Learn Hardcore Turkish: Roket kalktığından beri uzayı keşfetme merakım daha da arttı. - Ever since the rocket took off, my curiosity about space exploration has increased even more.

kalktığından beri literally means “since it took off.” It’s composed of:
• kalk- (root of kalkmak, “to take off”)
• -tığı (the nominalizer for events: root + –dığı forms a noun clause “the fact that it took off”)
• -ndan (ablative case “from that event”)
• beri (“since”)
Put together, it marks a time span starting at the moment the rocket took off and continuing to now.

Could I use roket kalkmasından beri instead of roket kalktığından beri?

Yes, roket kalkmasından beri is grammatically correct and also means “since the rocket’s take-off.” The difference is subtle:
• –masından is the gerundial noun form (kalkma + ablative)
• –tığından is the event-clause form (past tense + nominalizer + ablative)
Speakers often prefer kalktığından beri to emphasize the specific completed action, but both convey “since the rocket took off.”

Why is it uzayı keşfetme and not uzayı keşfetmek?

In Turkish, to talk about “the act of doing something” as a noun phrase, you use the verbal noun –me/–ma. Here:
• keşfetmek = “to explore” (infinitive)
• keşfetme = “exploring” (the act of exploring)
So uzayı keşfetme = “exploring space.”

Why is uzayı in the accusative case?

uzayı is the direct object of the verbal noun keşfetme. Turkish marks definite direct objects with the –ı/–i/–u/–ü suffix. Because uzay here refers to a specific concept (“space”), it takes accusative uzayı.

What does merakım mean and why the suffix –ım?

merak = “curiosity.” Adding –ım (first person singular possessive) gives merakım = “my curiosity.” Turkish marks possession directly on the noun with suffixes:
• –ım/–im/–um/–üm = my
• –ın/–in/–un/–ün = your, etc.

What is the function of daha da in daha da arttı?

daha = “more”; da adds emphasis here, so daha da = “even more” or “further.” It intensifies the idea that the curiosity has grown beyond what it was.

Why is the verb arttı in the simple past (–tı) rather than present?

Although English uses present perfect (“has grown”), Turkish often uses the simple past for a change of state that began at a definite past moment and has lasting result. Here, the increase happened at/after launch and continues. You could also say artıyor (“is growing”), but arttı underlines that the jump in curiosity took place following the launch.

Can I change the word order, for example put the time clause at the end?

Yes. Turkish word order is flexible. You could say:
Uzayı keşfetme merakım roket kalktığından beri daha da arttı.
Putting the time clause at the start or end only shifts emphasis; the meaning stays the same.