Learn Turkish: Gönülsüzce eve döndük, bari tavla oynayalım. - We returned home reluctantly, we might as well play backgammon.

Bari is used to suggest a minimum acceptable alternative when things haven't gone as planned. Here, returning home was a disappointment (gönülsüzce), so the speaker suggests playing backgammon as a consolation prize. It often translates to 'at least' or 'might as well' in these contexts.

Why is oynayalım translated as 'we might as well play' instead of 'let's play'?

Oynayalım is in the optative mood (-alım), which normally translates to 'let's play.' However, when paired with bari, the suggestion becomes a resigned one. The literal meaning 'at least let's play backgammon' flows much better in English as 'we might as well play backgammon.'

Could I use hiç olmazsa or en azından instead of bari here?

Yes, both hiç olmazsa and en azından would work perfectly here to mean 'at least let's play backgammon.' However, bari is particularly common and natural when making a suggestion to salvage a disappointing situation, giving it that strong 'might as well' flavor.

How is the word gönülsüzce formed?

It starts with the root gönül (heart, mind, or desire). Adding the negative suffix -süz makes gönülsüz (unwilling or reluctant). Finally, the adverbial suffix -ce turns it into the adverb 'reluctantly' or 'half-heartedly' to describe how they returned home.