Breakdown of İyimserler her zaman mutlu, kötümserler ise sık sık üzgün.
üzgün
sad
mutlu
happy
zaman
time
her
every
sık sık
often
ise
whereas / as for (also suffixed as -(y)sA)
iyimser
optimistic
kötümser
pessimistic
Questions & Answers about İyimserler her zaman mutlu, kötümserler ise sık sık üzgün.
Why is "ise" written as a separate word here, and could it be attached to "kötümserler" instead?
Yes, it can be attached! Here, ise acts as a contrastive topic marker, translating to "whereas" or "as for." You can write it as a separate word, or attach it as a suffix using vowel harmony. If attached, it becomes kötümserlerse. Both are completely natural, though writing it separately adds a tiny bit more emphasis to the contrast.
Why does "ise" come after "kötümserler" instead of at the beginning of the clause like "whereas" does in English?
Unlike English conjunctions that introduce a clause, the contrastive ise must come immediately after the specific thing being contrasted. Since the sentence contrasts pessimists with optimists, ise has to follow kötümserler. Putting it at the beginning of the phrase would be grammatically incorrect.
Where is the verb "are" in this sentence? Why don't "mutlu" and "üzgün" have any suffixes?
In standard Turkish, the third-person "to be" suffix (-dır / -dir) is frequently omitted in present-tense descriptions. You could perfectly well say mutludur and üzgündür, but leaving them bare is very common and natural. Also, because the subjects (iyimserler and kötümserler) already have the plural -ler suffix, you don't need to add plural markers to the adjectives.
How are the words "iyimser" and "kötümser" formed?
They are built from the basic adjectives iyi (good) and kötü (bad). The suffix -mser (or -msar) attaches to words to describe a tendency or disposition. Therefore, iyimser means someone inclined toward the good, and kötümser means someone inclined toward the bad.
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