Learn Hardcore Turkish: Çilingiri çağıracaktım, anahtarı çantada buldum. - I was going to call the locksmith, but I found the key in the bag.

It’s the “future-in-the-past.” It means “I was going to call” or “I intended/was about to call.” In context, it usually implies the action didn’t happen (or was interrupted by new information).

How is çağıracaktım built morphologically?

çağır- (verb stem “to call/summon”)
-acak/-ecek (future marker; here: -acak by vowel harmony → çağıracak)
-tı/-di (past copular suffix “was/were”; here: -tı by vowel harmony → çağıracaktı)
-m (1st person singular → “I”) Result: çağır-acak-tı-m = “I was going to call.”

Does çağıracaktım mean I actually called?

No. By default, it signals an intended or planned action that did not occur (or whose occurrence is being contrasted). The second clause confirms the change of plan.

Why is çilingiri in the accusative (-i) case?

Accusative marks a specific/definite direct object. çilingiri suggests a particular locksmith (e.g., “the one we use” or one already mentioned). If you mean “a locksmith” non-specifically, you’d usually leave it bare or add bir: çilingir or bir çilingir.

Can I say çilingir çağıracaktım instead? What’s the difference?

Yes.

çilingir çağıracaktım = “I was going to call a locksmith” (indefinite, non-specific).
çilingiri çağıracaktım = “I was going to call the locksmith (we have in mind).” Both are grammatical; choose based on specificity.

Why is anahtarı accusative too?

Because it’s a definite key—the one that was lost/searched for.

anahtarı buldum = “I found the key (we’re talking about).”
anahtar buldum = “I found a key (some key).”

Why is it çantada and not çantamda?

çantada = “in the bag” (locative, no possessive). It implies a contextually known bag (e.g., the bag under discussion).
çantamda = “in my bag” (locative + 1st person possessive). In everyday speech, people often prefer çantamda here if they mean “my bag.”

Is çantamda fully acceptable here?

Absolutely. You could say: Çilingiri çağıracaktım, anahtarı çantamda buldum. That explicitly states it was in your own bag.

What does the comma do here? Could I add ama?

The comma links two related clauses and implies a contrast. Adding ama (“but”) makes the contrast explicit: Çilingiri çağıracaktım, ama anahtarı çantada buldum. Both are fine.

Are there other natural ways to connect the clauses?

Yes:

Çilingiri çağıracaktım da anahtarı çantada buldum. (colloquial “but/and then” feel)
Anahtarı çantada bulunca çilingiri çağırmaktan vazgeçtim. (“When I found it … I gave up calling”)
Çilingiri çağırmayacaktım çünkü anahtarı çantada buldum. (“… because …”)

Why not use çağırıyordum for “I was going to call”?

çağırıyordum = “I was calling” (the action was already in progress).
çağıracaktım = “I was going to call” (planned/expected but not started). They’re different aspects.

Can I change the word order in the second clause?

Yes, Turkish is flexible:

Anahtarı çantada buldum. (neutral)
Çantada anahtarı buldum. (focus on “in the bag”)
Anahtarı buldum çantada. (end-focus on location, more colloquial) Keep the verb typically at the end for neutral tone.

Is çağırmak the best verb, or should it be aramak?

çağırmak = to call/summon someone to come (arrange their visit).
aramak = to call by phone.
Both are possible: Çilingiri çağıracaktım (get them to come) vs. Çilingiri arayacaktım (phone them).

How do I say this for other persons?

Use the same stack with person endings:

(you) çağıracaktın
(he/she) çağıracaktı
(we) çağıracaktık
(you pl.) çağıracaktınız
(they) çağıracaklardı

What governs the shapes of the case suffixes like -ı/-i/-u/-ü and -da/-de/-ta/-te?

Vowel harmony and consonant voicing:

Accusative: -ı/-i/-u/-ü matches the last vowel (e.g., anahtar-ı, evi, oku-lu → context-dependent).
Locative: -da/-de/-ta/-te: choose a/ e by vowel harmony and d/ t by final consonant voicing. çanta ends with a vowel, so -da → çantada.

Do I need an object pronoun like onu here?

No. The noun itself is the object. Onu çağıracaktım only makes sense if you’ve already said who “o” is and you’re replacing the noun with a pronoun.

Is leaving out bir okay for an indefinite object?

Yes. In affirmative sentences, bare objects are commonly used for indefinites: çilingir çağıracaktım is natural. Add bir only if you want to emphasize “one (single) locksmith.”

How can I emphasize “I almost called (but didn’t)”?

Use an adverb like az kalsın or tam:

Az kalsın çilingiri çağıracaktım; anahtarı çantada buldum.
Tam çilingiri çağıracaktım ki anahtarı çantada buldum.