Questions & Answers about Birlik büyükken yönetmek zor.
Wait, büyük has rounded vowels. Why is the suffix -ken and not "-kün"?
The suffix -ken is an exception to Turkish vowel harmony rules! It almost never changes and always stays as -ken, no matter what vowels are in the word it attaches to. So, büyük + ken becomes büyükken.
There is no word for "is" attached to büyükken. How do we know it means "when it IS large"?
When you attach -ken directly to a noun or adjective, it carries the built-in meaning of "while being" or "when it is". The exact time (past or present) is understood from context. Since the rest of the sentence is a general statement (yönetmek zor - managing is hard), we translate büyükken as "when it is large".
Why is yönetmek in its full dictionary form (infinitive) here?
In Turkish, you can use the infinitive form of a verb (ending in -mak or -mek) as a noun to be the subject of a sentence. The phrase yönetmek zor literally translates to "to manage is hard" or "managing is hard".
Does birlik come from the word for "one"?
Yes! It comes from the number bir (one). Adding the suffix -lik turns it into an abstract noun meaning "oneness", "unity", or a cohesive group like a "unit".