Learn Hardcore Turkish: Bugün buluşacaktık; hava bozunca iptal ettik. - We were going to meet today; when the weather turned bad, we canceled.

It’s the future-in-the-past: buluş-acak-tı-k = we were going to meet / we were set to meet. This form usually implies a plan or expectation that did not happen. The second clause confirms that the plan was canceled.

Is the semicolon necessary? Could I use “but”?

The semicolon joins two closely related clauses. You could also write:

Bugün buluşacaktık, ama hava bozunca iptal ettik.
Or just use a period: Bugün buluşacaktık. Hava bozunca iptal ettik. All are fine; using ama makes the contrast explicit.

What exactly does -ınca/-ince in bozunca mean?

It’s a converb meaning “when/once/as soon as.” Hava bozunca = “when the weather turned bad.” It primarily marks time but often also carries a causal sense in context (“so we canceled”).

Is hava bozunca natural? What about hava bozulunca?

Both occur. Many speakers prefer the intransitive form hava bozulunca (“when the weather deteriorated”) as the default. Hava bozunca is also used idiomatically and is widely understood. If you want the safest, most neutral phrasing, pick bozulunca.

Where is the object of iptal ettik? Shouldn’t it be stated?

It’s understood from context: “we canceled (the meeting).” You can say it explicitly:

Buluşmayı iptal ettik. (We canceled the meet-up.) Note the accusative -ı/-i on buluşma: buluşma-yı.

Why iptal ettik, not iptal olduk or iptal yaptık?

İptal etmek = to cancel (something) → transitive: Toplantıyı iptal ettik.
İptal olmak = to be canceled (by itself/impersonally) → intransitive: Toplantı iptal oldu.
İptal yaptık is not idiomatic.

Why is there no biz? How do we know it’s “we”?

Person is marked on the verb. The final -k in buluşacaktık/ettik is 1st person plural. Turkish generally drops subject pronouns unless needed for emphasis or contrast.

How do I say “We were supposed to meet” (obligation) vs “We were going to meet” (plan)?

Plan/arrangement: Buluşacaktık.
Obligation/expectation: Buluşmamız gerekiyordu. The second implies duty/requirement, not just a plan.

Could I use buluşuyorduk instead of buluşacaktık?

Buluşuyorduk is past progressive or habitual (“we were meeting/we used to meet”). To express a specific plan that was expected but didn’t happen, buluşacaktık is the idiomatic choice. You can say:

Bugün buluşacaktık, ama iptal ettik. Using buluşuyorduk here would be odd unless you mean a repeated/ongoing situation.

Could I use çünkü or için instead of -ınca?

Yes:

İptal ettik, çünkü hava bozuldu. (We canceled because the weather turned bad.)
Hava bozulduğu için iptal ettik. (We canceled because the weather turned bad.) -ınca focuses on the time point; çünkü/… için states explicit cause.

Can I move parts around? Is the word order flexible?

Yes. Examples:

Hava bozulunca buluşmayı iptal ettik (bugün).
Bugün, hava bozulunca, buluşmayı iptal ettik.
Buluşmayı, hava bozulunca, iptal ettik. Moving elements changes emphasis but keeps the meaning.

What if I want to say “we couldn’t meet” rather than “we canceled”?

Use the negative ability form:

Hava bozulunca buluşamadık.
Buluşamadık, çünkü hava bozuldu. This implies the meeting didn’t happen, without stating you actively canceled it.

How are the key forms built morphologically?

buluşacaktık = buluş- (meet) + -acak (future) + -tı (past) + -k (we) → future-in-the-past.
bozunca = boz- (spoil/turn bad) + -ınca/-ince (when) → vowel harmony gives -unca after o.
ettik = et- (do) + -di (simple past) + -k (we) → devoicing makes -di → -ti after t, yielding ettik.

Why is there a double “t” in ettik?

The past marker -di surfaces as -ti after a voiceless consonant. With the stem et-, you get et + ti → etti; then add -k for “we”: ettik. Same pattern: git- + -di → gitti.

Are alternatives like hava kötüleşince or hava kötü olunca okay?

Yes:

Hava kötüleşince = “when the weather worsened” (more explicit change).
Hava kötü olunca = “when the weather became bad” (very common, neutral). All three—bozulunca, kötüleşince, kötü olunca—are natural.

Does buluşacaktık on its own imply the meeting didn’t happen?

Usually yes. In conversation, Buluşacaktık often means “We were going to meet (but we didn’t).” If it did happen, you’d add something like yine de buluştuk (we met anyway) to cancel that implication.

Could I say “as soon as the weather turned bad” more emphatically?

Yes, use the “as soon as” pattern:

Hava bozulur bozulmaz iptal ettik. (We canceled the moment it turned bad.) You can also add hemen: Hava bozulunca hemen iptal ettik.

Is there any difference in register between options like -ınca, -dığında, and çünkü?

-ınca/-ince: very common and neutral in speech and writing.
-dığında/-diğinde: a bit more formal/literary (e.g., Hava bozulduğunda iptal ettik).
çünkü: coordinating conjunction; more conversational when explaining reasons.