Learn Hardcore Turkish: Program dondu donmasına, ama yedek planımız hazır. - The program did freeze, but our backup plan is ready.

It’s a concessive echo construction. The first dondu states the fact (“it froze”), and donmasına concedes it (“granted/indeed”). Together they mean “It did freeze, yes, but…”. The second clause then introduces the contrast: ama yedek planımız hazır (“but our backup plan is ready”).

How is donmasına formed morphologically?

don- (freeze) + -ma (verbal noun) → donma (“freezing” as a noun)
- -sı (3rd person possessive) → donması (“its freezing”)
- -na (dative case; surfaces as -nA) → donmasına (“to its freezing”) This nominalized, dative-marked form is what the concessive pattern uses.

Why is there an extra -n- in donmasına?

It’s the buffer consonant used when you add a case suffix to a possessed noun: donması + -e/-a → donma-sı-na. The -n- keeps the vowels apart.

Is the “X-di X-masına” pattern formal or colloquial?

It’s idiomatic and very common in speech and writing. It’s not slangy; you’ll see it in newspapers and literature too. Tone: “admittedly/it’s true that… but…”.

Can I just say Program dondu, ama yedek planımız hazır without donmasına?

Yes. That’s the plain “X, but Y.” The dondu donmasına version adds a nuance of concession/emphasis—roughly “It did freeze, yes, but…”, which can sound more rhetorical or reassuring.

What are other natural ways to express the same concession?

Programın donmasına rağmen, yedek planımız hazır. (Despite the program’s freezing…)
Her ne kadar program donsa da, yedek planımız hazır.
Program donmuş olsa da, yedek planımız hazır.
Gerçi program dondu, ama yedek planımız hazır. Each has a similar “although/despite” feel, with slightly different registers.

If I use rağmen, why is it Programın donmasına rağmen, not Program donmasına rağmen?

With -mA(s)ı nominalizations, Turkish normally marks the subject in the genitive: program-ın don-ma-sı-na rağmen. Colloquially, the genitive can be dropped sometimes, but the standard form is with programın.

Could I say Program donmuş olsa da, yedek planımız hazır? What’s the nuance?

Yes. -mış olsa da is “even if/although it has frozen (or seems to have frozen).” -mış carries evidential/hearsay or resultative nuance, so it’s less direct than dondu (simple past, definite).

Why simple past dondu here and not donmuş or donmuştu?

dondu: witnessed/definite event (“it froze”).
donmuş: inferential/resultative (“apparently/it seems it froze” or “it ended up frozen”).
donmuştu: past perfect (“it had frozen”), usually to set background before another past event. The concessive echo pattern typically uses the simple past.

Can this concessive echo work with adjectives too?

Yes. Very common with olmak:

Güzel olmasına güzel, ama pahalı. (“It’s nice, sure, but expensive.”) Your sentence uses a verb directly: dondu donmasına, which is the same idea.

What does ama contrastive mean here, and can I replace it?

Ama = “but.” Alternatives:

fakat, ancak (slightly more formal),
lakin (bookish),
or drop it and use yine de in the second clause: Program dondu donmasına; yine de yedek planımız hazır.

How does yedek planımız hazır work grammatically?

yedek (backup/spare) + plan
- -ımız (our) → yedek planımız (“our backup plan”)
hazır is an adjective used as a predicate (“ready”). No copula is needed in the simple present: “Our backup plan is ready.” Formal/emphatic writing might use hazırdır.

Why planımız and not planimiz?

Vowel harmony. The last vowel of plan is a (a back vowel), so the 1st person plural possessive suffix takes its back form: -ımız → plan-ımız.

Could I say yedek planımız var instead of hazır?

Different nuance:

var: “we have a backup plan” (existence).
hazır: “our backup plan is ready” (prepared/ready to use). Your sentence emphasizes readiness, not mere existence.

Are there tech synonyms for donmak?

Yes, with nuances:

takılmak: lag, stutter.
kitlenmek: lock up (UI unresponsive).
çökmek: crash (program exits or system fails).
donmak: freeze/hang (stops responding).

Can I move the clauses around?

Yes, but the default puts the conceded fact first. You could say:

Yedek planımız hazır, ama program dondu donmasına. This is grammatical but shifts the emphasis to the readiness; the concessive echo usually feels more natural before the contrast.

Is the comma before ama required?

A comma is standard before clause-initial ama/fakat/ancak. You can also use a semicolon for a stronger pause: …, ama … or …; ama ….

Can dondu donmasına stand alone without a following “but/contrast” clause?

Not usually. It strongly anticipates a contrast marker (ama/fakat/ancak) or something like yine de. On its own it sounds incomplete, like “It did freeze, granted, but… [and?]”.