Learn Hardcore Turkish: Bu kestirme yağmurda çamurlanıyor, yine de hızlı. - This shortcut gets muddy in the rain, yet it is fast.

Here kestirme is a noun meaning a shortcut (a shorter route). It can also be an adjective meaning shortcut/abridged (e.g., kestirme yol, kestirme cevap), but in this sentence it stands on its own and implicitly means kestirme yol.

Why can you say Bu kestirme without adding yol?

Turkish often drops a head noun when the meaning is obvious. With routes, kestirme is commonly used on its own to mean the shortcut path. So Bu kestirme ≈ Bu kestirme yol.

Is kestirmek (to guess / to cut) related to kestirme?

Yes, they share the same root. Kes- is to cut. Kestirmek can mean to have something cut, to trim (hair), or to estimate/guess. Kestirme is a derived noun/adjective meaning a shortcut or abridged way. In everyday speech, kestirme does not mean guess; it’s the shortcut sense you want.

What does yağmurda express exactly? Is it time or place?

It’s the locative case (-DA) on yağmur and here it expresses a time/condition: in/when it’s raining, in rainy conditions. Alternatives:

Yağmur yağınca = when it rains
Yağmurlu havada = in rainy weather All are natural; yağmurda is concise and colloquial.

How is çamurlanıyor formed, and what nuance does it have?

çamur (mud) + -lan- (become/get X) + -ıyor (present continuous) → çamurlanıyor = it gets muddy / becomes muddy. The verb is intransitive and focuses on the state change, not on an agent causing it.

Why present continuous (çamurlanıyor) instead of the aorist (çamurlanır)?

Both work, but the nuance differs:

çamurlanıyor can describe a repeated tendency in a vivid, real-time way (especially with a condition like yağmurda).
çamurlanır states a general truth/habit as a neutral fact.
Either is acceptable; continuous is very common in speech for habituals tied to conditions.

What’s the difference between çamurlanıyor and çamurlu oluyor or just çamurlu?

çamurlanıyor = it becomes/gets muddy (change of state).
çamurlu oluyor = it ends up being muddy; feels less direct and a bit heavier stylistically.
çamurlu = muddy (adjective), a static description.
For tendency under rain, çamurlanıyor is the most natural.

What does the suffix -lan mean here?

-lan/-len often makes an intransitive verb meaning “become X” or “get X-ed” from a noun/adjective: temiz → temizlen- (get cleaned), çamur → çamurlan- (get muddy).

Could we use çamurlamak instead?

Çamurlamak is transitive: to make something muddy (agent-caused). Kestirme is becoming muddy on its own due to rain, so çamurlanmak is the right choice.

Why is there a comma before yine de?

Yine de (still, nevertheless) is a sentence connector. A comma is often used to mark the contrast and a slight pause. It’s stylistic but very common.

How is yine de different from ama?

ama = but/however; introduces a contrast in the next clause.
yine de = even so/still; concedes the first clause and asserts that the second holds despite it.
Both could work, but yine de emphasizes “despite that, still…”.

Is yine de one word or two? How do you pronounce it?

It’s two words: yine de. Pronounced roughly [yee-neh deh]. Writing yinede is incorrect.

Is hızlı used correctly here, or should it be hızlıca or çabuk?

Here hızlı is a predicate adjective: the shortcut is fast (to take).

hızlı = fast (adjective; also used adverbially: hızlı gitmek).
hızlıca = quickly (more adverb-like).
çabuk = quick/quickly, often about speed of completion.
With a route as the subject, hızlı is natural.

Why not hızlıdır?

In 3rd person present, Turkish often drops a copular ending. Bu kestirme … hızlı is the neutral, everyday form. hızlıdır sounds more formal, emphatic, or generic-truth-like.

Can I change the word order? For example, Yağmurda bu kestirme çamurlanıyor, yine de hızlı?

Yes, Turkish word order is flexible. Moving yağmurda forward emphasizes the condition. Keeping bu kestirme first emphasizes the subject. The comma plus yine de keeps the contrast clear either way.

Could I say yağmur yağınca instead of yağmurda?

Yes:

Yağmurda = in the rain/when it’s rainy (compact, colloquial).
Yağmur yağınca = when it rains (more explicit timing). Both sound natural.

Is Bu the best demonstrative here? What about Şu or O?

Bu = this (near the speaker; or current focus).
Şu = that (near the listener or in shared view; often pointing).
O = that (far/not present).
All three can work depending on physical distance and discourse context.

How does the locative -DA in yağmurda work phonologically?

The suffix is -da/-de/-ta/-te per vowel harmony and consonant voicing. yağmur ends with a voiced consonant and has a back vowel, so -da is chosen: yağmurda.

Any pronunciation tips for yağmurda?

The ğ lengthens the preceding vowel; it’s not a hard g. So yağmurda is roughly [yaamurda], with a smooth, lengthened a in yağ.