Meslek seçmek zor.

to be

Breakdown of Meslek seçmek zor.

• zor: difficult
• seçmek: to choose
• meslek: the profession

Questions & Answers about Meslek seçmek zor.

What is the literal structure of Meslek seçmek zor and how would you translate it word-for-word?

Literally, meslek means “profession,” seçmek is the infinitive “to choose,” and zor is the adjective “hard.” So a word-for-word gloss is “profession to-choose hard.” In natural English we’d say “Choosing a profession is hard.”

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

Turkish often uses an infinitive phrase (meslek seçmek) as the subject of a sentence without adding a dummy pronoun. The infinitive itself fills the subject role, so you get “(To choose a profession) is hard.” There’s no need for an extra o (“it”).

Why doesn’t meslek take an accusative ending (e.g. mesleği seçmek)?

When you use a verb in its infinitive form (seçmek) and you attach an unmarked noun as its object, that noun stays in the nominative case to signal indefiniteness. The object is not specific, so we don’t add -ı/-i/-u/-ü. If you said mesleği seçmek, you'd be referring to a specific profession already known in the context (“to choose that profession”).

Could I add an indefinite article like bir before meslek (e.g. bir meslek seçmek zor)?

Yes, you can say bir meslek seçmek zor. It emphasizes “choosing a profession” in a more explicit way, like “choosing a profession (any profession) is hard.” However, in everyday Turkish, the article is often dropped because the infinitive phrase already implies indefiniteness.

Why is there no copula “is” before zor?

In Turkish, the present-tense copula —dir is usually omitted in ordinary sentences. Adjectives like zor act as predicates directly. So instead of saying zor­dur, you normally just say zor.

Is the word order always “infinitive + adjective”? Could it be zor, meslek seçmek?

Standard Turkish orders the subject (here, the infinitive phrase meslek seçmek) before the predicate (zor). You could invert for poetic or emphatic effect (Zor meslek seçmek), but that sounds marked. The neutral, everyday order is Meslek seçmek zor.

How would I make this sentence negative or ask it as a question?

To negate: insert değil after the adjective: Meslek seçmek kolay değil (“Choosing a profession is not easy”) or directly Meslek seçmek zor değil (“Choosing a profession is not hard”).
To question: add the question particle mu after zor: Meslek seçmek zor mu? (“Is choosing a profession hard?”).

Can I modify the intensity, for example say “very hard”?

Yes. Just add an adverb like çok or son derece before zor:
• Meslek seçmek çok zor. (“Choosing a profession is very hard.”)
• Meslek seçmek son derece zor. (“Choosing a profession is extremely hard.”)