When talking about high-stakes choices or heroic acts, Turkish uses specific structures to express acting "at the cost of" a sacrifice or prioritizing an overriding goal.
At the Cost of: Pahasına
To express that an action happens despite a severe risk, use pahasına.
When the cost is an action, place pahasına immediately after the infinitive verb (-mAk).
| They defended the homeland at the cost of dying. | Vatanı ölmek pahasına savundular. |
| We risked captivity at the cost of losing the victory. | Zaferi kaybetmek pahasına esareti göze aldık. |
You can also use pahasına directly after a noun. Often, the noun takes a possessive suffix to specify whose life, honor, or job is on the line.
| The deadly resistance was continuing at the cost of their lives. | Ölümcül direniş, canları pahasına devam ediyordu. |
| The traitor was defying the king at the cost of his honor. | Hain, onuru pahasına krala meydan okuyordu. |
Provided That: Yeter ki
When you are willing to endure any cost for a single overriding goal, state your condition using yeter ki (provided that, as long as).
The verb representing the desired outcome following yeter ki takes the conditional suffix (-sA).
| We will risk death, provided that the homeland survives. | Yeter ki vatan yaşasa, ölümü göze alırız. |
| None of them will give up, provided that they keep their honor. | Hiçbiri pes etmez, yeter ki onurlarını korusalar. |
The Vocabulary of Risk
Because these grammar points deal with sacrifices and strict conditions, you will frequently see them paired with the idiom göze almak (to risk). You can also combine pahasına and yeter ki in the same sentence to describe the ultimate sacrifice, or contrast them with yine de (yet, still) to highlight bravery.
| We would leave at the cost of losing, as long as we were independent. | Kaybetmek pahasına ayrılırdık, yeter ki bağımsız olsak. |
| The traitor was afraid, yet he fought at the cost of dying. | Hain korkuyordu, yine de ölmek pahasına savaştı. |