Learn Hardcore Turkish: Eğer kayalıklar kaygan olursa, kanyon patikasında dikkatli yürümeliyiz. - If the rocks are slippery, we must walk carefully on the canyon trail.

Eğer means if. It introduces a conditional clause. It’s not strictly required—Turkish speakers often omit it when the meaning is clear. For example,
Kayalıklar kaygan olursa…
is just as correct.

What is the suffix -sa (or -se) in olursa, and how does it work?

The suffix -sa (variant of -se by vowel harmony) is the conditional marker meaning “if…”. It attaches to a verb. Here:
olur (aorist of olmak, “to be”) + -sa ⇒ olursa = if it is.

Why do we say kaygan olursa instead of adding a suffix directly to kaygan?

Kaygan is an adjective (“slippery”) and cannot take tense or conditional endings. To form “if it is slippery,” Turkish uses the copula olmak (“to be”), giving kaygan olursa.

Why is kayalıklar plural? Could we use the singular kayalık?

Kayalıklar means rocks or rocky areas collectively. The sentence warns about multiple slippery surfaces. Using singular kayalık would refer to one rock or one rocky spot, which changes the meaning.

How do we form kanyon patikasında, and what do the suffixes -sı and -nda indicate?

Start with patika (“trail”):
1) Add the 3rd-person singular possessive -sı ⇒ patikası (“its trail,” i.e. the trail of the canyon”).
2) Add the locative -nda (“on/in”)—since patikası ends in a vowel, a buffer n appears ⇒ patikasında.
So kanyon patikasında = on the canyon trail.

Why doesn’t kanyon take a suffix in kanyon patikasında?

In Turkish noun–noun compounds expressing possession, the modifier noun stays bare and the head noun shows possession. Thus kanyon (modifier) stays without a genitive, and patika (head) receives the possessive -sı.

How is yürümeliyiz formed, and why does it mean “we should/must walk”?

Breakdown of yürümeliyiz:
• yürü- = “to walk”
• -meli = necessitative suffix meaning “must/should”
• -yiz = 1st person plural ending
Together: yürümeliyiz = “we must/should walk.”

What role does dikkatli play, and how does it modify the verb?

Dikkatli is an adjective that functions adverbially here, meaning “carefully.” Placed before yürümeliyiz, it tells us how we should walk: dikkatli yürümeliyiz = we should walk carefully.

Is the comma before kanyon mandatory, and why is it there?

The comma separates the conditional clause (Eğer… olursa) from the main clause. It improves readability but isn’t strictly required in Turkish; many writers include it when a longer subordinate clause precedes the main one.

Can we reverse the clause order or omit eğer? What changes, if any?

Yes. You can say:
Kayalıklar kaygan olursa kanyon patikasında dikkatli yürümeliyiz.
Or omit eğer entirely. The meaning stays the same; eğer and the comma are stylistic choices for clarity.