Learn Hardcore Turkish: Belgeleri arşivlemek ücretsiz, ama indirme hizmeti ücretli. - Archiving documents is free, but the download service is paid.

Turkish often drops the verb “to be” in the 3rd-person present. Adjectives and nouns can be predicates on their own. So ücretsiz and ücretli mean “is free” and “is paid” without an explicit “is.” In more formal style you can add the copular suffix: ücretsizdir, ücretlidir.

Can I add -dir to both predicates? What changes?

Yes: Belgeleri arşivlemek ücretsizdir, ama indirme hizmeti ücretlidir. It sounds more formal or authoritative; the meaning is the same.

What case is Belgeleri, and could I leave it unmarked?

Belgeleri is accusative plural (belge-ler-i). Inside the infinitival clause arşivlemek, it’s the direct object. Accusative marks specificity: “the documents” (particular ones). If you mean documents in general, leave it unmarked and typically singular: Belge arşivlemek ücretsiz (“archiving documents (in general) is free”).

Could I use arşivleme instead of arşivlemek?

Yes. Belgeleri arşivleme ücretsiz(dir) is fine. Nuance:

-mek (infinitive) feels more general/neutral.
-me (verbal noun) can sound more like “the act/process of” and is a bit more formal. A very formal option is a passive nominalization: Belgelerin arşivlenmesi ücretsizdir (“the archiving of the documents is free”).

What is Belgelerin arşivlenmesi structurally?

A genitive–possessive nominalized passive:

Belgelerin = “of the documents” (genitive plural)
arşivlen-me-si = “its being archived” (passive stem + verbal noun -me + 3sg possessive -si)

Why does hizmeti end with -i? Is that accusative?

Here it’s not accusative; it’s the 3rd-person possessive in an indefinite noun compound. indirme hizmeti literally “service of downloading”:

modifier (no genitive): indirme
head with 3sg possessive: hizmet-i If you add a case, it comes after the possessive: indirme hizmeti-ne (to the download service), indirme hizmeti-nden (from the download service).

Could I say indirmenin hizmeti?

Not for the usual compound. İndirmenin hizmeti is a marked, specific genitive–possessive phrase (“the service of the downloading”), which sounds odd here. Use the standard indefinite compound indirme hizmeti.

What’s the difference between indirme hizmeti ücretli and ücretli indirme hizmeti?

indirme hizmeti ücretli is a sentence: “the download service is paid.”
ücretli indirme hizmeti is a noun phrase: “a paid download service.” To make it a sentence you need a verb, e.g., Ücretli indirme hizmeti sunuyoruz.

Can I replace ama? Any register differences?

Yes:

More formal: fakat, ancak. Example: … ücretsizdir; ancak … ücretlidir.
Contrast marker: ise. Example: Belgeleri arşivlemek ücretsiz, indirme hizmeti ise ücretli. Ama is common and conversational. The comma before ama is optional.

Why not ücretsiz olarak? When should I use it?

Use -olarak when modifying a verb phrase: Belgeleri ücretsiz olarak arşivleyebilirsiniz (“you can archive the documents for free”). In your sentence, ücretsiz is a predicate adjective, so … arşivlemek ücretsiz(dir) is the natural form. You may also see adverbial ücretsiz without olarak in speech, but ücretsiz olarak is the safest explicit choice before a verb.

What are the parts of arşivlemek and indirme?

arşiv-le-mek: arşiv (archive) + verb-former -le
- infinitive -mek → “to archive.”
indir-me: verb stem indir- (to download/lower) + verbal noun -me → “downloading.”

What do ücretli and ücretsiz literally mean?

Both from ücret (“fee”):

ücret-li = “with a fee” → paid/fee-based.
ücret-siz = “without a fee” → free (of charge). Synonyms: bedava (informal “free”), parasız (colloquial “without money”).

Could I drop the plural and say Belge arşivlemek?

Yes. Belge arşivlemek expresses an indefinite, generic object (“archiving documents” generally). Belgeleri arşivlemek implies specific documents (e.g., on this platform). Pick based on context.

Is the comma before ama required?

No. Both … ücretsiz ama … and … ücretsiz, ama … are used. In formal writing, a comma or semicolon is common when the clauses are longer: … ücretsizdir; ancak … ücretlidir.

Is indirme servisi also correct?

Yes. hizmet (native) and servis (loanword) overlap in tech contexts. You can say indirme hizmeti or indirme servisi.

Any common mix-ups with indirme?

Don’t confuse indirme (“downloading,” from indirmek) with indirim (“discount”). Very different meanings despite similar look.

How do I pronounce the special letters here?

ü: front rounded vowel (like German “ü”); say “ee” with rounded lips.
ç: “ch” as in “church.”
ş: “sh” as in “she.”
v in arşiv is like English “v.”