Learn Hardcore Turkish: Arabayla giderken otopark bulmak bazen çok zor oluyor. - When going by car, finding parking is sometimes very hard.

Both araba ile and arabayla are correct. Arabayla is more common and sounds more natural in speech. There is no meaning difference; it’s just a contracted form.

What does giderken mean exactly, and what is the function of the suffix -ken?

Giderken roughly means “while going” / “when (someone) goes”.

Breakdown:

gitmek = to go
gider- = aorist stem (“go/usually go”)
-ken = while / when (during)

So giderken = “while (someone) is going / on the way / when (someone) goes”.

The suffix -ken attaches to certain verb forms to form a time clause that describes an action happening at the same time as the main verb:

Yemek yerken film izliyorum. = I watch a movie while eating.
Ders çalışırken müzik dinlemem. = I don’t listen to music while studying.

In your sentence, arabayla giderken = “while going by car / when we’re driving (somewhere)”.

Who is the subject of giderken? Does it mean “when I go”, “when we go”, etc.?

The subject is understood from context and is usually the same as the subject of the main clause.

There is no explicit ben (I), biz (we), etc., but in context it typically means:

“When I go by car”, or
“When we go by car”, or
A generic “you/one/we”: “When you/one goes by car, …”

Turkish often leaves the subject implicit when it’s clear. If you want to be explicit, you could say:

Ben arabayla giderken otopark bulmak bazen çok zor oluyor.
When I go by car, finding parking is sometimes very hard.

But omitting ben is more natural unless you need contrast or emphasis.

Why is otopark bulmak in the infinitive form? What is its role in the sentence?

Otopark bulmak is the infinitive (verbal noun) meaning “to find parking / finding parking”.

bulmak = to find
otopark bulmak = to find (a) parking lot / finding parking

In the sentence, otopark bulmak functions as the subject of the verb oluyor:

Otopark bulmak (subject) bazen çok zor oluyor (predicate).
→ Finding parking is sometimes very difficult.

This is similar to English “To find parking is difficult” or “Finding parking is difficult.”

Turkish often uses -mak / -mek infinitives as verbal nouns to act like subjects or objects:

Erken kalkmak zor. = Getting up early is hard.
Türkçe öğrenmek zaman alıyor. = Learning Turkish takes time.

Why is otopark bare? Why not bir otopark bulmak or otoparkı bulmak?

Turkish doesn’t have articles like a/the, so it uses other ways to show definiteness.

Here, otopark is an indefinite object (“parking” in general), so it appears with no marker:

otopark bulmak = to find parking / to find a parking lot (in general)

Alternatives:

bir otopark bulmak
Literally “to find a parking lot.” This can add a bit of emphasis on “at least one”, but in many contexts it’s very close in meaning.
otoparkı bulmak
This is definite: “to find the parking lot” (a specific one, already known in the context).

In your sentence, we’re talking about finding parking in general, so the bare otopark bulmak is the natural choice.

What is the function of oluyor? Why do we need olmak here instead of just saying bazen çok zor?

Oluyor is the verb olmak (to be / to become) in the present continuous tense and provides the tense and aspect for the sentence:

olmak = to be / to become
oluyor = is (sometimes becomes) / is happening / ends up being

In Turkish, when the predicate is an adjective or noun and you want to show a specific tense, you usually use olmak:

zor = difficult
zor oluyor = is difficult / is (becoming) difficult

If you just say:

Otopark bulmak bazen çok zor.

This is also correct and very common. It sounds a bit more like a neutral statement of fact (“Finding parking is sometimes very hard”).

Using oluyor makes it feel more like a repeated, experienced situation over time:

…bazen çok zor oluyor.
→ It (often/regularly) ends up being very hard.

So oluyor adds a feeling of “this happens (to me/us) from time to time in real life.”

Why is the tense oluyor (present continuous) instead of olur? What’s the difference between zor oluyor and zor olur?

Both are grammatically correct, but they have different nuances.

zor oluyor (present continuous)
- Sounds more colloquial and immediate.
- Often describes situations we actually experience repeatedly:
  - Arabayla giderken otopark bulmak bazen çok zor oluyor.
    → When going by car, finding parking is sometimes really hard (as we know from experience).
zor olur (aorist)
- More general, timeless statement, sometimes more formal.
- Can sound like a rule or prediction:
  - Büyük şehirlerde otopark bulmak zor olur.
    → In big cities, it is (generally) hard to find parking.

In everyday speech about personal or frequent experiences, oluyor is more typical.

Can the word order be changed? For example, can I say Bazen otopark bulmak arabayla giderken çok zor oluyor?

Yes, Turkish word order is flexible, and your alternative is grammatically possible, but it sounds a bit less natural.

The original:

Arabayla giderken otopark bulmak bazen çok zor oluyor.

This flows very naturally:

time/manner clause first (arabayla giderken),
then subject (otopark bulmak),
then adverb + predicate (bazen çok zor oluyor).

You can move bazen earlier:

Bazen arabayla giderken otopark bulmak çok zor oluyor.
(Also very natural.)

Your version:

Bazen otopark bulmak arabayla giderken çok zor oluyor.

is understandable, but placing arabayla giderken right before the verb makes it sound a bit heavier and less smooth. Turkish usually likes subordinate clauses (like arabayla giderken) closer to the beginning.

So: yes, word order is flexible, but the original is the most natural choice here.

Could we say arabayla giderken using a different verb like sürerken instead of giderken? What’s the nuance?

You could say:

Arabayı sürerken otopark bulmak bazen çok zor oluyor.

Here, sürmek means to drive (a vehicle).

Differences:

arabayla giderken
Literally: “while going by car”
Focus is on travelling by car in general, not specifically on the act of driving. It could include being a passenger, too.
arabayı sürerken
Literally: “while driving the car”
Focus is specifically on you as the driver.

In everyday usage:

Arabayla giderken otopark bulmak…
→ Natural, broad, can include driver and passengers.
Arabayı sürerken otopark bulmak…
→ Specifically about your experience when you are the one driving.

Both are correct; they just highlight different aspects.

Who or what is the subject of oluyor in this sentence?

The subject of oluyor is the whole infinitive phrase otopark bulmak.

Structure:

Arabayla giderken = time/manner clause (“while going by car”)
otopark bulmak = finding parking (subject)
bazen çok zor oluyor = is sometimes very difficult (predicate)

So logically:

Finding parking (when going by car) is sometimes very difficult.

Turkish allows a whole verb phrase in the infinitive (with -mak / -mek) to act as a single subject, just like English “finding parking” or “to find parking.”