Learn Hardcore Turkish: Erkek çalışan rahatsız olsa da işe geldi. - The male employee came to work even though he was unwell.

Adjectives can take the conditional directly (e.g., rahatsızsa = “if (he) is unwell”), but for the concessive “although/even though,” the idiomatic pattern is rahatsız olsa da. You’ll also hear rahatsız olsa bile (“even if/though”). The form rahatsızsa da is uncommon and can sound off; prefer olsa da or -sa bile.

Is the "da" here the same as “also/too”?

No. This da/de is the concessive clitic “though,” written separately: olsa da. The additive “also/too” da/de is also written separately (e.g., o da = “she too”), but the meaning is different. Don’t confuse either with the locative suffix -da/-de (attached to nouns: evde = “at home”).

Why is it "işe" with -e? What does that mean?

The dative case -e/-a marks direction (“to”). With motion verbs like gelmek (“to come”), the destination takes dative: işe gelmek = “to come to work.” Compare: eve geldi (he came home), okula geldi (he came to school).

What exactly does "çalışan" mean here?

çalışan is the verbal adjective (present participle) of çalışmak (“to work”) used as a noun: “worker/employee.” So erkek çalışan = “male employee.” It’s more general and HR‑style than işçi (manual worker) or memur (civil servant).

Does Turkish mark “a/the” here? Is it “a male employee” or “the male employee”?

Turkish has no articles. Erkek çalışan can be generic or specific from context. If you want to say “a,” add bir: bir erkek çalışan. If the context makes the person known, English will use “the,” but Turkish still just says erkek çalışan.

Why isn’t there a pronoun like “he” in the sentence?

Turkish is pro‑drop: subjects are often omitted when clear from context and verb endings. Here the subject is understood as third person singular from geldi (“he/she/it came”).

Could I say this with "ama" or "yine de"? Any difference?

Yes:

Erkek çalışan rahatsızdı ama işe geldi. = “He was unwell, but he came.”
Erkek çalışan rahatsız olsa da yine de işe geldi. = “Although he was unwell, he still came.”
ama coordinates two clauses; olsa da subordinates a concessive clause. yine de adds “still/anyway” emphasis.

What about "rağmen" or "hâlde"?

Both are good concessive alternatives:

Rahatsız olmasına rağmen işe geldi.
Rahatsız olduğu hâlde işe geldi. They mean “although/though; despite being unwell.” rağmen is a bit more formal; -dığı hâlde is common in writing and speech.

Can I move parts around? What word orders are natural?

Yes; Turkish is flexible:

Rahatsız olsa da, erkek çalışan işe geldi. (sets the scene first)
Erkek çalışan, rahatsız olsa da, işe geldi.
Erkek çalışan işe geldi, rahatsız olsa da. (afterthought)
The core verb typically stays at the end of the main clause.

How is "bile" different from this "da"?

bile adds “even” emphasis. Rahatsız olsa bile işe geldi ≈ “Even if/though he was unwell, he came.” -sa da already means “although/though”; adding bile makes the concession stronger.

Why is the first clause “olsa” (conditional) but the main verb is past “geldi”? Is that normal?

Yes. In concessive clauses, -sa is tenseless/neutral; the main clause carries the actual time. For a hypothetical habitual reading you’d use gelirdi:
Rahatsız olsa da işe gelirdi = “Even if he were unwell, he would (still) come.”

How would this look in the plural?

Erkek çalışanlar rahatsız olsalar da işe geldiler.
With human plural subjects, the plural ending on the verb (-ler) is common but optional: geldi(ler). In the concessive clause, use plural agreement: olsalar.

Is "rahatsızken" possible? How does it differ from "rahatsız olsa da"?

Yes: Rahatsızken işe geldi = “He came to work while he was unwell” (temporal “while”). Rahatsız olsa da is concessive (“although”), highlighting contrast rather than time.

Any quick morphological breakdown and pronunciation tips?

Erkek çalışan | rahatsız ol-sa da | iş-e gel-di
Pronunciation: ç = ch, ş = sh, dotted‑less ı = a neutral “uh” sound (rahatsız ≈ ra-hat-suhz), işe ≈ i-sheh.