Learn Hardcore Turkish: Aksilik çıkarsa, yedek planımız hazır. - If a mishap occurs, we have a backup plan ready.

çık-: the verb root “to go out; to arise/come up.”
-Ar: the aorist marker (here it gives a general/neutral future reading: “arises/comes up”).
-sA: the conditional suffix “if.” Vowel harmony picks -ar (not -er) because the last vowel in çık- is back (ı), and -sa (not -se) because the last vowel before it is also back (a). No person ending is added because the subject (aksilik, “a mishap”) is 3rd person singular.

Why is there no word for “is” in planımız hazır?

Turkish uses a “zero copula” in the simple present for nominal sentences. Planımız hazır literally “our plan ready” means “our plan is ready.” You can add -dır for a formal or emphatic tone: Planımız hazırdır.

Do I need bir before aksilik? What’s the difference between aksilik çıkarsa and bir aksilik çıkarsa?

Both are correct.

Aksilik çıkarsa: generic “if a mishap occurs.”
Bir aksilik çıkarsa: slightly more specific/one-off feeling, “if a (certain) mishap occurs.” For stronger “any,” you can say herhangi bir aksilik çıkarsa.

Why use çıkmak with aksilik? Could I say aksilik olursa instead?

Yes, but there’s a nuance. In Turkish, “problems/mishaps arise” is idiomatically sorun/aksilik/pürüz çıkmak. So aksilik çıkarsa sounds very natural. Aksilik olursa is also common and neutral. More formal/technical options include aksilik oluşursa; aksilik yaşanırsa emphasizes the experience.

Can I add Eğer at the beginning?

Yes: Eğer aksilik çıkarsa, ... It’s optional emphasis. The conditional suffix -sA already marks “if,” so eğer is not required.

Is the comma after the conditional clause necessary?

When the conditional clause comes first, a comma is recommended: Aksilik çıkarsa, yedek planımız hazır. If you place the main clause first, you usually don’t need a comma: Yedek planımız hazırsa kapatabiliriz (different example). In this sentence, you could also omit the comma in casual writing, but the comma is preferred.

Can I reverse the clause order?

Yes: Yedek planımız hazır, aksilik çıkarsa is not natural. Better is:

Yedek planımız, aksilik çıkarsa hazır. (still a bit marked)
More natural: keep the conditional clause first: Aksilik çıkarsa, yedek planımız hazır. For formal style: Aksilik çıkması halinde, yedek planımız hazırdır.

What does yedek mean here? Are there synonyms?

Yedek means “spare/backup.” Common alternatives:

B planı: “Plan B” (very common): B planımız hazır.
alternatif plan: “alternative plan.”
yedekte bir plan(ımız): “a plan in reserve.”

Why is it planımız with dotless ı, not planimiz?

Possessive suffixes obey vowel harmony. The last vowel of plan is a (a back, unrounded vowel), so the 1st person plural possessive is the back form -ımız: plan-ımız. With a front vowel word you’d get -imiz (e.g., projemiz).

How do I pronounce ı and ç in this sentence?

ı (dotless i) is a back, unrounded vowel, like a relaxed “uh,” but shorter: çı ≈ “chı” (not “chee”).
ç is “ch” as in “church”: çıkarsa ≈ “chı-KAR-sah.” Primary word stress in these words is typically on the final syllable: ak-si-LİK, çı-kar-SA, pla-nı-MIZ, ha-ZIR.

What’s the difference between çıkarsa and çıksa?

çıkarsa: real/likely or open condition (“if (at any point) it arises”). Fits well with neutral/future outcomes: Aksilik çıkarsa, (şu olur).
çıksa: more hypothetical/wishful/less likely; often pairs with a conditional result in -dı/-di: Aksilik çıksa, yedek plan devreye girerdi (“If a mishap were to occur, the backup plan would kick in”).

How do I make it negative, like “if nothing goes wrong”?

Use the negative aorist before the conditional:

Aksilik çıkmazsa, ... = “If no mishap arises, …” A very common alternative is Aksilik olmazsa, ... (“If nothing goes wrong…”).

Can I talk about a mishap that may already have happened?

Yes, switch to a past-based conditional:

Aksilik çıktıysa, yedek planımız hazır. = “If a mishap has occurred, our backup plan is ready.”
More formal: Aksilik çıktıysa, yedek planımız hazırdır.

Is hazır describing us or the plan?

Here it predicates the noun planımız: “our plan is ready.” To say “we are ready,” you’d say Hazırız. You could combine them: Aksilik çıkarsa, hazırız; yedek planımız da hazır.

Any nuance difference among aksilik, sorun, problem, aksaklık, pürüz?

aksilik: mishap, bad luck, an untimely glitch; a bit colloquial/emotive.
sorun: general “issue/problem”; neutral, very common.
problem: loanword, similar to sorun, a bit more technical in some contexts.
aksaklık: malfunction/irregularity (systems/logistics).
pürüz: snag/hitch (often minor but obstructive). With these, … çıkarsa is common: sorun çıkarsa, pürüz çıkarsa, aksaklık çıkarsa.

Can I emphasize “our” plan?

Yes: Bizim yedek planımız hazır. Adding bizim stresses contrast (“ours (as opposed to others’)”). Without bizim, possession is already clear from -ımız.