Questions & Answers about Sana rastladım; tesadüf bu ya, ben de tam seni arayacaktım.
Why is it sana with rastladım? Shouldn’t it be seni?
In Turkish, the verb rastlamak (to run into) takes the dative case (-e/-a). So you say birine rastlamak → sana rastladım. By contrast, aramak (to call/search) takes a direct object in the accusative, so it’s seni aramak. That’s why the same sentence has both sana (to you) and seni (you, as object).
What tense is arayacaktım, and what nuance does it have?
Arayacaktım is the “future-in-the-past” (prospective past): “I was going to call.” It’s formed as ara-y-acak-tı-m (stem + buffer y + future -AcAk + past of “to be” -tı + 1sg -m). It often implies an intention that existed at that time, whether or not it happened.
What does tam add to ben de tam seni arayacaktım?
Tam means “exactly/just.” Here it gives the sense “I was just about to call you.” You can also hear tam da, which adds a bit more emphasis: Ben de tam da seni arayacaktım. Without tam, it’s simply “I was going to call you,” with less “right-that-moment” feel.
Could I say tam seni arıyordum instead of tam seni arayacaktım?
Yes, but the nuance shifts. Tam seni arıyordum = “I was in the middle of calling you (right then).” Tam seni arayacaktım = “I was just about to call you (imminent intention).” Both are natural; choose based on whether you mean ongoing action vs. imminent plan.