Learn Hardcore Turkish: Telefon dondu donmasına, ama kapatıp açınca çalıştı. - The phone did freeze, but after turning it off and on it worked.

It’s a concessive emphasis: “It did freeze, though.” It acknowledges the truth of “it froze” while setting up a contrast that follows (here, introduced by ama “but”).

Why repeat the verb in dondu donmasına instead of just saying dondu ama?

The duplication with the -mAsI(n)a form adds a nuance of “Granted/Admittedly, it froze.” It’s stronger and more expressive than a plain “It froze, but…,” which is more matter-of-fact.

How is donmasına formed morphologically?

don- = freeze (verb root)
-ma = verbal noun/gerund (“freezing”)
-sı = 3rd person possessive (buffer -s- appears: “its freezing”)
-na = dative case (“to/for its freezing”) Together, don-ma-sı-na. In this fixed pattern, it contributes a concessive sense (“even though it froze”).

Is dondu donmasına the same as donmasına rağmen?

Close in meaning, but not identical in tone.

dondu donmasına ≈ “It did freeze, to be fair…” (colloquial, rhetorical concession).
donmasına rağmen = “although it froze” (more formal/explicit). Both can introduce a contrast, but the duplicated pattern sounds more conversational.

Can ama be dropped or replaced?

You can drop it: Telefon dondu donmasına; kapatıp açınca çalıştı.
You can replace it with near-synonyms, adjusting formality:
- fakat/ancak/lakin (more formal)
- yine de (“still/nevertheless,” often without a comma: …, yine de çalıştı)

What does kapatıp açınca mean, and how is it built?

It means “when (I) turned it off and then back on.”

kapat-ıp: -Ip links sequential actions (“after turning off”)
aç-ınca: -IncA “when/once/after (opening/turning on)” Together it’s a common way to describe power-cycling a device.

Who is doing the turning off/on in kapatıp açınca? It’s not the phone, right?

Right—the subject is understood from context (typically “I”/“we”). Turkish often omits obvious subjects in adverbial clauses. If you want to make it explicit, you can say:

Ben kapatıp açınca, telefon çalıştı.

Why isn’t there an object like telefonu or onu in kapatıp açınca?

It’s understood from context. Adding it is optional but can avoid ambiguity:

Telefonu/Onu kapatıp açınca, çalıştı. (“When I turned the phone/it off and on, it worked.”)

Why açınca and not açtığımda? Are they different?

Both mean “when,” but with slightly different flavors:

-IncA (açınca): general/neutral “when/once (I) opened/turned it on.”
-DIğImDA (açtığımda): “when I opened/turned it on,” a bit more specific/personal. Either works here.

Could I say kapatıp açtıktan sonra instead of kapatıp açınca?

Yes. -DIKtan sonra means “after -ing,” so:

Kapatıp açtıktan sonra çalıştı. = “After turning it off and on, it worked.” It’s slightly more sequential/afterward than the broader “when/once” of -ınca.

Does çalıştı mean “he worked”? Why is it used for a phone?

For machines/devices, çalışmak means “to run/work/function.” So çalıştı here is “it worked/started running.”

Is the tense/aspect combination natural? Past (dondu, çalıştı) with -ınca?

Yes. The adverbial -ınca clause gives the time frame (“when/once”), and the main events use simple past: it froze; when it was power-cycled, it worked.

Is dondu donmasına formal or colloquial?

It’s common in everyday speech and neutral writing, slightly colloquial in tone. It adds a conversational “I admit…” flavor.

Any similar patterns I can reuse?

Yes:

With verbs: Kazandı kazanmasına, ama… (“He did win, but…”)
With adjectives/nouns via olmasına: Güzel olmasına güzel, ama pahalı. (“It’s beautiful, sure, but it’s expensive.”)

Small pronunciation/vowel-harmony notes?

donmasına uses back, unrounded vowels: don-ma-sı-na.
kapatıp takes -ıp (not -ip) because of the back unrounded vowel in kapat-.
açınca takes -ınca (not -ince) for the same back vowel reason.