Learn Hardcore Turkish: Ekiple uyumlu çalışmak önemli. - Working in harmony with the team is important.

-le is an enclitic meaning with. It attaches directly to the noun (ekip → ekip+le = ekiple). You can also say ekip ile, which has the same meaning but writes ile separately. In spoken and written Turkish ekiple is more concise and common.

Why is çalışmak in the infinitive form here? Isn’t that a non-finite verb?

In Turkish the infinitive (-mak/-mek) can function like a noun (a gerund) and serve as the subject of a sentence. Here Ekiple uyumlu çalışmak literally means Working in harmony with the team, which acts as the subject of önemli.

What is the structure and meaning of uyumlu? Where does the -lu come from?

The noun uyum means harmony/compatibility. The suffix -lu (one variant of -lı/-li/-lu/-lü, chosen by vowel harmony) turns a noun into an adjective meaning “with” or “having” that noun. So uyum + -lu = uyumlu, meaning harmonious or compatible.

Why is there no word for is between the subject and önemli?

Turkish often omits the present-tense copula to be when the predicate is an adjective or noun. The adjective önemli alone conveys “is important.” In more formal writing you can add the suffix -dir (önemlidir), but it’s not required here.

Why doesn’t önemli take any endings for person or number?

Adjectives used as predicates in Turkish are not inflected for person or number. They stay in their base form regardless of the subject.

Why are there no articles like the or a before ekip?

Turkish does not have definite or indefinite articles. Definiteness is sometimes shown by the accusative case on direct objects (e.g., kitabı = the book), but here ekip is part of a gerund phrase, so it remains unmarked.

Could I use takımla instead of ekiple, and would the meaning change?

Yes. Takım also means team, so takımla uyumlu çalışmak means the same as ekiple uyumlu çalışmak. Ekip may sound slightly more formal or business-oriented, while takım is common in sports or everyday speech.