Learn Hardcore Turkish: Kayalık uçurumun kenarında durmak ürkütücü olsa da manzara muhteşemdi. - Standing at the edge of the rocky cliff was frightening, but the view was magnificent.

kayalık comes from kaya (rock) + the suffix -lık, which can turn a noun into an adjective meaning “characterized by” or “full of.” Here it means “rocky” (literally “rocky place” or “rock-like”).

In kayalık uçurumun kenarında, why do we see -un on uçurum and -ı and -nda on kenar?

Turkish marks possession with a genitive–possessive structure:

uçurum-un is uçurum (cliff) + genitive -un (“of the cliff”).
kenar-ı is kenar (edge) + possessive -ı (“its edge”).
Then you add the locative -nda (“at/on”) to kenar-ı, giving kenarında (“at the edge of it”).
So kayalık uçurumun kenarında = “at the edge of the rocky cliff.”

Why is durmak in its infinitive form here?

In Turkish, the infinitive (dictionary) form -mak/-mek can act like a noun (a verbal noun) and become the sentence’s subject. Here durmak (“to stand”) functions as “standing.” So the clause literally reads “Standing at the cliff’s edge was terrifying…”

What does the suffix -sa da do in ürkütücü olsa da?

-sa/-se is the conditional/subjunctive suffix, and adding da (a conjunction meaning “even if”/“although”) makes a concessive clause. So olsa da on an adjective means “even though it is ….” Literally: “Although it was scary.”

Where does ürkütücü come from, and how does it differ from korkutucu?

ürkütücü is built from the verb ürkütmek (“to frighten”) + the adjectival suffix -cü → “frightening” or “startling.”
korkutucu comes from korkutmak (“to scare”) + -ucu/-cü, meaning “scary.”
ürkütücü often implies an unexpected jolt or chilling effect, while korkutucu is more general “fear-inducing.”

Why is manzara muhteşemdi in the past tense, and could we use manzara muhteşem instead?

This sentence describes a past experience, so the copular ending -di is used: muhteşemdi = “it was magnificent.” You could say manzara muhteşem in casual speech to comment on something in the present, but if you’re telling a story about a past moment, muhteşemdi is more natural.

What is the grammatical subject in the clause durmak ürkütücü olsa da?

The subject is the whole verbal noun phrase kayalık uçurumun kenarında durmak (“standing at the edge of the rocky cliff”). In Turkish, gerundial infinitives can function as subjects without an extra pronoun (“it”).

Could we replace ürkütücü olsa da with ama çok korkutucuydu or use ama instead of -sa da?

Yes, you could say:
“Kayalık uçurumun kenarında durmak çok korkutucuydu, ama manzara muhteşemdi.”
However:

-sa da attaches directly to the adjective and makes a smooth concessive clause (“although it was…”).
ama (“but”) introduces a separate main clause and requires a full finite verb (korkutucuydu).
Both are correct; the choice changes the flow and emphasis of the sentence.