Learn Hardcore Turkish: Hatta istisna oluştursa bile kuralın özüne dokunmamalıyız. - Even if an exception is made, we must not tamper with the essence of the rule.

Here Hatta functions like “even” in English, emphasizing an extreme or surprising case. It could also be translated as “indeed” or “moreover,” but in this context it stresses that what follows goes so far as to create an exception.

How is istisna oluştursa bile built, and what does it convey?

Breakdown:
• istisna = exception
• oluştur- = “to cause to form” (causative of oluş-)
• -sa = conditional suffix (“if it would…”)
• oluştursa = “if it would create”
• bile = “even”

Together istisna oluştursa bile means “even if it would create an exception.”

Why is it kuralın özüne and what cases/suffixes are involved?

• kuralın = kural (rule) + genitive -ın (“of the rule”)
• özüne = öz (essence/core) + dative -e + possessive linker -n (“to its core”)

So kuralın özüne = “to the essence of the rule.”

Can you parse dokunmamalıyız into its parts?

Yes:
• dokun- = root “to touch”
• -ma- = negative infinitive marker
• -malı = necessity/obligation (“must/should”)
• -yız = first‑person plural ending (“we”)

Thus dokunmamalıyız = “we must not touch.”

What’s the difference between dokunmamalıyız and dokunamayız?

• dokunamayız = “we cannot touch” (lack of ability/possibility)
• dokunmamalıyız = “we must not touch” (prohibition/advice)

The former is about inability, the latter about obligation or prohibition.

Is a comma required before or after the clause Hatta istisna oluştursa bile?

Punctuation around -sa bile clauses is flexible. You can insert a comma for clarity (e.g., “Hatta istisna oluştursa bile, kuralın özüne dokunmamalıyız.”), but it isn’t grammatically mandatory.

Why use the causative oluştur- instead of the simple oluş- in oluştursa?

• oluş- = intransitive “to form/occur,” implying the exception happens by itself.
• oluştur- = causative “to cause to form,” implying an agent or action actively creates the exception.

Choosing oluştur- subtly highlights that something (a person or decision) is creating the exception.

What role does bile play, and can it appear elsewhere?

bile is an emphatic particle meaning “even.” It attaches to the word or clause it emphasizes, often immediately afterward. Examples:

“O bile bilmiyor.” (Even he doesn’t know.)
“Yapmasa bile…” (Even if he doesn’t do it…)

In our sentence it follows the conditional clause to stress that “even in that case” the essence must remain untouched.