Learn Hardcore Turkish: Ben kıyma ve salatalık alıyorum; yoğurtlu salata yapacağım. - I am buying minced meat and cucumber; I will make a salad with yogurt.

Yes. Turkish verbs already show the person, so you can simply say: Kıyma ve salatalık alıyorum; yoğurtlu salata yapacağım. Including Ben adds emphasis or contrast (I, as opposed to someone else).

Why don’t kıyma and salatalık take the accusative ending (-ı/-i/-u/-ü)?

Because they’re indefinite direct objects (you mean “some minced meat and cucumbers,” not specific, known ones). In Turkish, indefinite direct objects stay bare:

Indefinite: Kıyma ve salatalık alıyorum.
Definite: Kıymayı ve salatalığı alıyorum. (“I’m buying the minced meat and the cucumbers.”)

Why are the nouns singular if I’m buying more than one? Why not plurals?

Turkish often uses a bare singular for an unspecified amount or kind. It’s understood as “some.” Use a number or a quantifier if you want to be specific:

Biraz kıyma (some minced meat), iki salatalık (two cucumbers).
Plural is used for countable, specific groups: Salatalıkları alıyorum = “I’m buying the cucumbers (those specific ones).”

Could I say alacağım instead of alıyorum?

You could. Nuance:

Alıyorum = “I’m buying (now/this trip/in progress).”
Alacağım = “I will buy / I’m going to buy” (plan or promise). Mixing them (present progressive for the buying, future for the making) is natural: buying now, making later.

How is alıyorum formed?

Root al- + progressive -(I)yor + 1st person -um with vowel harmony:

al-ı-yor-um → alıyorum. The inserted vowel matches harmony; -yor is fixed.

How is yapacağım formed, and why the ğ?

Root yap- + future -AcAK + 1st person -(I)m:

yap-acak-ım → due to consonant softening, -cak
- vowel becomes -cağ- → yapacağım. So: yap-acağ-ım → “I will make.”

What does -lu in yoğurtlu mean?

It’s the adjectival suffix meaning “with/containing,” obeying vowel harmony: -lı/-li/-lu/-lü.

yoğurtlu salata = salad with yogurt
Opposite: yoğurtsuz = without yogurt. More examples: peynirli börek (cheese-filled pastry), sütlü kahve (coffee with milk).

When would I say yoğurtlu salatayı yapacağım with accusative?

Use accusative when the object is definite/specific or previously known:

Yoğurtlu salata yapacağım. = I’ll make a yogurt salad (some).
Yoğurtlu salatayı yapacağım. = I’ll make the yogurt salad (the one we mentioned/decided).

Is the semicolon normal in Turkish? What else could I use?

Yes, it’s used as in English to link closely related clauses. Alternatives:

A comma: … alıyorum, yoğurtlu salata yapacağım.
A conjunction: … alıyorum çünkü yoğurtlu salata yapacağım. (because)
Purpose with infinitive: Yoğurtlu salata yapmak için kıyma ve salatalık alıyorum. (I’m buying … in order to make …)

What’s the difference between ve and ile/-le/-la for “and”?

Both can mean “and.”

ve is the neutral conjunction: kıyma ve salatalık.
ile can be written separate or as clitic -le/-la. As a pure coordinator, you often attach it to the first item: annemle babam = my mom and dad. In object lists, ve is safest and unambiguous. Kıymayla salatalık can be read as coordination but may also suggest “cucumber with minced meat,” so prefer ve.

What exactly does kıyma mean? Do I need to specify the meat?

Kıyma = ground/minced meat in general. If needed, specify type:

dana kıyma (beef), kuzu kıyma (lamb), karışık kıyma (mixed).

What’s the difference between salatalık and salata?

salatalık = cucumber (literally “(thing) for salad,” lexicalized).
salata = salad. So salatalık is the vegetable; salata is the dish.

Could I say “I’m buying” with satın almak instead of almak?

Yes, but nuance:

almak commonly means “to buy” in shopping contexts.
satın almak emphasizes the act of purchasing (more formal/explicit). Both are fine; almak is more everyday.

How do I pronounce the special letters here?

ğ: lengthens the preceding vowel; it’s not a hard “g.” yoğurtlu ≈ “yoourtlu” (smooth glide).
ı (dotless i): a close back unrounded vowel, like the second vowel in “roses” for many English speakers. alıyorum ≈ “ah-luh-YO-rum.”
ç: like “ch” in “church.”

Can I change the order of the two objects: Salatalık ve kıyma alıyorum?

Yes. Within the object phrase, order is flexible. The main rule is that objects come before the verb: (Ben) salatalık ve kıyma alıyorum.

How do I explicitly say “some” or give a quantity?

Use quantifiers or numbers:

biraz kıyma (some minced meat)
birkaç salatalık (a few cucumbers)
200 gram kıyma, üç salatalık (200 grams, three cucumbers) Bare singular already implies an indefinite amount.

Can I use an infinitive clause to show purpose instead of the semicolon?

Yes: Yoğurtlu salata yapmak için kıyma ve salatalık alıyorum. = “I’m buying minced meat and cucumbers in order to make a yogurt salad.” This explicitly marks purpose with -mek için (“in order to”).