Learn Hardcore Turkish: Ben çayı alır almaz masaya koydum. - As soon as I got the tea, I put it on the table.

It’s a fixed temporal pattern meaning as soon as X (happens). It’s formed by repeating the same verb twice: first in the affirmative aorist, then immediately in the negative aorist:

Pattern: V-(A)r/Ir + V-mez/maz
Here: al-ır al-maz = as soon as (I/you/he…) take/get Despite the negative form (almaz), the pair together does not express negation; it signals immediacy.

Why is there a negative in almaz right after the affirmative alır?

In this construction the negative is not real semantic negation. V-aor + V-negative-aor is an idiomatic pair meaning “no sooner than / as soon as.” Think of it as a lexicalized temporal connector rather than a literal negation.

If the action is in the past, why isn’t alır almaz in the past tense?

Because alır almaz functions like a tenseless adverbial clause. The main verb carries tense and person. Here, koydum (put-PAST-1sg) sets the past time reference; alır almaz simply says the putting happened immediately after the getting.

Can I drop Ben?

Yes. Turkish is pro‑drop. Çayı alır almaz masaya koydum. is fully natural; -dum already marks first person singular.

Why is it çayı (accusative) and not just çay?

Accusative -ı/-i/-u/-ü marks a definite/specific direct object. Çayı implies a particular tea (e.g., the one we were just handed). If you mean tea in a non-specific sense, you’d say çay (no accusative): Çay alır almaz… = as soon as I get/buy (some) tea…

Does almak here mean “to take,” “to get,” or “to buy”?

All are possible depending on context. Almak covers:

receiving/being handed: “got”
picking up: “took”
purchasing: “bought” The surrounding situation disambiguates.

Why masaya if the meaning is “on the table,” not “to the table”?

With koymak (to put/place), Turkish uses the dative -a/-e for the target surface: masaya koymak = put (onto) the table. You can also say masanın üstüne/üzerine koymak for explicit “onto the top of the table,” but masaya koymak is the default, idiomatic choice.

Do I need to repeat the object with onu before koydum?

No. The object çayı is already present, so repeating it as onu is unnecessary. If you omitted çayı earlier, then Onu masaya koydum would be fine, referring back to a previously mentioned item.

Where can I place masaya and çayı? Is the word order fixed?

Turkish word order is flexible, but the alır almaz chunk typically stays together and precedes the main verb. Common options:

Ben çayı alır almaz masaya koydum. (neutral)
Ben çayı alır almaz koydum masaya. (end-focus on destination)
Çayı alır almaz masaya koydum. (drop subject; still natural) Moving elements changes emphasis, but keep alır almaz as a tight unit.

Should there be a comma after alır almaz?

Optional. Many writers insert a comma to mark the adverbial clause: Ben çayı alır almaz, masaya koydum. In short sentences it’s often omitted. Both are fine.

Can I replace alır almaz with alınca?

You can, but the nuance changes. Alınca = “when/once (I) got it,” without the strong “immediately” sense. Alır almaz specifically emphasizes no delay: “as soon as / the moment (I) got it.”

Can I add hemen even though alır almaz already means “immediately”?

Yes, for extra emphasis: Çayı alır almaz hemen masaya koydum. This sounds natural and reinforces the idea of instant action.

Do the two verbs have to share the same subject?

No. You can specify different subjects explicitly:

Ben çayı alır almaz, o masaya koydu. = As soon as I got the tea, he/she put it on the table. The alır almaz clause takes its subject from context or an explicit pronoun/noun.

Why is it alır almaz, not something like aldı almaz?

The construction specifically requires the aorist forms: affirmative aorist + negative aorist of the same verb. Past (-dı/-di) or other tenses do not form this “as soon as” pattern.

How does this pattern look with other verbs?

Common pairs:

gelir gelmez (as soon as (someone) comes)
yapar yapmaz (as soon as (someone) does/makes)
başlar başlamaz (as soon as (it) starts)
biter bitmez (as soon as (it) ends)
der demez (as soon as (someone) says)
olur olmaz (as soon as (it) happens) Vowel harmony decides -mez/-maz and whether the aorist is -(A)r or -Ir is lexical.

How would I negate the main action while keeping the “as soon as” timing?

Negate the main verb, not the alır almaz chunk:

Çayı alır almaz masaya koymadım. = I didn’t put it on the table right away (even though I got it).

What’s going on morphologically in koydum?

koy- (put/place)
-du past tense (the vowel becomes u by harmony with o; the consonant is d because it follows a voiced sound)
-m first person singular Hence koy-du-m = “I put.”