geliyor and what is its grammatical structure?

daha = more
zor = difficult
hale (from hal) = state
geliyor = present tense of gelmek (“to come”)

Together, daha zor hale geliyor literally means “comes into a more difficult state,” i.e. “becomes more difficult.”

Why is the clause nem yükselince placed before the main clause?

In Turkish, temporal or conditional subordinate clauses usually precede the main clause. So the “when” clause nem yükselince (“when the humidity rises”) naturally comes before nefes almak daha zor hale geliyor.

Could you use zorlaşmak instead of daha zor hale gelmek?

Yes. Zorlaşmak means “to become difficult,” so you could say nem yükselince nefes almak zorlaşıyor. Both are correct: zorlaşmak is a single verb expressing “become difficult,” while daha zor hale gelmek describes “coming into a more difficult state.”

Why is there no explicit subject pronoun (like “it”) in the Turkish sentence?

Turkish often drops subject pronouns when they’re clear from context or indicated by the verb ending. Here, geliyor is third person singular, so we understand “it” (the act of breathing) without needing an explicit o.