Learn Hardcore Turkish: Her karar oybirliğiyle alınmalı, ama bazen tartışmalar uzun sürer. - Every decision should be made by consensus, but sometimes the discussions last a long time.

Her means “each” or “every.” It’s a distributive determiner placed directly before a noun. So Her karar translates as “each decision” or “every decision,” emphasizing individual decisions rather than the group as a whole.

How is oybirliğiyle formed, and why is it one word?

oybirliği is a compound noun: oy (“vote”) + birlik (“unity,” with the possessive suffix –i → birliği), meaning “unanimity.” Adding the instrumental/adverbial suffix -yle (“with” or “by”) turns it into oybirliğiyle, literally “by unanimity” and functionally “unanimously.” In Turkish, noun + -yle combinations are typically written as a single word.

What does the suffix -malı in alınmalı indicate?

The suffix -malı/-meli expresses necessity or obligation—equivalent to English “must” or “should.” Here, you have the verb stem alın- (“to be taken/decided,” passive of al-) plus -malı, giving alınmalı: “it must be taken/decided.”

Why is there a comma before ama in …, ama bazen…? Is it required?

In Turkish, as in English, a comma is commonly used before a contrasting conjunction like ama (“but”) when connecting two independent clauses. It’s not strictly mandatory in casual contexts, but it’s standard in formal writing to separate clauses clearly.

In tartışmalar uzun sürer, how do uzun and sürer work together to mean “last long”?

uzun is an adjective meaning “long,” and sür- is a verb meaning “to continue.” The construction uzun sürmek is an idiomatic verb phrase meaning “to last long.” You don’t add any extra suffix to uzun here; it directly modifies sürer (“it continues/lasts”).

Could the word bazen be placed elsewhere in the second clause?

Yes. Turkish allows some flexibility with adverbs. You can say either Bazen tartışmalar uzun sürer or Tartışmalar bazen uzun sürer. Both mean “Sometimes discussions last a long time.” Putting bazen at the beginning gives a slight emphasis on “sometimes.”