bazen

Bazen is a Turkish adverb meaning "sometimes" or "occasionally." It indicates that an action or situation occurs irregularly rather than regularly. It can modify verbs directly, and it can also introduce a subordinate clause when placed at the beginning of a sentence, though its most common position is before the verb.

Examples include: "Bazen yağmur yağar." (Sometimes it rains.) "Bazen insanlar hata yapar." (Sometimes people make mistakes.) "Bazen bu karar doğru değildir." (Sometimes this decision is not correct.)

Related expressions include "ara sıra" and "zaman zaman," which convey similar meanings. "Bazen" tends to be conversational; "zaman zaman" is slightly more formal or literary, while "ara sıra" emphasizes intervals between events.

Etymology: The origin of "bazen" is not definitively settled. It is generally treated as a Turkish word with historical ties to Persian influence absorbed during Ottoman Turkish. It is now fully integrated into modern Turkish with a consistent meaning.