Signification
Acknowledging the difficulty of a task.
Contexte culturel
The phrase is often paired with 'Allah kolaylık versin' (May God give you ease), reflecting the blend of secular empathy and religious tradition in daily speech. In Turkish offices, saying 'işin zor' to a colleague is a way of building 'biz' (us) vs 'onlar' (them/management) solidarity. There is a cultural acceptance that life is hard. 'İşin zor' isn't always a complaint; sometimes it's just a stoic acceptance of reality. On platforms like Instagram, 'işin zor' is a common comment on 'struggle' posts, such as gym workouts or late-night study sessions.
Add 'Valla'
Adding 'Valla' (By God/Honestly) before the phrase makes it sound much more native: 'Valla işin zor.'
Don't overdo it
If you say it too often, you might sound like a pessimist. Balance it with 'Halledersin' (You'll handle it).
Signification
Acknowledging the difficulty of a task.
Add 'Valla'
Adding 'Valla' (By God/Honestly) before the phrase makes it sound much more native: 'Valla işin zor.'
Don't overdo it
If you say it too often, you might sound like a pessimist. Balance it with 'Halledersin' (You'll handle it).
The 'İşin Yaş' alternative
Use 'İşin yaş' with close friends for a laugh when they are in a funny but difficult spot.
Teste-toi
Fill in the blank with the correct form of 'işin zor'.
Arkadaşın çok çalışıyor. Ona ne dersin? '______, kolay gelsin.'
Since you are talking to your friend (2nd person), you use 'işin'.
Which situation is most appropriate for 'işin zor'?
Hangi durumda 'işin zor' dersiniz?
The phrase is used for difficult or overwhelming tasks, like having too much homework.
Complete the dialogue.
Ahmet: 'Yarın İstanbul'dan Ankara'ya arabayla gideceğim.' Mehmet: 'Bu karda mı? ______.'
Driving from Istanbul to Ankara in the snow is a difficult task, so 'işin zor' is the natural response.
Match the phrase to the person.
Match the possessive form to the subject.
All forms correctly match the subject pronouns with their respective possessive suffixes.
🎉 Score : /4
Aides visuelles
Possessive Forms
Banque d exercices
4 exercicesArkadaşın çok çalışıyor. Ona ne dersin? '______, kolay gelsin.'
Since you are talking to your friend (2nd person), you use 'işin'.
Hangi durumda 'işin zor' dersiniz?
The phrase is used for difficult or overwhelming tasks, like having too much homework.
Ahmet: 'Yarın İstanbul'dan Ankara'ya arabayla gideceğim.' Mehmet: 'Bu karda mı? ______.'
Driving from Istanbul to Ankara in the snow is a difficult task, so 'işin zor' is the natural response.
Match the possessive form to the subject.
All forms correctly match the subject pronouns with their respective possessive suffixes.
🎉 Score : /4
Questions fréquentes
14 questionsNo, it's generally empathetic. However, avoid using it with superiors as it can sound too casual.
Yes! 'İşim zor' (My job is hard) is very common when complaining about your own workload.
'Zor' is the everyday word for difficult. 'Güç' is more formal and literary.
You add the past tense suffix: 'İşin zordu.'
No, it's for situations or tasks. For a hard object, just use 'sert'.
Yes, but usually between colleagues of the same rank.
'İşin kolay' (Your job is easy) or 'İşin tıkırında' (Your work is going smoothly).
Not necessarily. It's an observation. If you want to help, you should follow up with 'Yardım edeyim mi?'
Yes, if a friend is going through a breakup, you can say 'İşin zor' to acknowledge the emotional difficulty.
Yes, 'İşiniz zor' for 'You (plural) have it hard' or for a formal 'You'.
Turkish uses possessive suffixes. 'İşin' already means 'your work'. 'Senin iş' is grammatically incomplete.
Very! Many pop songs use it to describe the difficulty of love.
Yes, this is very common to emphasize the difficulty.
It literally means 'Your work is wet.' It's a slang idiom for a bad situation.
Expressions liées
kolay gelsin
similarMay it come easy to you
allah yardımcın olsun
similarMay God be your helper
işin yaş
specialized formYour situation is precarious/bad
işin içinden çıkamamak
builds onTo be unable to get out of a situation
çile çekmek
relatedTo suffer/toil
