Learn Hardcore Turkish: Arkadaşlarımla metin mesajlarıyla haberleşiyorum. - I am communicating with my friends via text messages.

The suffix -la/-le (or -yla/-yle if a buffer y is needed) is the Turkish instrumental case marker meaning “with” or “by means of.” It turns a noun into an instrument or companion phrase.
• In arkadaşlarımla, arkadaşlarım (“my friends”) + -la = “with my friends.”
• In metin mesajlarıyla, metin mesajları (“text messages”) + -yla = “with text messages.”

Why is there a y before la in metin mesajlarıyla, but not in arkadaşlarımla?

Turkish inserts a buffer consonant y when a vowel-final word takes the -la/-le suffix, to avoid two vowels colliding.
• arkadaşlarım ends with the consonant m, so you attach -la directly → arkadaşlarımla.
• metin mesajları ends with the vowel ı, so you insert y before la → metin mesajlarıyla.

Can you break down arkadaşlarımla into its root and all suffixes?

Certainly. arkadaşlarımla =
• arkadaş (friend)
• -lar (plural) → arkadaşlar (“friends”)
• -ım (1st person singular possessive) → arkadaşlarım (“my friends”)
• -la (instrumental “with”) → arkadaşlarımla (“with my friends”)

Why is arkadaş plural and possessive before adding -la? Could you say arkadaşımla instead?

You use arkadaşlarım (“my friends”) when communicating with more than one friend. If you meant “with my (single) friend,” you would indeed say arkadaşımla (arkadaş + -ım + -la). Pluralizing reflects that it’s a group.

What about metin mesajlarıyla – why is metin there instead of just mesaj?

metin means “text” and modifies mesaj. Together metin mesajı = “text message” (analogous to English SMS). Without metin, mesaj alone means any “message.” So you could say mesajla haberleşiyorum (“I communicate by message”), but metin mesajlarıyla specifies “by text messages.”

Why is the verb in the sentence haberleşiyorum and not haberleşirim or haberleşmekteyim?

Turkish has several “present” forms:
• -iyor progressive (haberleş-iyor-um) emphasizes an action happening right now or currently ongoing.
• Simple present -r (haberleşirim) usually indicates habitual or general truths (“I usually communicate”).
• The literary/formal progressive -mekteyim (haberleşmekteyim) is quite formal and rare in spoken language.
Here the speaker wants to say “I’m communicating (at the moment) with my friends via text messages,” so haberleşiyorum is most natural.

Why is the subject ben (“I”) missing, and how do we know who is doing the talking?

In Turkish, personal pronouns are often dropped because the verb ending carries that information. The -um in haberleşiyorum signals 1st person singular (“I am communicating”), so ben is unnecessary unless you want emphasis or contrast.

Is there a difference between using the suffix -la/-yla and the separate word ile for “with”?

Both convey “with,” but:
• Suffix -la/-le is more conversational and binds directly to the noun.
• The standalone ile (e.g. arkadaşlarımla ⇔ arkadaşları ile) can sound a bit more formal or written.
Meaning stays the same; choice is stylistic.

What does haberleşmek literally mean, and how is it different from iletişim kurmak?

• haberleşmek comes from haber (“news”) + -leş- (reciprocal/mutual action) → “to exchange news,” “to correspond/communicate” (by any means: calls, messages).
• iletişim kurmak is a more general “to establish communication/connection” (often used for meetings, media, networks).
In daily Turkish, haberleşmek is common for chatting, texting, phoning, etc.