Learn Hardcore Turkish: Bu yıl daha az şikâyet edip daha çok teşekkür etmeye karar verdim. - I decided to complain less and say “thank you” more this year.

Bu – this
yıl – year
daha az – less (literally: daha = more, az = little/few → “more little” = “less”)
şikâyet – complaint / complaining
edip – from etmek (to do), with the -ip linking suffix → “(by) doing / and doing”
daha çok – more (literally: daha = more, çok = much/many → “more much” = “more”)
teşekkür – thanks / gratitude
etmeye – from etmek (to do) + -me (verbal noun) + -ye (dative “to”) → “to (do) thanking”
karar – decision
verdim – I gave → together karar verdim = “I decided”

So structurally: This year, complaining less and (to) thank more, I decided.

Why do we say Bu yıl instead of something like şimdi yıl for “this year”?

Turkish uses demonstratives:

bu – this (near the speaker)
şu – that (a bit further, or in contrast)
o – that (far away / already known)

So bu yıl literally means this year.
You cannot use şimdi yıl (“now year”), because şimdi means now (an adverb of time), not this (a determiner). You can say şimdi on its own (now), and bu yıl (this year).

What exactly does daha do in daha az and daha çok?

Daha is a comparative adverb meaning more or -er (as in bigger, more than).

az = little / few
daha az = less (literally more little)
çok = much / many / a lot
daha çok = more (literally more much)

So:

daha az şikâyet = less complaining
daha çok teşekkür = more thanks / more thanking

The pattern daha + adjective/adverb is extremely common:

daha hızlı = faster
daha iyi = better
daha geç = later

Why is it şikâyet edip and not şikâyet etmek?

Şikâyet etmek is the full infinitive to complain.
Here we want to link this action to the next part (teşekkür etmeye karar verdim), so we use the -ip converb:

Verb stem: et-
Past participle-like linker: -ip
→ edip

-ip attaches to the verb and often means and, and then, or by doing:

yemeğimi yiyip dışarı çıktım – I ate my meal and (then) went out.
kitabı bitirip sana vereceğim – I’ll finish the book and (then) give it to you.

So şikâyet edip ≈ complaining (and)… or complain and….
It connects şikâyet etmek with the next action.

What is the function of -ip in edip exactly? Does it always mean “and”?

The suffix -ip creates a kind of linking verb form (a converb). Its main uses:

Sequential or joined actions
- yolumu bulup eve geldim – I found my way and came home.
- şikâyet edip… – complain and…
Manner / “by doing” sense
- gülüp geçmek – to laugh it off (to get over something by laughing).

It doesn’t always translate neatly as and, but most of the time you can think of it as “do X and (then) Y”.

In the sentence:

daha az şikâyet edip daha çok teşekkür etmeye karar verdim
The -ip links complaining less with deciding to thank more.

Shouldn’t it be şikâyet etmeye as well, for symmetry? Why only teşekkür etmeye?

A fully symmetrical version would be:

Bu yıl daha az şikâyet etmeye ve daha çok teşekkür etmeye karar verdim.

This is perfectly grammatical and clear:
“I decided to complain less and to thank more this year.”

In the original sentence:

daha az şikâyet edip
daha çok teşekkür etmeye karar verdim

we have:

first verb: şikâyet edip → linked action via -ip
second verb: teşekkür etmeye → the one directly governed by karar verdim

Semantically, in everyday speech, people still understand it as “to complain less and to thank more,” but grammatically only teşekkür etmeye is explicitly in the “decide to …” structure. Şikâyet edip is more like complaining less and (at the same time) deciding to thank more.

Both versions are natural; the fully symmetrical one is a bit more formal/explicit.

Why is it teşekkür etmeye and not teşekkür etmek or teşekkür etmeyi?

We use a verbal noun form (like -ing or to do in English) plus a case ending.
There are three common patterns:

-mek / -mak – basic infinitive: teşekkür etmek – to thank
-meyi (accusative) – object of verbs like want, like:
- teşekkür etmeyi unuttum – I forgot to thank.
-meye (dative) – object of verbs like decide, start, try:
- teşekkür etmeye karar verdim – I decided to thank.
- teşekkür etmeye başladım – I started thanking.
- teşekkür etmeye çalışıyorum – I’m trying to thank.

