Learn Hardcore Turkish: Normalde erken kalkarım; bugün, tam tersine, biraz geç uyandım. - I usually get up early; today, on the contrary, I woke up a bit late.

Kalkarım is the aorist (habitual/generic present). It describes a regular habit: “I (normally) get up early.” It’s the natural choice with adverbs like normalde to express what you usually do.

Could I say kalkıyorum instead of kalkarım?

Yes, but there’s a nuance. Kalkarım states a general habit, timelessly. Kalkıyorum (present continuous) suggests a current routine or pattern “these days/around now.” In this sentence, kalkarım fits better with the idea of a general habit.

How is kalkarım formed morphologically?

Root: kalk- (to get up)
Aorist marker: -Ar
1st person singular: -(I)m Together: kalk-ar-ım → “I (habitually) get up.”

Why is it kalkarım, not “kalkırım”?

In the aorist, some verbs take the variant -Ar (e.g., kalkar), while others take -Ir (e.g., gelir). Which one appears is largely lexically determined; you learn it with the verb. For kalk-, the aorist is kalkar → kalkarım.

Why does the second clause use past tense uyandım?