Learn Hardcore Turkish: Müdür bugün biraz mesafeli görünüyor.

Root: gör- (to see)
Passive/reflexive derivation: görün- = “to be seen, to appear”
Present continuous: -üyor (the -yor set with vowel harmony)
3rd person singular: no extra personal ending Together: görün-üyor → görünüyor = “is appearing/looks.”

Why use the present continuous görünüyor instead of görünür?

görünüyor = a current, temporary impression (today/at the moment).
görünür (aorist) = general tendency or timeless truth, or a more neutral, non-immediate “seems.” With bugün, the “right now” feel of -yor is the natural choice.

Could I just say Müdür bugün biraz mesafeli without görünüyor?

Yes. That states it as a fact: “The manager is a bit distant today.”
Using görünüyor softens it to an observation: “seems/looks a bit distant,” which is less assertive.

Can I add gibi: Müdür bugün biraz mesafeli gibi görünüyor?

Yes. gibi (“like/as if”) adds another layer of hedging.

Without gibi: “He seems a bit distant.”
With gibi: “He seems kind of like he’s a bit distant,” even more tentative.

What nuance does mesafeli have? Is it physical distance or emotional?

Usually emotional/behavioral: reserved, aloof, not very warm. It can be physical in other contexts, but here it’s social distance.
Built from mesafe (distance) + -li (“with”) → “with distance, reserved.”
Near-synonyms: soğuk (cold), resmi (formal), uzak (distant, also figurative).

What does biraz do here? Could I use alternatives?

biraz = “a bit / a little,” softening mesafeli. It goes before the adjective it modifies.
Alternatives: birazcık or azıcık (more colloquial/cuter); az is “little/few” and can sound more negative or insufficient.

How flexible is the word order?

Turkish is flexible; the verb typically comes last. Common, natural options:

Müdür bugün biraz mesafeli görünüyor. (neutral)
Bugün müdür biraz mesafeli görünüyor. (puts “today” up front)
Müdür biraz mesafeli görünüyor bugün. (afterthought emphasis on “today”) Meaning stays the same; word order tweaks focus/emphasis.

How do I make this a yes/no question or negate it?

Yes/no: Müdür bugün biraz mesafeli görünüyor mu?
Negative: Müdür bugün biraz mesafeli görünmüyor.
Negative question: Müdür bugün biraz mesafeli görünmüyor mu?

What’s the difference between görünmek and gözükmek?

They’re near-synonyms: both mean “to appear/seem/be visible.”

görünmek is a bit more standard/formal.
gözükmek is very common in everyday speech.
You can say: Müdür bugün biraz mesafeli gözüküyor as well.

How would I say “my manager” or address the manager politely?

“My manager”: Müdürüm bugün biraz mesafeli görünüyor.
Polite address/title: Müdür Bey (Mr. Manager), Müdür Hanım (Ms. Manager).
Note: müdürü can mean “his/her manager” or “the manager” as a direct object (e.g., Müdürü gördüm = “I saw the manager”).

Why is there no word for “the” before müdür?

Turkish has no articles like “the/a.” Definiteness comes from context. Müdür here is understood as “the manager” in the situation being discussed.

Are there any case endings in this sentence?

No.

Müdür is the subject (bare nominative).
bugün and biraz are adverbials.
mesafeli is a predicate adjective.
görünüyor is the verb.

Is bugün one word or two? Any spelling gotchas?

It’s one word: bugün. Keep Turkish diacritics: ö and ü in görünüyor, ü in müdür. Writing them without dots changes pronunciation and can cause confusion.

How do I pronounce the tricky vowels?

ü: like German “ü” or French “u” (front, rounded).
ö: like German “ö” or French “eu” in “peu.”
r is tapped/flapped.
In görünüyor, syllables are roughly: gö-rü-nü-yor.

Could I add -dir (the copular/evidential suffix), like mesafelidir?

Not here. -dir marks general truths, definitions, or adds a formal/evidential tone to nominal predicates. Since you already have the verb görünmek, adding -dir would be awkward and unnecessary.

How would I talk about past or reported impressions?

Past continuous: Müdür dün biraz mesafeli görünüyordu. (was seeming)
Reported/hearsay: Müdür bugün biraz mesafeli görünüyormuş. (apparently seems)
Simple past (came into view): Müdür birden mesafeli göründü. (suddenly appeared [to be] distant)