Learn Hardcore Turkish: Ben bazen sosyal medya kullanıyorum.

In Turkish the verb ending (-um in kullanıyorum) already shows the subject (I), so the pronoun is usually optional and added for emphasis, contrast, or clarity.

Where should bazen go in the sentence? Can I move it around?

Bazen is an adverb meaning sometimes, and adverbs are flexible in Turkish.

Most natural options:

Bazen sosyal medya kullanıyorum. – very common.
Ben bazen sosyal medya kullanıyorum. – also common, with an explicit I.

Less common, but possible:

Sosyal medya bazen kullanıyorum. – unusual; sounds a bit marked or awkward.
Sosyal medya kullanıyorum bazen. – can work in spoken language with a special intonation.

Default, neutral word order: put bazen near the beginning, typically after the subject or right at the start of the sentence.

Why is the verb in the -yor form (kullanıyorum) if the meaning is habitual (I sometimes do it), not right now?

In Turkish, the -yor form (present continuous) is used more broadly than English am/is/are -ing. It often covers:

Right now:
- Şu anda sosyal medya kullanıyorum. – I am using social media right now.
Current / regular habits (especially within a time frame like these days, this period of life):
- Bazen sosyal medya kullanıyorum. – I sometimes use social media (these days / in general).

There is also a separate “aorist” (general present) form:

Bazen sosyal medya kullanırım.

kullanırım usually sounds more like a stable, timeless habit or general rule.
kullanıyorum sounds like something true in your current life situation or this period, and is very natural in everyday speech for habits.

What is the difference between kullanıyorum and kullanırım here?

Both can translate as I (sometimes) use in English, but they differ in nuance:

Bazen sosyal medya kullanıyorum.
- Feels like: These days / nowadays I sometimes use social media.
- More colloquial, common in spoken Turkish for habits.
Bazen sosyal medya kullanırım.
- Feels more like a general rule about you, a characteristic habit.
- A bit more formal or “timeless”.

In many everyday contexts, Turkish speakers will prefer kullanıyorum for talking about their current habits.

How is kullanıyorum formed? What are the parts of the word?

kullanıyorum comes from the verb kullanmak (to use).

Breakdown:

kullan- – verb stem (to use)
-ıyor- – present continuous marker (with vowel harmony)
-um – 1st person singular ending (I)

So: kullan-ıyor-um → kullanıyorum.

The -ıyor part changes shape with vowel harmony in other verbs:

gel-iyor-um → geliyorum – I am coming
yaz-ıyor-um → yazıyorum – I am writing
bekle-iyor-um → bekliyorum – I am waiting

Why is there no word for “a” or “the” before sosyal medya?

Turkish doesn’t have separate words for “a/an” or “the”. There is no article like in English.

sosyal medya by itself can mean:

social media
the social media
some social media

Which translation you choose depends on the context in English, not on extra words in Turkish.

If sosyal medya is the object, why doesn’t it have -yı (accusative) like sosyal medyayı?

In Turkish, only definite/specific direct objects take the accusative ending.

Bazen sosyal medya kullanıyorum.
- No -yı, so it’s indefinite / non-specific:
  - I sometimes use social media (in general).
Bazen sosyal medyayı kullanıyorum.
- With -yı (accusative), it’s definite/specific:
  - I sometimes use the social media (that one / that specific platform we know about).

In most generic statements like this, Turkish prefers the bare noun without -yı.

Is the word order always subject – adverb – object – verb like here?

The default Turkish word order is Subject – (time/adverb) – Object – Verb, and this sentence fits that pattern:

Ben (subject)
bazen (adverb of frequency)
sosyal medya (object)
kullanıyorum (verb)

Common natural orders:

Bazen sosyal medya kullanıyorum.
Ben bazen sosyal medya kullanıyorum.

Changing the order is possible, but it changes emphasis or sounds odd:

Sosyal medya bazen kullanıyorum. – unusual; emphasizes sosyal medya in a strange way.
Ben sosyal medya bazen kullanıyorum. – sounds awkward.

For learners, stick to Subject – adverb – object – verb as a safe default.

Could I say something else instead of sosyal medya kullanıyorum to mean I’m on social media?

Yes, Turkish often uses other expressions, depending on nuance:

Bazen sosyal medyada vakit geçiriyorum.
- I sometimes spend time on social media.
Bazen sosyal medyaya bakıyorum.
- I sometimes check/look at social media.
Bazen sosyal medyada oluyorum. (colloquial)
- I’m sometimes on social media (online).

sosyal medya kullanıyorum is perfectly correct and understood, especially in more formal or general contexts (e.g. use, access, make use of social media).

How do I pronounce kullanıyorum and what’s stressed?

Approximate breakdown:

kul – like “cool” but with a shorter u
lan – like “lun” but with a as in “father”
ı – the Turkish ı is a sound that doesn’t exist in English; it’s like a very neutral, unstressed vowel (similar to the a in “sofa”, but produced further back in the mouth).
-yo – like “yo” in “yoga”
-rum – ru as in “rue”, m as usual

Stress: usually on the second-to-last syllable in this form: ku-LLA-nı-YO-rum (main stress on yo).

So: kul-la-nı-YO-rum.

Is sosyal medya singular or plural in Turkish? How would I refer to multiple social media platforms?

sosyal medya in Turkish is usually treated as a mass / collective noun, like “social media” in English.

Sosyal medya kullanıyorum. – I use social media (in general).

If you really want to emphasize different platforms, you’d usually be more specific:

Farklı sosyal medya platformları kullanıyorum. – I use different social media platforms.
Birçok sosyal medya hesabım var. – I have many social media accounts.

The literal plural sosyal medyalar is grammatically possible but rarely used in everyday speech.