Karda yürüyorken kazak, bere ve atkımı eksik etmedim.

I never went without my sweater, beanie, and scarf while walking in the snow.

Breakdown of Karda yürüyorken kazak, bere ve atkımı eksik etmedim.

• benim: my
• ve: and
• yürümek: to walk
• -da: in
• -ken: while
• kar: the snow
• kazak: the sweater
• bere: the beanie
• atkı: the scarf

Questions & Answers about Karda yürüyorken kazak, bere ve atkımı eksik etmedim.

What is the function of -ken in yürüyorken, and why is it attached to yürüyor rather than the bare stem yürü-?

The suffix -ken turns a verb into an adverbial participle meaning “while doing X.”

1. yürü (stem) + yor (progressive aspect) → yürüyor (“is walking”)
2. yürüyor
   • ken → yürüyorken (“while walking”)
     You attach -ken after the aspect marker -yor because you want to stress that the walking is ongoing at the same time as the main action. If you attached -ken directly to yürü, you’d get yürürken, which is grammatically possible but less common for continuous, simultaneous actions.

Could I use yürürken instead of yürüyorken, and what’s the nuance?

Yes, yürürken also exists, but:

• yürüyorken (with -yor) highlights that the action was in progress.
• yürürken (simple present participle + -ken) sounds more formal or literary and doesn’t foreground the continuity as strongly.
  In everyday spoken Turkish, learners almost always choose yürüyorken for “while walking.”

Why is it karda rather than kar, and what exactly does karda mean here?

kar is the noun “snow.” To express location (“in/on the snow”), you add the locative case ending -da/-de, which harmonizes to -da after kar → karda. Thus karda yürüyorken means “while walking in the snow.”

What does eksik etmedim literally mean, and why use etmek with eksik?

• eksik = “missing, lacking” (an adjective)
• etmek = “to make/do”
  Combined: eksik etmek = “to cause to be missing,” i.e. “to omit/leave out.”
  Negated: eksik etmedim = “I did not omit/leave out.”
  Figuratively: “I made sure not to go without them.”

Why does only atkımı carry the 1st-person possessive and accusative suffix, while kazak and bere do not?

In Turkish coordinate noun phrases, you can attach suffixes (possessive, case) only to the final noun, and they distribute to all items. Here:
• kazak, bere ve atkımı
The -ım (my) + -ı (definite object) on atkı implies “my sweater, my hat, and my scarf.”
You could repeat on each for emphasis: kazakımı, beremi ve atkımı, but it’s not necessary.

Could I say unutmadım instead of eksik etmedim, and is there any difference?

Yes, unutmadım (“I didn’t forget”) works and is more colloquial.

• eksik etmedim focuses on not omitting or leaving out something deliberately.
• unutmadım simply states you didn’t forget.
  Both convey that you made sure to have your sweater, beanie, and scarf.

Does the word order Karda yürüyorken kazak, bere ve atkımı eksik etmedim carry any special emphasis, and could I move karda yürüyorken to the end?

• Leading with Karda yürüyorken sets the scene immediately: “As for walking in the snow…”
• You could say Kazak, bere ve atkımı karda yürüyorken eksik etmedim, but it sounds awkward.
  Adverbial clauses with -ken normally come first or directly before the main verb. The given order is the most natural and emphatic for a background-setting phrase.