The verb karar vermek (to decide) normally takes the -meye / -maya form:

gitmeye karar verdim – I decided to go.
çalışmaya karar verdim – I decided to study.

So teşekkür etmeye karar verdim is the expected form.

What exactly is karar verdim? Why does it literally mean “I gave a decision”?

Turkish often forms verbs by combining a noun with a light verb like etmek, olmak, or vermek.

karar – decision
vermek – to give

Together, karar vermek is an idiomatic way to say to decide. Literally: to give a decision, but functionally it’s just decide.

The ending:

ver- – verb stem
-di – simple past
-m – 1st person singular “I”

So verd + i + m → verdim = I gave → karar verdim = I decided.

You could say:

Bu yıl daha çok okumaya karar verdim. – I decided to read more this year.
Sigara içmeyi bırakmaya karar verdim. – I decided to quit smoking.

Can I use karar aldım instead of karar verdim?

You will see both karar verdim and karar aldım, but they have slightly different common uses:

karar vermek – very common for personal decisions.
- Yeni bir dil öğrenmeye karar verdim. – I decided to learn a new language.
karar almak – very common in formal / institutional contexts.
- Yönetim yeni bir karar aldı. – The management took a new decision.

If you say Bu yıl daha az şikâyet edip daha çok teşekkür etmeye karar aldım, people will understand, but karar verdim sounds more natural and idiomatic for a personal resolution.

Why is there a circumflex (ˆ) on şikâyet? Does it change meaning or pronunciation?

The circumflex (â) in şikâyet marks either:

A lengthened vowel
Or a palatalized consonant (hard/soft difference)

In modern everyday Turkish, many speakers don’t strongly distinguish these sounds, but traditionally:

şikâyet is pronounced with a slightly longer â.

The circumflex does not change the basic meaning; it’s more about correct spelling and traditional pronunciation.
You’ll see it in words like:

kâğıt – paper
hâlâ – still / yet
kâr – profit

In informal writing, some people omit it (sikayet), but standard Turkish keeps şikâyet.

Why is there no personal ending on etmeye? How do we know it’s “I” who will thank more?

Etmeye is not a finite verb; it’s a verbal noun:

et- – do
-me – (verbal noun: doing / to do)
-ye (from -e) – dative case “to”

So etmeye ≈ to do / to be doing (here: to thank). Verbal nouns in Turkish do not take personal endings.

The personal ending is on verdim:

verdim – I gave → I decided

So the structure is:

[Bu yıl] [daha çok teşekkür etmeye] [karar verdim].
This year / to thank more / I decided.

The subject “I” (from -m) controls the action in etmeye through karar verdim: it’s I who is going to thank more.

Could I say Bu yıl daha az şikâyet edeceğim ve daha çok teşekkür edeceğim instead? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can. That sentence is:

Bu yıl daha az şikâyet edeceğim ve daha çok teşekkür edeceğim.
= I will complain less and thank more this year.

Differences:

Form
- Original: uses “I decided to …” (decision in the past: karar verdim).
- Alternative: simple future tense (-ecek/-acak) with no explicit mention of “decide”.
Focus / nuance
- karar verdim highlights the act of deciding (a resolution, a promise to oneself).
- edeceğim just states what will happen in the future, more like a plan or prediction.

Both are fine; the original sentence feels more like a New Year’s resolution style statement.

Why is the word order daha az şikâyet edip daha çok teşekkür etmeye and not something like şikâyet daha az edip teşekkür daha çok etmeye?

Turkish prefers the pattern:

[degree] + [adjective/adverb/noun] + [verb]

So:

daha az şikâyet etmek – to complain less
daha çok teşekkür etmek – to thank more

Putting daha az or daha çok directly before the thing being modified sounds natural:

daha az şikâyet – less complaining
daha çok teşekkür – more thanks

If you said şikâyet daha az etmek or teşekkür daha çok etmek, it would sound clumsy or unnatural. The language tends to keep daha + az/çok immediately before the noun or adjective/adverb whose quantity or degree it modifies.