Learn Turkish: Bencil bir takımdaş başarıyı engeller. - A selfish teammate prevents success.

The suffix -daş (which can also be -taş, -deş, or -teş depending on harmony rules) expresses sharing, fellowship, or a common tie. Added to takım (team), it creates takımdaş, meaning someone who shares your team—a teammate. It functions similarly to the English suffix '-mate' or prefix 'co-'.

Why is the indefinite article bir placed after the adjective in bencil bir takımdaş?

In Turkish, when a singular noun has both a descriptive adjective (bencil) and the indefinite article (bir), the standard order is Adjective + bir + Noun. Saying bir bencil takımdaş sounds slightly unnatural, as if you are heavily emphasizing the number 'one' instead of simply saying 'a' or 'an'.

Why does başarı (success) take the accusative case suffix -yı here?

The verb engellemek (to prevent) takes a direct object. Even though 'success' is a broad, abstract concept in English, Turkish treats it as the specific thing being acted upon. Therefore, it gets marked with the definite accusative suffix -yı (where y is a buffer letter).

Why does this sentence use the aorist tense (engeller) instead of the present continuous (engelliyor)?