Hava yağmurlu olsa bile kısa bir yürüyüş yapmak istiyorum.

Breakdown of Hava yağmurlu olsa bile kısa bir yürüyüş yapmak istiyorum.

olmak
to be
bir
a
istemek
to want
hava
the weather
kısa
short
yağmurlu
rainy
yürüyüş yapmak
to take a walk
olsa bile
even if
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Questions & Answers about Hava yağmurlu olsa bile kısa bir yürüyüş yapmak istiyorum.

What does hava mean here? I thought it meant air, not weather.

In Turkish, hava covers both meanings:

  • hava = air (the substance we breathe)
  • hava = weather / the state of the air outside

So:

  • Hava çok soğuk. = The weather is very cold.
  • Temiz hava almak istiyorum. = I want to get some fresh air.

In this sentence, Hava yağmurlu olsa bile…, hava clearly means the weather.

Why is there no word for is in Hava yağmurlu?

Turkish often forms sentences without a separate “to be” verb in the present tense when the predicate is a noun or adjective. You just put:

subject + adjective/noun

So:

  • Hava yağmurlu. = The weather is rainy.
  • Ben yorgunum. = I am tired.
  • Bu kitap ilginç. = This book is interesting.

There is no separate word for is; it’s understood from the structure (and sometimes from suffixes).

What exactly is yağmurlu and how is it formed?

yağmurlu is an adjective meaning rainy.

It’s formed like this:

  • yağmur = rain (noun)
  • -lu / -lü / -lı / -li = suffix meaning with, having, full of

So yağmurlu literally means “with rain / having rain”rainy.

More examples with -lı / -li / -lu / -lü:

  • tuz (salt) → tuzlu (salty)
  • şeker (sugar) → şekerli (with sugar)
  • ses (sound) → sesli (with sound, voiced)
  • süt (milk) → sütlü (milky / with milk)
What is the difference between Hava yağmurlu and Yağmur yağıyor?

Both can describe similar situations, but they focus on slightly different things:

  • Hava yağmurlu.
    Literally: The weather is rainy.
    Emphasis: the general state of the weather (rainy conditions).

  • Yağmur yağıyor.
    Literally: Rain is falling.
    Emphasis: the action of rain actually falling right now.

In your sentence, Hava yağmurlu olsa bile… suggests even if the weather is (generally) rainy, not necessarily describing the moment-by-moment action of rain.

What does olsa mean here, and what tense or mood is it?

olsa comes from olmak (to be, to become) plus the conditional suffix:

  • ol- = be / become
  • -sa / -se = if (conditional marker)

So olsa literally means “if it is / if it were”.

It’s the 3rd person singular conditional form of olmak:

  • olsam = if I am / were
  • olsan = if you are / were
  • olsa = if he/she/it is / were
  • olsak = if we are / were
  • olsanız = if you (pl.) are / were
  • olsalar = if they are / were

In Hava yağmurlu olsa bile, olsa is part of the clause “even if the weather is rainy”.

Why do we say olsa bile? Isn’t bile alone already “even”?

bile by itself means even (in the sense of “even X”, “even he”, etc.):

  • O bile geldi. = Even he came.
  • Bunu çocuklar bile biliyor. = Even children know this.

To express “even if / although / though” with a verb, Turkish usually combines:

  • [verb] + -sa/-se + bile

So:

  • Hava yağmurlu olsa bile… = Even if the weather is rainy…
  • Geç olsa bile geleceğim. = Even if it’s late, I’ll come.
  • Zor olsa bile denemeliyiz. = Even if it’s hard, we should try.

You wouldn’t say “hava yağmurlu bile olsa” here; the natural fixed pattern is olsa bile.

Could you replace olsa bile with olsa da? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can say:

  • Hava yağmurlu olsa da kısa bir yürüyüş yapmak istiyorum.

olsa bile and olsa da are very close in meaning and both can translate as “even if / although”.

Nuance:

  • olsa bile is a bit stronger and more emphatic: even if.
  • olsa da is slightly softer, closer to although / though.

In many everyday contexts, they’re interchangeable, and the difference is mostly about emphasis.

Where is the “it” in “even if it is rainy”? I don’t see a word for it.

Turkish usually doesn’t use a separate word for “it” as a subject, especially when the subject is already named.

In Hava yağmurlu olsa bile:

  • Hava = the weather (subject)
  • yağmurlu = rainy (predicate adjective)
  • olsa = if it is

There is no extra word for it; instead:

  • hava itself functions as the subject.
  • olsa is implicitly “if (it) is”, and “it” refers back to hava.

So the idea of “it” is understood from context, not from a separate pronoun.

What does kısa bir yürüyüş literally mean, and why is bir there?

Literally:

  • kısa = short
  • bir = a / one (the basic indefinite article/number)
  • yürüyüş = a walk (noun)

So kısa bir yürüyüş = a short walk.

About bir:

  • With bir: kısa bir yürüyüş = a short walk (indefinite, like English “a”).
  • Without bir: kısa yürüyüş is possible but sounds more like a general description (“short walking” / “short walks”), and is much less natural in this particular sentence.

In practice, for “a short walk”, Turkish almost always uses kısa bir yürüyüş.

Why is it yürüyüş yapmak and not just yürümek?

Both exist, but they’re not always interchangeable:

  • yürümek = to walk (verb)
  • yürüyüş yapmak = to take a walk / to go for a walk (literally: “to do a walk”)

Nuance:

  • Bir yere yürümek focuses on the means of getting somewhere by walking.
    • Okula yürüyorum. = I’m walking to school.
  • Yürüyüş yapmak focuses on walking as an activity, usually for exercise or pleasure.
    • Kısa bir yürüyüş yapmak istiyorum. = I want to go for a short walk.

In your sentence, “a short walk” as an activity is wanted, so yürüyüş yapmak is the natural choice.

Why is yapmak in the infinitive form here before istiyorum?

The pattern [verb in infinitive] + istemek is how Turkish says “to want to do X”:

  • yapmak istiyorum = I want to do (it).
  • gitmek istiyorum = I want to go.
  • konuşmak istiyorum = I want to speak.

Grammar:

  • yapmak is the infinitive (“to do”).
  • istiyorum = I want (present continuous form of istemek).

So:

  • kısa bir yürüyüş yapmak istiyorum
    = literally: I want to do a short walk.
    = naturally: I want to take a short walk.
What tense is istiyorum, and why is that tense used to talk about a wish?

istiyorum is the present continuous form of istemek:

  • iste- (root) + -yor (present continuous) + -um (1st person singular)
    istiyorum = I am wanting / I want

In Turkish, the -yor form often covers:

  • Current states: Seni seviyorum. = I love you.
  • Ongoing actions: Yemek yiyorum. = I’m eating food.
  • Near-future intentions or plans: Yarın geliyorum. = I’m coming tomorrow.

So istiyorum is the normal, everyday way to say “I want…” in the present.

Can I change the word order, like Kısa bir yürüyüş yapmak istiyorum, hava yağmurlu olsa bile?

Yes, that word order is possible:

  • Kısa bir yürüyüş yapmak istiyorum, hava yağmurlu olsa bile.

Differences:

  • Hava yağmurlu olsa bile kısa bir yürüyüş yapmak istiyorum.
    Starts with the condition; emphasis on “even if the weather is rainy”.

  • Kısa bir yürüyüş yapmak istiyorum, hava yağmurlu olsa bile.
    Starts with what you want; emphasis on “I want to take a short walk”, and the rainy weather is added afterwards as a concession.

Both are grammatical and natural; Turkish allows relatively flexible clause order, with the most important or contrastive part often placed earlier.