Learn Hardcore Turkish: Üyelik ücretsiz olsa da bazı atölyeler ücretli. - Even though the membership is free, some workshops are paid.

It creates a concessive clause, meaning “although/even though.” So bold Üyelik ücretsiz olsa da bold means “although membership is free,” and it sets up a contrast with the main clause bold bazı atölyeler ücretli bold (“some workshops are paid”). It’s more integrated and concessive than using a simple coordinating “but.”

How is bold olsa da bold formed, and can I use it with other verbs?

bold olsa bold = conditional mood of bold olmak bold (“to be”) in 3rd person singular: bold ol- + -sa bold → bold olsa bold.
bold da/de bold here is a clitic/conjunction used in the pattern bold -sa da bold to mean “although/even if.” You can attach it to any verb: bold gelse de bold (“although he comes”), bold yapsak da bold (“although we do it”).

Why do we need bold olmak bold (bold olsa bold) here? Could I say bold Üyelik ücretsiz da bold?

No. In Turkish, when you subordinate an adjective/noun predicate (like bold ücretsiz bold “free”), you typically bring in bold olmak bold to carry tense/mood suffixes. The concessive needs something to host bold -sa bold, so you say bold ücretsiz olsa bold, not just bold ücretsiz bold.

Is the bold da bold here the same as the locative suffix bold -da/-de bold (“in/at”)?

No. Two different things:

Locative suffix: bold -DA bold (allomorphs bold -da/-de/-ta/-te bold), written attached to the noun (bold evde bold “at home”).
Clitic/conjunction: bold da/de bold (“also/too,” and in bold -sa da bold, “although”), written separately. It never becomes bold ta/te bold.

Why is it bold da bold and not bold de bold in bold olsa da bold?

The clitic bold da/de bold follows vowel harmony: after a back vowel it’s bold da bold, after a front vowel it’s bold de bold. Since bold olsa bold ends with the back vowel bold a bold, you use bold da bold.

Can I use bold bile bold instead of bold da bold (bold olsa bile bold)?

Yes. bold olsa bile bold also means “even though/even if,” with a slightly stronger “even” emphasis. Both are natural:

bold Üyelik ücretsiz olsa da… bold = although membership is free…
bold Üyelik ücretsiz olsa bile… bold = even if/even though membership is free…

What about using bold rağmen bold? How would that look?

You can use the postposition bold rağmen bold with a nominalized clause:

bold Üyeliğin ücretsiz olmasına rağmen bazı atölyeler ücretli. bold Form: bold olmak bold → bold olma- bold + bold -(s)I bold (possessive) + bold -nA bold + bold rağmen bold. This is a bit more formal than bold olsa da bold.

Why is there no explicit “to be” in bold bazı atölyeler ücretli bold?

Turkish nominal (verbless) sentences in the present often omit the copula. The meaning is “some workshops are paid.” You can optionally add the copular suffix bold -dir bold for formality or generalization: bold bazı atölyeler ücretlidir bold.

When should I add bold -dir bold (bold -dır/-dir/-dur/-dür bold)?

Use it to sound more formal, to state general facts, or to avoid ambiguity. Here, bold Üyelik ücretsizdir, ama bazı atölyeler ücretlidir bold would read like an official announcement. In everyday speech, it’s commonly dropped.

Why is it bold bazı atölyeler bold (plural) and not bold bazı atölye bold?

bold bazı bold (“some”) normally takes a plural noun: bold bazı kitaplar bold, bold bazı insanlar bold, bold bazı atölyeler bold. You’ll sometimes see singular after bold bazı bold in set phrases (e.g., bold bazı şey bold), but the safe, standard pattern is plural.

How is bold bazı atölyeler bold different from bold atölyelerin bazıları bold?

bold bazı atölyeler bold = “some workshops” (unspecified set, indefinite).
bold atölyelerin bazıları bold = “some of the workshops” (from a specific, known set). Use this when you’ve already introduced which workshops you’re talking about.

Do I need a comma: bold Üyelik ücretsiz olsa da, bazı atölyeler ücretli bold?

It’s optional. With short concessive clauses, no comma is very common. Add a comma if the first clause is long or you want a slight pause for readability.

Can I flip the order of the clauses?

Yes. Both are fine and natural:

bold Üyelik ücretsiz olsa da bazı atölyeler ücretli. bold
bold Bazı atölyeler ücretli olsa da üyelik ücretsiz. bold Putting a clause first tends to background it and highlight the second clause.

Could I just use “but”: bold Üyelik ücretsiz, ama bazı atölyeler ücretli bold?

Absolutely. bold ama/fakat/ancak bold all work. bold olsa da bold is slightly more concessive/nuanced; bold ama bold is a straightforward coordinator.

What do bold üyelik, ücretsiz, ücretli bold literally mean morphologically?

bold üyelik bold = bold üye bold (member) + bold -lik bold (noun-forming: “-ship/hood”) → “membership.”
bold ücretsiz bold = bold ücret bold (fee) + bold -siz/-suz/-sız/-süz bold (“without”) → “free (of charge).”
bold ücretli bold = bold ücret bold (fee) + bold -li/-lı/-lu/-lü bold (“with/having”) → “paid/fee-based.”

Why is it bold atölyeler bold and not bold atölyelar bold?

Vowel harmony. The last vowel of bold atölye bold is front (bold e/ö bold), so the plural suffix uses the front form bold -ler bold → bold atölyeler bold. With a back vowel you’d have bold -lar bold.

Why is it bold olsa bold and not bold olse bold?

The conditional suffix has two forms: bold -sa/-se bold. After back vowels (bold a/ı/o/u bold) it’s bold -sa bold; after front vowels (bold e/i/ö/ü bold) it’s bold -se bold. bold ol- bold has a back vowel bold o bold → bold olsa bold.

Any pronunciation tips for the tricky bits?

bold ü bold = front rounded vowel (like German “ü” in “für”).
bold ö bold = front rounded vowel (like German “ö” in “schön”).
bold c bold = “j” in “jam” (so bold ücret bold sounds like “OO-jet,” with Turkish vowels).
bold ç bold (not in this sentence) = “ch” in “church.”
bold atölye bold ≈ “a-TÖL-ye,” stress usually on the penultimate syllable.
bold ücretli bold ≈ “Ü-jet-li,” with a crisp final “-li.”