Learn Turkish: Elektrikler kesildi, hiç olmazsa iskambil oynayalım. - The electricity went out, if nothing else let's play cards.

In Turkish, it is standard to use the plural elektrikler to refer to the general power supply or the lights in a building. You will almost always hear it in the plural for phrases like 'the power went out' (elektrikler kesildi) or 'the power came back' (elektrikler geldi).

Why use the passive verb kesildi (was cut) for a power outage?

In Turkish, a power outage is conventionally expressed using the passive of kesmek (to cut), historically implying the power was cut by the utility network. Even if it goes out by accident, kesildi is the most natural, everyday way to say 'the power went out'.

How does hiç olmazsa function in this sentence?

Literally meaning 'if it doesn't happen at all', hiç olmazsa acts as a marker meaning 'if nothing else' or 'at least'. It introduces playing cards as the minimum acceptable alternative now that the preferred situation (having electricity) is ruined.

Could I use bari or en azından instead of hiç olmazsa in this context?

Yes, absolutely. Bari, en azından, and hiç olmazsa are largely interchangeable when suggesting a fallback plan. Saying bari iskambil oynayalım or en azından iskambil oynayalım would carry the exact same conversational nuance here.