Learn Turkish: Annem çok rahat, babamsa kuralcı. - My mother is very relaxed, whereas my father is strict.

Yes! The contrastive topic marker ise (meaning "as for" or "whereas") can be written as a separate word (babam ise) or attached directly to the preceding word as a suffix (-(y)se / -(y)sa). Attaching it is much more common in everyday spoken and written Turkish. Here, it follows A-type vowel harmony to become -sa after the back vowels in babam.

Wait, doesn't -sa mean "if"? How do I know it means "whereas" here?

Context is key. The conditional -sa / -se ("if") usually attaches to verbs to set up a condition (like yaparsa, "if he does"). When it attaches to a noun or pronoun that acts as the subject of the sentence, it is almost always the contrastive topic marker ("as for..." or "whereas..."). Since this sentence contrasts the father with the mother, it is functioning as the contrastive topic marker.

How does the word kuralcı mean "strict"?

It comes from the word kural, meaning "rule". The suffix -cı / -ci describes someone associated with that noun, often used for professions (like kahveci) or character traits. So, a kuralcı is literally a "rule-person"—someone who strictly follows or enforces rules.

Why isn't there a "to be" suffix like -dır at the end of rahat or kuralcı?