Learn Hardcore Turkish: Bisiklet zinciri paslandığında yağlamadan hareket edemez. - When the bicycle chain is rusted, it won’t move without lubrication.

paslandığında means when it has rusted or once it rusts. It’s formed by attaching the past tense marker -dı/-di/-du/-dü to the verb root paslan- (“to rust”), and then adding the temporal suffix -ğında (“when”). In other words: • paslan- (root “rust”)
• + -dı (past marker) → paslandı
• + ğında (temporal “when”) → paslandığında

What is the function of yağlamadan in this sentence?

yağlamadan means without lubricating. It’s created by adding the negative gerund suffix -madan to yağla- (“to lubricate”). The pattern verb stem + -madan/-meden expresses “without doing [verb]”, making an adverbial phrase that modifies the main clause.

Why is it -madan and not -meden?

Turkish vowel harmony dictates the choice: • If the last vowel of the verb stem is a, ı, o, u, use -madan
• If it’s e, i, ö, ü, use -meden
Since yağla- ends in a, we attach -madan.

What does hareket edemez literally mean, and why are there two words?

hareket etmek is a compound verb meaning to move (literally “to do movement”).
• hareket = “movement”
• etmek = “to do”
To express inability, we negate and add the potential suffix -emez, so edemez = cannot do. Together, hareket edemez means cannot move.

Why is there no explicit subject pronoun like o?

In Turkish, subject pronouns are often omitted when the subject is clear. Here, bisiklet zinciri (“bicycle chain”) is already the subject, so adding o (“he/she/it”) would be redundant.

Why is bisiklet zinciri in its bare form with no suffix?

bisiklet zinciri functions as the nominative subject. Turkish typically leaves definite or generic subjects in the bare form unless you need a specific case marker (e.g., accusative -i for direct objects, dative -e, etc.). Here it remains plain to express a general statement about bicycle chains.

Can we use paslanınca instead of paslandığında? If yes, any nuance?

Yes. Paslanınca (root + -ınca/-ince) also means when or as soon as.
• Bisiklet zinciri paslanınca yağlamadan hareket edemez.
Both are interchangeable here. -ınca is slightly more colloquial, while -dığında can sound a bit more formal or explicit.

Could we say paslandıktan sonra instead? What’s the difference?

Absolutely:
• Bisiklet zinciri paslandıktan sonra yağlamadan hareket edemez.
This uses -dıktan sonra (“after [verb]-ing”) to mean after it rusts.
• -dığında emphasizes simultaneity (“when it rusts, it can’t move”)
• -dıktan sonra puts a bit more stress on the sequence (“after rusting, it can’t move”) but the practical difference is minimal here.