Learn Hardcore Turkish: Mekanizma yavaş çalışırken bile tüm fonksiyonları yerine getirebiliyordu. - Even though the mechanism was working slowly, it was able to perform all its functions.

The suffix -ken attaches to a verb stem to form a temporal participle meaning “while …‐ing.” Here, çalış- (to work) + -ken = çalışırken, i.e. “while it was working.”

Why is yavaş used instead of yavaşça here?

Both yavaş and yavaşça can function as adverbs meaning “slowly,” but in everyday Turkish yavaş is more common with machinery or processes. yavaş çalışmak (“to work slowly”) feels more idiomatic than yavaşça çalışmak in this context.

What role does bile play in çalışırken bile?

bile is a particle meaning “even.” Placed after a phrase, it adds emphasis of exception:
çalışırken bile = “even while it was working.”
It underlines that despite working slowly, the mechanism still performed all functions.

Why is tüm fonksiyonları in the accusative case?

Turkish marks definite direct objects with the accusative suffix. Here tüm (all) makes fonksiyonlar (functions) specific, so we add -ı → fonksiyonları to show it’s the object of yerine getirmek.

How do you break down yerine getirebiliyordu morphologically?

• yerine – adverbial phrase “in place”
• getir- – verb stem “to bring/execute”
• -ebil- – ability suffix “can/be able to”
• -iyor- – continuous-tense marker (“-ing”)
• -du – past-tense marker (“was”)
• (3rd person singular is unmarked)
Together, yerine getir-ebil-iyor-du = “it was able to perform (carry out).”

Why isn’t there an explicit subject (“it”) in the sentence?

In Turkish, person and number are encoded in the verb ending. Here getirebiliyordu is 3rd person singular, so the subject (the mechanism) is understood and doesn’t need a pronoun.

Can I use bütün instead of tüm here? Any difference?

Yes. tüm and bütün both mean “all” or “whole.” There’s no real difference in this sentence, though bütün can sound slightly more formal or emphatic.
– tüm fonksiyonları = bütün fonksiyonları

What’s the nuance between yerine getirmek and a simpler verb like yapmak?

yerine getirmek literally means “to bring into place” but idiomatically “to carry out, fulfill or perform” (duties, functions, tasks). yapmak just means “to do/make.” For “perform functions,” yerine getirmek is the natural choice in Turkish.