Learn Hardcore Turkish: Bugün pazarlık yaptım ve daha uygun fiyata aldım. - I bargained today and got it for a better price.

In everyday Turkish, pazarlık yapmak means “to haggle/bargain” over a price. Literally it’s “to do bargaining”: pazarlık (bargaining) + yapmak (to do).

Can I say pazarlık etmek instead of pazarlık yapmak?

Yes. pazarlık etmek is also used and fully correct. In casual speech, pazarlık yapmak is a bit more common; etmek can sound slightly more formal/literary, but both are fine.

Why do both verbs end with -dım: yaptım, aldım?

Because they’re in the simple past, first person singular:

-DI is the past tense suffix (with vowel harmony: -dı/-di/-du/-dü).
-m is the 1st person singular ending. So:
yap-
- -dı
  - -m → phonologically yaptım
al-
- -dı
  - -m → aldım

Why is it yaptım and not yapdım?

Turkish devoices the initial consonant of the past suffix after a voiceless consonant: p + d → t. So yap-dı-m surfaces as yap-tı-m → yaptım. With a voiced stem‑final consonant (like al-), the d stays: aldım.

Where is the subject pronoun? Why not Ben yaptım...?

Turkish is pro‑drop. The verb ending -m already encodes “I,” so ben is usually omitted unless you want emphasis or contrast (e.g., Ben yaptım, not someone else).

What does bugün do here, and can it move?

Bugün is an adverb meaning “today.” It’s natural at the start, but you can move it for emphasis:

Bugün pazarlık yaptım...
Pazarlık bugün yaptım... (emphasizes “today”)
Pazarlık yaptım bugün... (colloquial, afterthought)

Why is it fiyata and not fiyatı or fiyatta?

fiyata is the dative case (-a/-e), used with almak to mean “for/at (a) price”: “I bought it for X.”
fiyatı is accusative or 3sg possessed “its price”; fiyatı aldım would mean “I took the price” (odd here).
fiyatta is locative “at the price” (as a location), not used with buying. Typical price expressions:
50 liraya aldım.
Daha uygun fiyata aldım.

Could I add bir: daha uygun bir fiyata?

Yes. Both daha uygun fiyata and daha uygun bir fiyata are idiomatic. Adding bir makes the noun phrase explicitly singular/indefinite; leaving it out is a bit snappier.

What does daha do? Is it a comparative marker?

Yes. daha + adjective/adverb makes a comparative: “more X.”

uygun = suitable/reasonable
daha uygun = more suitable/reasonable (often “cheaper” in price contexts) You can intensify with çok daha (“much more”).

Is uygun the same as ucuz?

Not exactly:

uygun = suitable/reasonable/affordable (good value, acceptable)
ucuz = cheap/inexpensive (focuses on low price) In price talk, daha uygun often implies “a better, more favorable price,” while daha ucuza directly means “for cheaper.”

Can I say daha ucuza aldım instead of daha uygun fiyata aldım?

Yes. daha ucuza aldım is very common and a bit shorter. Both are natural; daha ucuza is slightly more colloquial/direct.

Why is there an -a on fiyat? Is that always how you say the price you pay?

Yes, the price is typically in the dative:

number + currency: 50 liraya aldım
noun “price”: uygun fiyata aldım If the word ends in a vowel, add the buffer -y-: 10 euroya, bir liraya.

If I want to specify what I bought, where does it go and what case do I use?

Place the object before the verb and use the accusative if it’s definite:

Onu daha uygun fiyata aldım. (“I bought it...”)
Telefonu daha uygun fiyata aldım. (“I bought the phone...”) Indefinite objects take no accusative:
Bir telefon daha uygun fiyata aldım. (“I bought a phone...”)

Is almak really “to take” or “to buy”?

Both, depending on context. With prices or stores, almak commonly means “to buy.” If you want to make “buy” explicit, you can use satın almak.

Any difference between almak and satın almak here?

aldım is everyday and perfectly natural.
satın aldım is a bit more formal/emphatic (“purchased”). Both can be used with ... fiyata.

Could I link the two actions without ve?

Yes. Two common, slightly more natural options in narratives:

Converb -ıp/-ip: Pazarlık yapıp daha uygun fiyata aldım.
Converb -erek: Pazarlık ederek daha uygun fiyata aldım. (“by bargaining”)

What’s the morphology inside pazarlık?

pazar = market
-lık/-lik nominalizer → pazarlık ≈ “bargaining/negotiation” With yapmak/etmek, it becomes the verb phrase “to bargain.”

How do I pronounce the ı and ü in bugün, yaptım, aldım?

ı (dotless i) is a back, unrounded vowel; think of a darker schwa. yaptım, aldım both have ı in the suffix.
ü is a front, rounded vowel like German ü/French u: Bugün has that sound in the second syllable.

Why not fiyattan? When do I use the ablative with prices?

-dan/-den (ablative) shows “from/than”:

Comparison: Şu fiyattan daha ucuza aldım. (“cheaper than that price”)
Discount/change: Fiyattan 20 lira düştü. (“20 lira came off the price”) For the price you paid, stick with the dative: ... liraya / ... fiyata.

Is bugün one word or two?

One word: bugün. Writing bu gün is archaic or an error in modern Turkish.

Can I say pazarlığı yaptım? What changes with the -ı?

pazarlığı is the definite accusative. Pazarlığı yaptım can mean “I did the bargaining (task)” or “I handled the negotiation,” focusing on that specific bargaining event, not on buying. In your sentence, pazarlık yaptım is the neutral “I bargained.”

How would I negate the sentence?

Negate each verb with -ma/-me before the tense suffix:

Pazarlık yapmadım ve daha uygun fiyata alamadım. (“I didn’t bargain and couldn’t get it for a better price.”) You can also mix: Pazarlık yapmadım ama yine de uygun fiyata aldım.

Any register or context notes for pazarlık?

pazarlık is everyday, shopper‑to‑seller haggling. In business/diplomacy, for “negotiation” you’ll also see müzakere (formal) or pazarlık metaphorically. With friends, saying pazarlık yaptım implies informal price bargaining.