Learn Hardcore Turkish: Ben yarın sabah erken yola çıkacağım.

In Turkish you can drop subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows who’s doing the action. Ben is optional here and mainly used for emphasis or clarity. You can simply say Yarın sabah erken yola çıkacağım.

What does yarın sabah mean, and why are both words used?

yarın means tomorrow and sabah means morning. Together they form tomorrow morning. Time expressions like this usually come before the verb in Turkish.

What role does erken play, and why is it placed where it is?

erken means early. It modifies yola çıkacağım, specifying when you’ll set off. Adverbs of time or manner commonly follow the main time expression: yarın sabah erken.

Could I say yarın sabah erkenden yola çıkacağım instead? What’s the difference?

Yes. erkenden is erken + -den, another adverbial form meaning from early on or simply early. Both convey the idea of departing early, though erkenden adds a nuance of “starting from an early time.”

What does the verb phrase yola çıkmak literally and idiomatically mean?

Literally, yola is to the road and çıkmak is to go out/exit, so yola çıkmak means to go onto the road. Idiomatically it means to set off, to depart, or to hit the road.

How exactly is the future tense formed in çıkacağım?

1) Drop -mak from çıkmak → çık-
2) Add the future suffix -acak (vowel harmony picks a) → çıkacak
3) Add the 1st person singular suffix -ım → çıkacağım
Altogether it means I will set off.

Why is there a ğ in çıkacağım, and how do I pronounce it?

In suffixes like -acak, the final k often voices to ğ before the vowel of the personal ending for smoother speech. The letter ğ (yumuşak ge) doesn’t sound like g; it lengthens the preceding vowel. So çıkacağım is pronounced roughly [chɯˈkaːd͡ʒam], with a long a.