Learn Hardcore Turkish: Gündüz çalıştıktan sonra akşamleyin kısa bir gezinti yapmayı seviyorum. - After working during the day, I like to take a short stroll in the evening.

çalış- (to work) + -dık (becomes -tık by consonant harmony) + -tan
- sonra → çalıştıktan sonra = “after working.”
The postposition sonra requires the Ablative case (‑dan/‑den/‑tan/‑ten), which is why you see -tan here.
Other examples: okuduktan sonra (after reading), yemekten sonra (after the meal), ders bittikten sonra (after class finishes).

Why is it çalıştıktan with a t, not çalışdıktan?

Because of consonant assimilation. The suffix begins with d, but after a voiceless consonant like ş, d devoices to t. So:

çalış + dık → çalıştık (then add Ablative: çalıştıktan). This is a regular phonological rule in Turkish.

Does çalıştıktan indicate past tense?

No. Here -dık is part of a converbial construction, not the simple past. The time reference comes from the main verb (seviyorum). çalıştıktan sonra just means “after working,” relative to the main clause, not “after I worked (in the past).”

Why use akşamleyin instead of akşam or akşamları?

akşamleyin = “in the evening (at evening time).” It’s a time adverb formed with -leyin.
akşam can also mean “this evening/at evening,” but it’s more general and can be ambiguous without context.
akşamları = “in the evenings (habitually).” In your sentence, akşamleyin fits well. If you want to stress a habit, you could say: Akşamları kısa bir gezinti yapmayı severim.

What does -leyin in akşamleyin do? Are there other words like this?

-leyin makes a time-of-day adverb: “at/during [that time].”

Common forms: sabahleyin (in the morning), öğleyin (at midday), akşamleyin (in the evening), geceleyin (at night).

What does gündüz add here? Could I use gündüzleri?

gündüz means “during the day / in the daytime (that day).” It contrasts with akşamleyin to show “daytime work vs. evening stroll.”

gündüzleri means “by day / during the days (habitually).” It’s fine if you recast for a habitual statement, e.g., Gündüzleri çalışırım; akşamları kısa bir gezinti yapmayı severim. In your original, gündüz is natural and sufficient.

Why is it kısa bir gezinti and where does bir go with adjectives?

In Turkish, with an adjective, the usual order is Adjective + bir + Noun:

kısa bir gezinti = “a short stroll.” You could drop bir in some contexts, but here kısa bir gezinti is the idiomatic choice. Placing bir before the adjective (e.g., bir kısa gezinti) is generally not used in standard prose unless for special emphasis in colloquial speech.

Why say gezinti yapmayı seviyorum instead of gezmeyi seviyorum or yürüyüşe çıkmayı seviyorum?

All are acceptable, with slight nuance:

kısa bir gezinti yapmayı = “to take a short stroll” (noun + light verb collocation).
gezmeyi = “to wander/stroll around” (more general; can imply roaming or sightseeing).
yürüyüşe çıkmayı = “to go for a (fitness) walk.” Choose based on the feel you want; your version is perfectly natural.

Why is yapmayı in the accusative (-yı)? Could I use yapmak instead?

You’re using the verbal noun -ma/-me as the object of sevmek:

yap-ma-y-ı sev-iyor-um → “I like doing (it).”
- -ma nominalizes the verb.
- -y- is a buffer consonant.
- -ı is the Accusative marking the object. With sevmek/sevmemek, the -mayı/-meyi form is standard and natural. Yapmak seviyorum is not idiomatic. (With verbs like istemek, both -mek and -meyi can appear, with subtle nuance; but with sevmek, use -meyi.)

What’s the difference between seviyorum and severim here?

seviyorum (present continuous) often conveys a current, felt preference: “I like (this) / I’m into (this).”
severim (aorist/simple present) states a general, habitual liking: “I like (as a rule).” Both could work. If you want a timeless habit, severim is slightly more canonical; seviyorum is very common in everyday speech too.

Is the word order fixed? Can I move the time phrases?

You can move adverbials to change focus:

Akşamleyin, gündüz çalıştıktan sonra kısa bir gezinti yapmayı seviyorum.
Kısa bir gezinti yapmayı, gündüz çalıştıktan sonra akşamleyin seviyorum. (oddly focused, but grammatical) Turkish is flexible; earlier placement gives emphasis. The original order is natural and neutral.

Do I need both gündüz and akşamleyin? Isn’t sonra enough?

They’re not redundant; they clarify two distinct time frames:

gündüz çalıştıktan sonra = the work happens in the day.
akşamleyin = the stroll is in the evening. Without akşamleyin, it could sound like you stroll right after finishing work (not necessarily in the evening). With both, the timeline is clear.

Could I say işten sonra instead of çalıştıktan sonra?

Yes:

işten sonra = “after work (after you leave your workplace/shift).”
çalıştıktan sonra = “after having worked.” They often overlap; işten sonra is a bit more idiomatic for “after work (day).”

Can I use -ip instead of -dıktan sonra, as in: Gündüz çalışıp akşamleyin kısa bir gezinti yapmayı seviyorum?

Yes. -ip links sequential actions (“do X and then do Y”). The nuance:

-dıktan sonra explicitly encodes “after.”
-ip is lighter, “work and then (I) like to take…” Both are fine; don’t combine -ip with sonra in the same spot.

Could I just say kısa bir gezinti seviyorum?

That’s not idiomatic. sevmek usually takes a definite noun in Accusative (referring to a specific thing) or a verbal noun for activities:

Specific thing: Kısa bir gezintiyi seviyorum (I like that particular short stroll).
Activity (generic): Kısa bir gezinti yapmayı seviyorum (I like taking a short stroll). Use this in your sentence.

Do sonra and önce always take the Ablative?

Yes, when used as postpositions after a noun/verb-noun:

yemekten sonra / dersten sonra / işten önce / çalışmadan önce With verb bases, you’ll see patterns like:
-dikt(en) sonra (after doing), -meden/-madan önce (before doing, without doing).