A concession names something that might normally prevent an outcome, then says the outcome holds anyway. You will distinguish a possible obstacle from an established fact.
The idea
Use -se de for an obstacle that does not change the result: Yağmur yağsa da çıkacağız. The rain need not happen. The person ending comes before the separately written de/da: kalsam da. With a known fact, -diği hâlde means “although”; its possessive ending identifies the subject: olduğum hâlde for “although I am”, olduğu hâlde for a third person. Rağmen follows a dative noun or a nominalised clause with a possessive ending and the dative: gürültüye rağmen, çalışmasına rağmen. Context matters: Hava soğuk olsa da güneş parlıyor can acknowledge actual cold weather. -se de is not always hypothetical.
| Obstacle | Result |
|---|---|
| Yağmur yağsa da | çıkacağız. |
| Ucuz olduğu hâlde | satılmadı. |
| Gürültüye rağmen | uyuduk. |
| Çok çalışmasına rağmen | işi bitiremedi. |
Examples
- Yağmur yağsa da çıkacağız.Even if it rains, we will go out.
- Ucuz olduğu hâlde satılmadı.Although it was cheap, it did not sell.
- Gürültüye rağmen uyuduk.Despite the noise, we slept.
- Geç kalsam da seni arayacağım.Even if I am late, I will call you.
- Anahtarım olduğu hâlde kapıyı açamadım.Although I had my key, I could not open the door.
- Çok çalışmasına rağmen işi bitiremedi.Despite working hard, they could not finish the job.
- Pahalı olsa da bu çantayı alacağım.Even if it is expensive, I will buy this bag.
- Hava soğuk olsa da güneş parlıyor.Although the weather is cold, the sun is shining.
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Watch out
Do not put rağmen directly after a finite verb: çalıştım rağmen is not the construction. Use çalışmama rağmen for “despite my working”. Here çalışmama is affirmative; “despite my not working” would be çalışmamama rağmen.
Try it yourself
Complete with “even if it rains”: rain is only a possibility. Write the missing words.
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yağsa da / yağsa bile
yağsa da / yağsa bile: the decision to go out holds whether rain comes or not; neither answer asserts that it is raining.
It really was cheap, but it did not sell. Complete using hâlde.
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olduğu hâlde
olduğu hâlde: the low price is given as a fact, so the surprising point is the failure to sell. The third-person ending refers to the item.
We walked despite the rain. Put yağmur into the required case.
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yağmura
yağmura: the rain is the obstacle to walking. Rağmen requires the dative here, so the bare noun yağmur is insufficient.
I worked hard but could not finish the job. Complete with the nominalised form for “my working”.
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çalışmama
çalışmama: bitiremedim identifies the speaker as “I”. The nominalised work must belong to that same person; çalışmasına would mean someone else’s working.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Turkish sentences and words where available. We keep your score.
Complete with “even if it rains”: rain is only a possibility. Write the missing words.
yağsa da / yağsa bile
It really was cheap, but it did not sell. Complete using hâlde.
We walked despite the rain. Put yağmur into the required case.
I worked hard but could not finish the job. Complete with the nominalised form for “my working”.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
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Write one sentence about a possible obstacle and one about a real obstacle. Keep the main decision the same, then explain whether the obstacle has actually occurred.