Learn Hardcore Turkish: Yazılım güncel değil; önce kısayol simgesini silip yeniden kuracağız. - The software isn’t up to date; first we will delete the shortcut icon and reinstall it.

Turkish doesn’t need a separate “to be” verb in the present for noun/adjective predicates. You say the subject, then the predicate, and negate with değil.

Yazılım güncel = The software is up-to-date.
Yazılım güncel değil = The software is not up-to-date.

If you want past/other tenses, you add tense/person to the copular suffix:

güncel değildi (was not), güncel değilmiş (apparently is not), etc.

What exactly does güncel mean, and how is it different from güncellenmemiş?

güncel = up-to-date, current (an adjective describing state).
güncellenmemiş = not updated (a participle emphasizing the action hasn’t been performed). Both can fit this context, but güncel değil focuses on the state, while güncellenmemiş highlights the missed update action.

What is the role of the semicolon here?

The semicolon separates two closely related independent clauses: stating the problem and then the next step. A period would also work. A comma would be too weak unless you add a connector like bu yüzden/o yüzden:

Yazılım güncel değil. Önce…
Yazılım güncel değil, o yüzden önce…

What does önce do, and can I also say öncelikle or ilk önce?

Önce means “first/firstly, before anything else.” It’s perfectly natural here.

Öncelikle is a bit more formal (“first of all”).
İlk önce is common in speech but somewhat redundant; önce alone is usually best.

How is kısayol simgesini built, and why does it end with -ni?

It’s a compound noun with a definite object ending:

kısa
- yol → kısayol (shortcut)
simge
- 3rd person possessive -si → simgesi (icon, as the head of a compound)
Accusative -i (becomes -ni after a possessed form) → simgesini

The accusative marks a specific/definite direct object. We’re deleting a particular shortcut icon, so it’s kısayol simgesini (not the bare form).

Why is there an extra -n- in simgesini?

That -n- is a buffer consonant. When a possessed noun (ending in -sı/-si/-su/-sü) takes another vowel-initial suffix (like the accusative -i), Turkish inserts -n-:

simgesi + i → simgesini

What does silip mean, and why not just say sileceğiz?

-ip is a converb that links verbs with the same subject, usually implying sequence: “delete and (then) …” Only the final verb carries tense/person, so silip … kuracağız means “we will delete and (then) reinstall.”
You could also say: Sileceğiz ve yeniden kuracağız. The -ip form is just more compact.

Does -ip always mean “then”? How is it different from -erek?

-ip often implies simple sequence or coordination (“and then/and”). It doesn’t itself express manner.
-erek means “by/while doing (as a means or manner).”

Silip kuracağız = We’ll delete, then (we’ll) install.
Silerek kuracağız = We’ll install by deleting (odd here; suggests deletion is the means).

Why isn’t the subject repeated in the second clause?

Turkish is pro-drop: the verb ending encodes the subject. -acağız already tells you it’s “we.” You can add biz for emphasis, but it’s not necessary.

What’s the difference between kurmak and yüklemek in software contexts?

kurmak = to set up/install (especially software or systems).
yüklemek = to load/upload/download/install depending on context; it’s broader and sometimes ambiguous.
Both are common in tech talk, but yeniden kurmak is a standard way to say “reinstall.”

Why use yeniden instead of tekrar or baştan?

yeniden = again, anew (often “from scratch”/fresh).
tekrar = again, once more (neutral repetition).
baştan = from the beginning.
In “reinstall,” yeniden is idiomatic; tekrar yüklemek/kurmak is also common. Baştan kurmak emphasizes starting from the very beginning.

How does the future form kuracağız work, and where does the ğ come from?

Morphology:

Stem: kur-
Future: -AcAK (A = a/e by vowel harmony; back vowel in kur → -acak)
1st plural: -(y)Iz → combined with -acak gives -acağız (the k of -acak softens to ğ before a vowel-initial ending).

So: kur- + -acak + -ız → kuracağız.

How is ğ pronounced here?

Turkish ğ (soft g) is not a hard “g.” It lengthens or glides the preceding vowel. In kuracağız, you’ll feel a lengthened “a” before the ending.

Are we deleting the program or just the shortcut?

We’re deleting the shortcut icon: kısayol simgesini sil-.
Then we’re reinstalling the software: (yazılımı) yeniden kuracağız. The object of kuracağız (yazılımı or onu) is understood from context and can be omitted.

Could we make the sequence more explicit with sonra or a conjunction?

Yes:

Önce kısayol simgesini sileceğiz, sonra yazılımı yeniden kuracağız.
Önce kısayol simgesini silip sonra yeniden kuracağız.
Önce kısayol simgesini sileceğiz ve ardından yeniden kuracağız.

Could we say Yazılım güncellenmemiş or Yazılımın versiyonu eski instead?

Both are possible with slightly different nuance:

Yazılım güncellenmemiş = it hasn’t been updated (focus on the missed action).
Yazılımın versiyonu eski = its version is old (emphasizes version age). Yazılım güncel değil is the most neutral state description.

Is kısayol simgesi a possessive construction? How is it different from kısayolun simgesi?

kısayol simgesi is a lexicalized compound noun: the head noun takes 3rd person possessive (simge-si), but the first noun has no genitive. It means “shortcut icon” as a general concept/type.
kısayolun simgesi uses explicit genitive (kısayolun) and means “the icon of the (specific) shortcut.” In this sentence we mean the generic shortcut icon on the desktop, so kısayol simgesi is right.