Learn Hardcore Turkish: Kasiyer nazikti, ödememi hızlıca tamamladı. - The cashier was kind and completed my payment quickly.

In Turkish you can link two independent clauses with a comma when they share the same subject, especially for short, sequential statements. It’s concise and natural: Kasiyer nazikti, ödememi hızlıca tamamladı. Using ve (“and”) is also perfectly correct and slightly more explicit: Kasiyer nazikti ve ödememi hızlıca tamamladı. A semicolon would be fine too and a bit more formal.

What exactly is nazikti and how is it formed?

Nazikti = nazik (polite/kind) + past copular suffix -(y)di (“was”). When attaching to a word ending in a consonant, you use -di/-dı/-du/-dü, but after a voiceless consonant like k, the d devoices to t, giving -ti. Vowel harmony selects the vowel (here front i), so: nazik + di → nazikti. This is the usual way to say “was [adjective]”: e.g., yorgun → yorgundu (“was tired”), mutlu → mutluydu.

Is spelling it as nazikdi acceptable?

No. Because of consonant assimilation after a voiceless consonant, standard spelling is nazikti, not “nazikdi.”

Where is the subject in the second clause? Why is there no pronoun?

The subject is understood to be the same as in the first clause (Kasiyer). Turkish drops repeated subjects; adding o (“he/she”) is unnecessary: Kasiyer nazikti, (o) ödememi hızlıca tamamladı.

Does kasiyer mean “the cashier” or “a cashier”? How do I make it explicit?

Turkish has no articles, so kasiyer can mean either, depending on context. To force “a,” use bir kasiyer. To make it clearly definite/known, use o kasiyer / şu kasiyer, or rely on context (e.g., the cashier we’re talking about).

Why does ödememi end with “-mi”? Is that the question particle mi?

No. Here -mi is not the question particle; it comes from two suffixes: possessive + accusative.

ödeme (payment) + -m (my) → ödemem (“my payment”)
- -i (accusative for a specific object) → ödememi (“my payment” as a direct object) Compare:
Subject: Ödemem gecikti. (“My payment was delayed.”)
Object: Ödemeyi/ödememi tamamladı. (“He completed the payment/my payment.”)

Why is the accusative used on ödememi? When do I add or drop it?

Accusative -(y)i marks a specific/definite direct object. My payment is inherently specific, so you use it: ödememi. Indefinite objects don’t take accusative: Bir kitap okudum (“I read a book”) vs. definite Kitabı okudum (“I read the book”). With possession, the object is typically definite, so you’ll see the accusative.

What’s the nuance of hızlıca compared with hızla, hızlı, and çabucak?

hızlıca: “quickly,” very common and neutral.
hızla: “rapidly/with speed,” slightly more formal or written.
hızlı: adjective used adverbially (“fast”); acceptable: Ödememi hızlı tamamladı.
çabucak: colloquial “pretty quickly/in no time.” Also possible: hızlı bir şekilde (“in a fast way”).

Can I change the word order? Where can I put hızlıca?

Yes; Turkish is flexible as long as the verb is final.

Kasiyer ödememi hızlıca tamamladı. (neutral)
Hızlıca ödememi tamamladı. (emphasis on “quickly”)
Ödememi hızlıca tamamladı. (subject dropped; still natural with context) All mean the same; changes mainly affect emphasis.

How is tamamladı formed, and why is it “-dı” (not -di/-du/-dü)?

tamamladı = tamamla- (verb stem “to complete”) + past -DI. Vowel harmony chooses the back, unrounded -dı because the last vowel in the stem is a. Third-person singular has no extra person ending, so it’s just -dı.

Could I use bitirdi instead of tamamladı? Any nuance?

Yes. bitirdi = “finished (it).” tamamladı = “completed (it),” often a bit more formal/procedural. Both are fine with payments: Ödememi hızlıca bitirdi/tamamladı.

Is hızlı alone okay as an adverb, or do I need -ca?

You can use many adjectives adverbially in Turkish, so hızlı works: Ödememi hızlı tamamladı. That said, hızlıca or hızla often sounds more idiomatic in this context.

How do I express “also” here?

Use the enclitic de/da (written separately): Kasiyer çok nazikti, ödememi de hızlıca tamamladı. (“The cashier was very polite; he also completed my payment quickly.”)

How would I say it if I’m reporting what I heard (not witnessed)?

Use the inferential past -miş: Kasiyer nazikmiş, ödememi hızlıca tamamlamış. This indicates hearsay or inference rather than direct observation.

Any pronunciation tips for tricky letters here?

ö: like German ö / French eu in “peu.”
ı (dotless i): a high, central vowel (not like English i); hızlıca ≈ [hɯz.lɯ.dʒa].
c: like English “j” in “jam” (so hızlıca ends with a “ja” sound).
The past copula in nazikti is clitic; stress stays on -zik: na-ZİK-ti.