Learn Hardcore Turkish: Ben parkta eski arkadaşıma rastladım.

Ben = I
park-ta = in/at the park (noun park
- locative suffix -ta)
eski arkadaş-ım-a = to my old friend (noun arkadaş
- 1st-person possessive -ım “my” + dative -a “to”)
rastla-dı-m = I ran into (verb stem rastla- “run into, come across” + past -dı
- 1st-person -m)

So, literally: I in-the-park to-my-old-friend ran-into.

Why is it arkadaşıma (dative) and not arkadaşımı (accusative)?

Because the verb rastlamak governs the dative case. In Turkish, certain verbs require particular cases on the noun they interact with. For rastlamak the person/thing you happen to meet takes the dative (-a/-e). Using the accusative (-ı/-i) would be ungrammatical here.

Correct: Eski arkadaşıma rastladım. = I ran into my old friend.
Wrong: Eski arkadaşımı rastladım. (accusative with rastlamak)

Do I have to say Ben, or can I drop it?

You can drop it. The ending -m on rastladım already shows the subject is “I.” Use Ben only for emphasis or contrast.

Parkta eski arkadaşıma rastladım. = I ran into my old friend in the park.
Ben parkta… adds “I (as opposed to someone else)…”

Why is it parkta and not parka?

parkta uses the locative -ta meaning “in/at the park.”
parka would be the dative “to the park,” used with motion (e.g., parka gidiyorum = I’m going to the park). Here there’s no motion; the meeting happened in the park.

Why is it ta (parkta) and not da (parkda)?

The locative alternates between -da/-de and -ta/-te. After a voiceless consonant (p, ç, t, k, f, s, ş, h), Turkish uses the voiceless variant -ta/-te. Since “park” ends in k (voiceless), you get parkta.

What exactly does eski mean here? “Old” in age or “former”?

Eski most literally means “former/old (from before).” It usually implies “someone I knew from earlier times,” not necessarily old in age. For aged/elderly, use yaşlı.

eski arkadaşım = an old friend (from before) / sometimes “former friend” depending on context
yaşlı arkadaşım = my elderly friend

Does eski arkadaşım sound like “my ex-friend”? How can I avoid that?

Context decides, but to avoid the “ex-friend” reading and highlight the “old acquaintance” sense:

eski bir arkadaşım = an old friend of mine (indefinite)
çok eski bir arkadaşım = a very old friend of mine (clearer)
uzun zamandır arkadaşım = a friend I’ve had for a long time

How do I say “I ran into one of my old friends”?

Eski arkadaşlarımdan birine rastladım. (literally: I ran into one of my old friends.) You can also say: Eski bir arkadaşıma rastladım. (an old friend of mine), which is indefinite.

Could I use karşılaştım or denk geldim instead of rastladım?

Yes, and the case patterns change:

karşılaşmak typically uses the comitative -la/-le: Eski arkadaşımla karşılaştım. (I bumped into my old friend.)
denk gelmek uses dative: Eski arkadaşıma denk geldim. (colloquial, very common)
rast gelmek also exists (dative): Eski arkadaşıma rast geldim. (somewhat more formal/literary) All express an unplanned encounter; nuances are subtle and regional.

What’s the difference between rastladım and gördüm?

rastlamak implies chance/serendipity (to run into).
görmek is simply “to see,” without implying it was accidental. For example: Parkta eski arkadaşımı gördüm. = I saw my old friend (I noticed him/her). This doesn’t necessarily mean you met or talked.

How flexible is the word order?

Quite flexible, with the element right before the verb getting focus/emphasis:

Parkta eski arkadaşıma rastladım. (neutral; sets the scene as “in the park”)
Eski arkadaşıma parkta rastladım. (emphasis on whom you ran into)
Ben parkta eski arkadaşıma rastladım. (contrastive “I”) All remain grammatical; choose based on what you want to highlight.

How do I negate or ask a yes/no question with this verb?

Negative: Ben parkta eski arkadaşıma rastlamadım. (I did not run into…)
Yes/no question: Ben parkta eski arkadaşıma rastladım mı? (Did I run into…?) Colloquially, you’ll often drop Ben: Parkta eski arkadaşıma rastladım mı?

Why is the past tense -dı and not -ti here?

The past suffix alternates based on vowel harmony and voicing:

Vowel harmony: after a back unrounded vowel (a/ı), you get -dı.
Voicing: after a voiced sound, you keep d; after a voiceless consonant, it surfaces as t. Since rastla- ends in a vowel/sound that doesn’t force devoicing, you get rastla-dı-m.

How do I pronounce the dotless ı in arkadaşıma and rastladım?

Turkish ı (dotless) sounds like the vowel in English “roses” final syllable or a very short, central “uh.” It is not the same as i. So:

ar-ka-da-şı-ma (the şı is “sh-uh”)
rast-la-dım (final syllable “duhm”)

Why is there no word for “the” or “a” in parkta?

Turkish has no articles like English “the/a” by default. Definiteness is shown through context, word order, or sometimes demonstratives (o/şu/bu). Parkta can mean “in a park” or “in the park” depending on context. If you must be specific, you can say:

o parkta = in that (specific) park
bir parkta = in a park

Is there any hidden possessive in arkadaşıma?

Yes. arkadaş-ım-a contains the 1st-person possessive -ım (“my friend”) before the dative -a. In Turkish, possessive comes before case.

If it were “to his/her friend,” it would be arkadaşı-na (note the buffer -n- appears with 3rd-person possessive when you add a case).

Do I need a buffer letter when adding -a to arkadaşım?

No. arkadaşım ends with a consonant (m), so you attach -a directly: arkadaşıma. Buffer letters appear when the preceding sound is a vowel:

araba + a → arabaya (buffer y)
arkadaşı + a → arkadaşına (with 3rd-person possessive, buffer n is used)

Does rastlamak already imply chance, or should I add tesadüfen?

rastlamak already implies chance. You can add tesadüfen (by coincidence) for emphasis:

Tesadüfen parkta eski arkadaşıma rastladım. (I happened to run into… by coincidence.)

Could I just say Parkta eski arkadaşımla karşılaştım instead?

Yes, that’s very natural. It shifts the verb to karşılaşmak and changes the case on “friend” from dative to comitative:

Parkta eski arkadaşımla karşılaştım. (= I ran into my old friend in the park.) Both sentences are fine; pick the verb you prefer.