A team update can describe effort, workload or an obstacle in just a few words. Learn six expressions in work contexts and recognise whether the speaker is encouraging the team, reporting a practical arrangement or criticising someone.
The idea
Learn each expression with its noun pattern, then conjugate the verb: işin altından kalkmak describes coping successfully with a demanding task, while işe dört elle sarılmak stresses commitment. Keep işin altından and işe when the verbs become kalkar or sarıldı. İş yükünü hafifletmek, iş bölümü yapmak and mesaiye kalmak are useful fixed combinations, not all figurative idioms. The table gives their work-related meanings; it does not claim they are exclusive to business.
| Expression | Meaning in a work context |
|---|---|
| işin altından kalkmak | manage a demanding task successfully |
| işe dört elle sarılmak | commit wholeheartedly to the work |
| iş yükünü hafifletmek | reduce the amount of work to deal with |
| işi yokuşa sürmek | make it harder for the work to proceed |
| mesaiye kalmak | stay at work beyond normal hours |
| iş bölümü yapmak | divide tasks among people |
Examples
- Ekibimiz bu işin altından kalkar.Our team can handle this task.
- Yeni ekip işe dört elle sarıldı.The new team threw itself into the work.
- Bu araç iş yükünü hafifletiyor.This tool is easing the workload.
- Gereksiz onaylarla işi yokuşa sürmeyelim.Let’s not make things harder with unnecessary approvals.
- Raporu yetiştirmek için bu akşam mesaiye kalacağız.We will stay late at work this evening to finish the report on time.
- Görevler karışmasın diye önce iş bölümü yapalım.Let’s divide up the work first so the tasks do not get mixed up.
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Watch out
İşi yokuşa sürmek attributes obstacles to someone’s behaviour. Saying İşi yokuşa sürüyorsun can sound accusatory; it does not simply mean the task is difficult. Use Bu iş zor for that neutral observation. In işe dört elle sarılmak, “four hands” expresses strong commitment, not the number of workers.
Try it yourself
Choose the form that says the team can cope with the task. Bu iş zor ama ekibimiz bu işin ___ kalkar. (altından / altında)
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altından
altından: the team is expected to cope successfully, so the expression needs the ending that appears in işin altından. Altında only gives a location and does not complete this idiom.
Choose the noun form used with this expression of commitment. Yeni ekip ___ dört elle sarıldı. (işe / işi)
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işe
işe: the work is what the team devotes itself to. Sarılmak takes this dative form here; işi would mark a direct object and does not fit.
Complete the expression for staying at work after normal hours. Rapor yetişmediği için bu akşam ___ kalacağız. (mesaiye / mesaide)
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mesaiye
mesaiye: the unfinished report explains the decision to stay beyond normal hours. Mesaide describes being at work, but it does not complete the fixed expression for staying late.
Choose a neutral description of a difficult task; nobody is obstructing it. Görev zor; kimse engel çıkarmıyor. Hangisi uygun? (Bu iş zor. / İşi yokuşa sürüyorsun.)
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Bu iş zor
Bu iş zor: this evaluates the task itself. The other sentence addresses a person and blames them for creating obstacles, which the situation explicitly rules out.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Turkish sentences and words where available. We keep your score.
Choose the form that says the team can cope with the task. Bu iş zor ama ekibimiz bu işin ___ kalkar. (altından / altında)
Choose the noun form used with this expression of commitment. Yeni ekip ___ dört elle sarıldı. (işe / işi)
Complete the expression for staying at work after normal hours. Rapor yetişmediği için bu akşam ___ kalacağız. (mesaiye / mesaide)
Choose a neutral description of a difficult task; nobody is obstructing it. Görev zor; kimse engel çıkarmıyor. Hangisi uygun? (Bu iş zor. / İşi yokuşa sürüyorsun.)
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 a three-sentence team update: name a difficult task, suggest dividing the work and describe how the team will tackle it. Use two expressions from the table. Then rewrite an accusation about obstacles as a neutral statement about the task.