Learn Hardcore Turkish: Zaman kazanayım diye taslağı dün akşam hazırladım. - I prepared the draft last night so I would save time.

It’s the 1st person singular optative/volitional: -A(y)ım = “let me / that I may.” So kazan-ayım means “that I (can) save/gain.” After diye, it expresses purpose: “so that I may save time.”

What does diye mean in this sentence?

Here diye introduces a purpose clause and is best read as “so that / in order that.” The clause before diye is finite and marked for person: Zaman kazanayım diye … = “So that I (may) save time, …”

Can I say zaman kazanmak için instead of zaman kazanayım diye?

Yes: Zaman kazanmak için taslağı dün akşam hazırladım is fully correct. Nuance:

… kazanayım diye feels a bit more immediate/volitional and shows person directly in the purpose.
… kazanmak için is a neutral, more nominal style (with the infinitive). You can also mark other subjects with both: Onlar zaman kazansın diye … / Onların zaman kazanması için …

Why is it taslağı (accusative) and not just taslak?

Because the direct object is definite/specific. In Turkish, definite direct objects take the accusative:

Taslağı hazırladım = I prepared the draft (a specific one).
Taslak hazırladım = I prepared a draft (non-specific/indefinite).

Why does taslak become taslağı (k → ğ)?

When some nouns ending in k take a vowel-initial suffix, k softens to ğ: taslak + ı → taslağı. Similar patterns: çocuk → çocuğu, ayak → ayağı. Not every word softens, but this one does.

What is the word order here? Can I move things around?

Turkish prefers the finite verb at the end, but other parts are flexible. Variants:

Taslağı dün akşam zaman kazanayım diye hazırladım.
Dün akşam taslağı zaman kazanayım diye hazırladım. Keep … diye attached to its clause; place it near the verb phrase it modifies.

Do I need to say ben?

No. Person is encoded in the verbs: kazanayım (1sg) and hazırladım (1sg). Adding ben is only for emphasis or contrast.

Why simple past hazırladım and not hazırlamıştım / hazırlamışım?

Hazırladım: plain completed past, speaker-witnessed.
Hazırlamışım: reported/experiential past (“apparently I prepared it” or you realized later).
Hazırlamıştım: pluperfect (“I had prepared it,” earlier than another past reference). Here, plain past is the natural choice.

What exactly does zaman kazanmak mean—“save time” or “buy time”?

Both exist depending on context:

Efficiency: “save time” (do something earlier/faster).
Delay tactic: “buy time.” In this sentence it reads as “save time.”

How would this purpose look with other subjects?

Replace the optative accordingly:

I: zaman kazanayım diye
We: zaman kazanalım diye
He/She: zaman kazansın diye
They: zaman kazansınlar diye Example: Onlar zaman kazansın diye taslağı hazırladım = I prepared the draft so they can save time.

How do I say “so that I wouldn’t waste time”?

Use the negative optative: zaman kaybetmeyeyim diye. Breakdown: kaybet- (lose) + -me- (neg) + buffer y + -eyim (1sg optative) → kaybetmeyeyim.

Can I put the purpose clause after the main clause with ki?

Yes: Taslağı dün akşam hazırladım ki zaman kazanayım. This also means “so that,” often a bit more emphatic or formal in writing. With ki, the purpose clause typically follows the main clause.

Is a comma needed after the diye clause?

Optional. You can write: Zaman kazanayım diye, taslağı dün akşam hazırladım. Most often it’s omitted unless you want extra clarity.

Can you break the sentence down morphologically?

Zaman kazan-ayım: time + gain + 1sg optative (“that I may save time”)
diye: purpose marker (“so that”)
taslak-ı: draft + accusative → taslağı (k→ğ)
dün akşam: last night/evening
hazırla-dı-m: prepare + past + 1sg → “I prepared”