When dealing with extreme incompetence or situations that escalate from bad to worse, you sometimes need to express that someone fails to meet even the bare minimum. To say "let alone doing X, they don't even do Y," Turkish uses a specific grammatical formula.
Let Alone X, Not Even Y
To build this structure, start the first clause with değil followed by a verb in its infinitive form (-mAk). This establishes the "high bar" action that obviously isn't happening. In the second clause, state the basic expectation they failed to meet, emphasizing it with bile ("even").
| This incompetent secretary doesn't even know how to use a keyboard, let alone write a report. | Bu beceriksiz sekreter, değil rapor yazmak, klavye kullanmayı bile bilmiyor. |
| He works sloppily; he doesn't even get a printout, let alone prepare a presentation. | O baştan savma çalışır; değil sunum hazırlamak, çıktı bile almaz. |
| This unqualified and irresponsible man does not even organize his desk, let alone manage the company. | Bu vasıfsız ve sorumsuz adam, değil şirketi yönetmek, masasını bile düzenlemez. |
Unexpected Extremes
While this structure is often used with negative verbs in the second clause to show a complete failure to act, it can also highlight extreme audacity or an absurd outcome—sometimes even using a positive verb.
| This undisciplined employee does not even hide slacking off, let alone finish a project. | Bu disiplinsiz çalışan, değil proje bitirmek, kaytarmayı bile gizlemez. |
| They even gave a raise to that incompetent driver, let alone fire him. | Değil o beceriksiz şoförü kovmak, ona zam bile yaptılar. |