Learn Hardcore Turkish: Önyargı bazen iletişimi zorlaştırır. - Prejudice sometimes makes communication harder.

ön = before
yargı = judgment/decision Together: a “pre-judgment.” It’s written as one word: önyargı. Related adjective: önyargılı (prejudiced).

How do I pronounce the special Turkish letters here (ö, ı, ş)?

ö: a front rounded vowel, like German ö or French eu (as in “peur”).
ı (dotless i): a close back unrounded vowel; think a relaxed “uh” but tighter. Not like English i.
ş: “sh.” Roughly: Önyargı [oen-yar-guh], iletişimi [i-le-ti-shi-mi], zorlaştırır [zor-lash-tuh-rur]. (R is tapped; vowels are pure.)

Why is iletişim marked as iletişimi with -i? Could I leave that off?

İletişimi is the direct object in the sentence and takes the accusative ending -(y)I. With verbs like zorlaştırmak (to make difficult), the thing being affected is normally marked accusative. Leaving it off would sound ungrammatical or at best very odd here. So prefer iletişimi, not bare iletişim, in this structure.

What tense/aspect is zorlaştırır? How is it different from zorlaştırıyor?

Zorlaştırır is the aorist (simple present/habitual). It states general truths or tendencies: “X (tends to) makes Y difficult.” Zorlaştırıyor is present continuous: it describes something happening now or around now. Use it for ongoing, specific situations.

How is the verb zorlaştırır built from zor?

zor = difficult (adjective)
zor
- -laş- → zorlaş- “to become difficult” (intransitive)
zorlaş-
- -tır- → zorlaştır- “to make (something) become difficult” (causative, transitive)
zorlaştır-
- -ır (aorist 3sg, harmonized) → zorlaştırır “(it) makes difficult” (habitually)

Could iletişim be the subject instead? What about İletişim bazen zorlaşır?

Yes. İletişim bazen zorlaşır means “Communication sometimes gets harder.” That uses the intransitive zorlaşmak (become difficult). Your original sentence keeps önyargı as the cause and iletişimi as the affected object with the transitive zorlaştırmak (make difficult).

Where can I put bazen? Does moving it change the meaning?

Bazen is an adverb and is flexible:

Bazen önyargı iletişimi zorlaştırır. (neutral)
Önyargı bazen iletişimi zorlaştırır. (neutral)
Önyargı iletişimi bazen zorlaştırır. (slight focus on the timing) All are fine. The core meaning stays the same; word order mainly affects emphasis.

Should önyargı be plural in a general statement? What about Önyargılar…?

Turkish often uses singular nouns for general truths: Önyargı … zorlaştırır. Plural Önyargılar … is also possible and emphasizes “various prejudices” or “prejudices in general.” Both are grammatical; singular feels a bit more proverbial.

Are there good synonyms for zorlaştırmak?

Yes:

güçleştirmek = to make difficult (slightly more formal)
engellemek = to hinder/impede
zor hâle getirmek / daha zor hâle getirmek = to make (more) difficult
Antonym: kolaylaştırmak = to make easier

Can I say iletişim kurmayı zorlaştırır instead of iletişimi zorlaştırır?

Yes. İletişim kurmayı zorlaştırır uses the verbal noun kurmak (“to establish”) → kurma + -(y)I, meaning “makes establishing communication difficult.” It’s a bit more explicit about the act of initiating communication; the meaning is very close.

What vowel harmony rules are at play in iletişimi and zorlaştırır?

iletişim + -(y)I → iletişimi: last vowel of the stem is front unrounded i, so the 4-way accusative picks -i.
zorlaştır- + -Ir → zorlaştırır: last vowel before the tense suffix is ı, so the aorist picks -ır. Turkish suffix vowels harmonize with the final vowel of the stem.

When do I need the buffer consonant y with the accusative?

Use buffer y if the noun ends in a vowel:

araba → arabayı
oda → odayı No buffer if it ends in a consonant:
iletişim → iletişimi
kitap → kitabı

Is bazen related to bazı? They look similar.

They’re different:

bazen = sometimes (adverb)
bazı = some (determiner, used before plural nouns): bazı insanlar = some people You can’t swap them.