Learn Hardcore Turkish: Matkap ucunu dikkatle seçmezsen, delikler dağınık ve kötü görünür. - If you don’t choose the drill bit carefully, the holes will be messy and look bad.

matkap ucu = “drill bit” (literally “tip of the drill”).
ucunu is built from:
1. uç (tip)
2. -u (3rd person singular possessive → “its tip”)
3. -nu (accusative marker for a definite object)
So matkap ucunu = “the drill bit” (a specific bit you choose).

Why is dikkatle used here instead of dikkatli?

dikkatle = adverb “carefully” (formed by adding -le to dikkat “attention”).
dikkatli = adjective “attentive” (describes a noun).
We need an adverb to modify seçmek (“to choose”), so dikkatle seçmek = “choose carefully.”

How is seçmezsen constructed, and why isn’t eğer required to say “if”?

seçmezsen = seç- (root “choose”) + -me (negation) + -z (aorist) + -sen (2nd person sing. conditional) → “if you don’t choose.”

Turkish uses this conditional suffix to express “if…,” so eğer (the word “if”) is optional.
You can add eğer for emphasis:
“Eğer matkap ucunu dikkatle seçmezsen…”

Why are dağınık and kötü unchanged? Shouldn’t adjectives agree with delikler?

After verbs like görünmek (“to appear/look”), adjectives remain in their base form as predicates.
delikler is the subject (plural), but Turkish does not inflect predicate adjectives for number or case here.
So “delikler dağınık ve kötü görünür” = “the holes look messy and bad.”

What does görünür mean and why use it instead of olur?

görünür = 3rd person singular present of görünmek (“to appear,” “to look”).
It describes how something seems visually.
olur (“becomes” or “is”) would shift the focus to a state or change, e.g. “the holes become messy,” rather than “look messy.”

Can I make the sentence more polite or plural by changing seçmezsen?

Yes. Swap -sen for -seniz (2nd person plural/polite):
“Matkap ucunu dikkatle seçmezseniz, delikler dağınık ve kötü görünür.”

Is it okay to reorder the clauses or insert eğer in the second half?

Standard Turkish often puts the conditional clause first.
You can invert or move eğer:
“Delikler dağınık ve kötü görünür, eğer matkap ucunu dikkatle seçmezsen.”
or
“Delikler dağınık ve kötü görünür; matkap ucunu dikkatle seçmezsen.”
But the original order is more natural.

Why aren’t there words for “the” or “a” in Turkish? How do we know matkap ucunu is “the” drill bit?

Turkish has no separate articles.
Definiteness is often shown by the accusative case on objects:
– matkap ucunu with -nu = definite (“the drill bit”)
– delikler without an accusative = general or indefinite (“holes” in general)
If you drop the accusative marker on ucunu (→ ucu), it would mean “a (non-specific) drill bit.”