Learn Hardcore Turkish: Normalde sabahları parkta koşuyorum, ama bugün evde kalıyorum. - Normally I run in the park in the mornings, but today I am staying at home.

Because sabahları means “in the mornings (habitually)”. It signals a repeated routine. Plain sabah usually refers to one morning (today/that morning) or a single occasion. So:

sabahları = in the mornings, on mornings (as a habit)
sabah = in the morning (one time) or today’s morning, depending on context

What exactly is the -ları in sabahları doing?

It’s the plural -lar/-ler plus the accusative -ı/-i, creating a so‑called “temporal accusative” that turns time words into habitual time expressions: sabah + lar + ı → sabahları “in the mornings.” Common patterns:

akşamları “in the evenings”
geceleri “at nights”
pazartesileri “on Mondays”

Could I say her sabah instead of sabahları? Any difference?

Yes. Her sabah is “every morning” (a bit more literal and regular), while sabahları is “in the mornings” (habitual, a little looser). They overlap a lot; use either. If you want to stress strict regularity, her sabah does that slightly more.

Why is it parkta and not parka?

Because parkta (park + ta) is the locative case “in/at the park.” Par ka would be the dative “to the park,” i.e. direction. Compare:

parkta koşuyorum = I’m running in the park (location)
parka koşuyorum = I’m running to the park (destination)

Could I say koşarım instead of koşuyorum?

Yes. Koşarım (aorist) states a general, timeless habit. Koşuyorum (present continuous) can also express a habit when combined with adverbs like “normally,” but it feels more like a current routine or what you tend to do these days. Both are correct here; koşarım is a touch more neutral/formal, koşuyorum more colloquial/“current.”

Why is the present continuous (-yor) used to talk about a routine?

In Turkish, -yor is widely used for routines when there’s a regular time expression (e.g., normalde, her gün, sabahları). It covers both “I am doing” and “I (usually) do” depending on context. English separates these meanings more strictly; Turkish doesn’t need to.

Do I need to say the pronoun ben?

No. The ending -um in koşuyorum/kalıyorum already marks first person singular. You add ben only for emphasis or contrast (e.g., “I, not someone else”): Ben normalde… ama bugün ben evde kalıyorum.

Is the word order (Normalde sabahları parkta koşuyorum) fixed?

Default neutral order is roughly: time > place > verb. So “Normalde sabahları (time) parkta (place) koşuyorum (verb)” is very natural. You can reorder for emphasis, but don’t scramble it too much. For example, “Bugün evde kalıyorum, ama normalde sabahları parkta koşuyorum” is also very natural.

Do I need a comma before ama? Could I use fakat or ancak?

A comma before ama is common when joining two independent clauses. Without it, it’s still readable. Ama is everyday “but.” Fakat is a bit more formal. Ancak is closer to “however” and feels more formal/contrastive; it can also mean “only” in other contexts.

Why is it evde with -de but parkta with -ta?

It’s vowel harmony and consonant voicing:

Locative is -DA with four forms: -da, -de, -ta, -te.
After a voiceless consonant, it becomes -ta/-te; after a vowel or voiced consonant, -da/-de.
“park” ends in voiceless k and has a back vowel → parkta.
“ev” ends in voiced v and has a front vowel → evde.

How are koşuyorum and kalıyorum formed?

koş-uyor-um: stem koş-
- progressive -uyor (rounded/back because of “o”) + 1sg -um. The y is a buffer.
kal-ıyor-um: stem kal-
- progressive -ıyor (back/unrounded because of “a”) + 1sg -um. The progressive vowel (ı/i/u/ü) is chosen by vowel harmony based on the last vowel of the stem.

What’s the difference between evde kalıyorum and evdeyim?

Evde kalıyorum = I’m staying at home (it emphasizes the act/decision of staying, often by choice or plan).
Evdeyim = I am at home (simply states current location). With “bugün,” both work, but the first highlights your plan for today; the second just says where you are.

Can I say Bugün kalıyorum evde?

It’s understandable but marked. The neutral order is Bugün evde kalıyorum (time > place > verb). Moving pieces around creates emphasis, but overdoing it can sound odd unless you have a specific contrast in mind.

Is bugün one word? Any related forms to know?

Yes, bugün is one word (“today”). Related:

bugünlerde = these days
bugünkü = today’s Note: her gün (“every day”) is two words, but bugün is one.

Could I say koşu yapmak or koşuya çıkmak instead of koşmak?

Yes, but with nuance:

koşmak is the simplest and most common (“to run”).
koşuya çıkmak = “to go (out) for a run” (very idiomatic).
koşu yapmak is understood (“do a run”), but everyday speech prefers koşmak or koşuya çıkmak.