Learn Hardcore Turkish: Bagajı aldıktan sonra valizimi pasaport kontrol noktasına taşıdım. - After getting my baggage, I carried my suitcase to the passport control point.

In Turkish, a specific (definite) direct object takes the accusative suffix. Here you’re referring to “the luggage” you just collected, so bagaj + -ı yields bagajı, marking it as a definite object.

How is aldıktan sonra formed, and what does it mean?

aldıktan sonra breaks down as: • al- (take)
• -dı (past tense)
• -ktan (ablative “from”)
• sonra (after)
Together they mean “after having taken,” introducing the time clause that precedes the main action.

Why is there no explicit subject pronoun (“I”) in this sentence?

Turkish is a pro-drop language. The verb ending -dım in taşıdım already indicates first-person singular (“I carried”), so you don’t need to add ben.

Why does valizimi carry two suffixes, -im and -i? What does each do?

First you have the possessive -im (“my”), giving valizim = “my suitcase.” Then you add the accusative -i to mark it as a definite object, resulting in valizimi = “my suitcase” (as the object).

How is pasaport kontrol noktası constructed, and why is noktasına in the dative case?

pasaport kontrol noktası =
• pasaport (passport)
• kontrol (control)
• nokta (point)
• -sı (its; third-person possessive)
→ “passport control point.”
To express “to the checkpoint,” add the dative suffix -na to the possessed noun: noktasına.

What’s the difference between taşımak and götürmek? Could I swap taşıdım with götürdüm?

taşımak focuses on physically carrying something, often by hand or with effort. götürmek emphasizes taking or bringing something from one place to another. You could say pasaport kontrol noktasına valizimi götürdüm, but taşımak is more precise if you want to highlight the carrying action.

Is Turkish word order flexible enough to put pasaport kontrol noktasına before valizimi in this sentence?

Yes. Turkish allows relatively free word order, though the verb generally stays at the end. For example:
Bagajı aldıktan sonra pasaport kontrol noktasına valizimi taşıdım
or even
Pasaport kontrol noktasına valizimi taşıdım
both are grammatically correct, with slight shifts in emphasis.

Why is taşıdım in the past tense? Could I use the present tense instead?

The context describes a completed action at the airport, so the past tense taşıdım matches aldıktan (past participle). If you said taşıyorum, it would mean “I am carrying (right now),” which changes the time frame of the action.