Learn Hardcore Turkish: Toplantıdan sonra doğruca eve gideceğim. - I’ll go straight home after the meeting.

Toplantı-dan: meeting + ablative (-DAn) = from the meeting
sonra: after (a postposition)
doğruca: straight, directly (adverb; “without stopping/without detours”)
ev-e: house + dative (-A) = to (the) house/home
git-ecek-im → gideceğim: go + future + 1sg = I will go (with sound changes, explained below)

Why is it toplantıdan (with -dan) and not something else?

Because sonra (after) requires the preceding noun to be in the ablative case (-DAn). Vowel harmony chooses -dan (not -den/-dun/-dün) because the last vowel of toplantı is back and unrounded (ı). The consonant is d (not t) because the word ends in a vowel; the -D- of the suffix only hardens to -t- after a voiceless consonant.

Why is it eve and not ev or evde/evden?

ev-e (dative) = to home (direction toward a place)
evde (locative) = at home (location)
evden (ablative) = from home (movement away) You need the dative because the verb is one of motion toward a destination: eve gideceğim = I will go home.

Do I need to say evime to mean “my home”?

No. In everyday Turkish, eve usually implies “(to) my home” if the context is you talking about where you’re going. Evime is also correct and can be used for emphasis or to contrast with someone else’s home, but it’s not required.

What nuance does doğruca add? Could I omit it?

doğruca means “straight/directly (there), without stopping or detouring.” If you omit it, Eve gideceğim simply says you’ll go home, with no extra nuance about not stopping elsewhere. Including doğruca emphasizes “straight home.”

Can I replace doğruca with other words like doğrudan, direkt, hemen, or -e doğru?

doğrudan: “directly,” often used for processes/relations (e.g., directly from the source). With motion it can work, but it sounds a bit more formal/neutral than “straight home.”
direkt: colloquial “directly,” common in speech: Toplantıdan sonra direkt eve gideceğim.
hemen: “immediately/right away,” about time rather than route: Toplantıdan sonra hemen eve gideceğim = I’ll go home right away after the meeting.
ev-e doğru: “toward home,” expresses direction without guaranteeing arrival or “no detours.” You could say: Toplantıdan sonra eve doğru gideceğim, but it’s a different nuance from “straight home.”

Where can I place doğruca? Is the word order fixed?

Word order is flexible. Common options:

Toplantıdan sonra doğruca eve gideceğim.
Toplantıdan sonra eve doğruca gideceğim. Both are natural. Turkish tends to put the verb last; elements before the verb are ordered for emphasis. Placing doğruca right before what it modifies (the destination or the verb) is very typical.

Why does Turkish put the verb at the end here?

Turkish is generally verb-final (SOV). Time expressions (like Toplantıdan sonra) often come early, then manner/destination, then the verb: [time] [manner] [place] [verb]. You can reorder constituents to emphasize different parts, but the verb typically stays at the end.

How is gideceğim formed from gitmek?

Verb stem: git- (to go)
Future suffix: -(y)AcAk → with front-vowel harmony it becomes -ecek after git-
Certain verbs (including git-) show stem alternation before vowel-initial suffixes: t → d → git- + ecek → gidecek
Add 1st person singular: -im
In the future, the final -k of -ecek softens to -ğ- before a vowel-initial personal ending: gidecek + im → gideceğim So: git- + -ecek + -im → gideceğim

How do I pronounce gideceğim and what does ğ sound like?

c is like English “j” in “jam.”
ğ (yumuşak g, “soft g”) isn’t a hard consonant; it lengthens or glides the preceding vowel. In gideceğim, it lengthens the e: roughly “gee-de-JE-eem.” Don’t pronounce ğ like a hard “g.”

Why use the future (gideceğim) instead of the present continuous (gidiyorum) or aorist (giderim)?

gideceğim: a plan/intention or scheduled future action (“I will go”).
gidiyorum: present continuous, also used for near-certain near-future plans (“I’m going [to go]”), very common in speech.
giderim: aorist/habitual; suggests regularity or a general tendency (“I (usually) go”). Not right for a one-time plan.

How do I negate or ask a question with this sentence?

Negative: Toplantıdan sonra doğruca eve gitmeyeceğim. (git-me-yecek-im)
Yes/no question: Toplantıdan sonra doğruca eve gidecek miyim? (Question particle mi is separate and takes vowel harmony: mi/ mı/ mu/ mü.)

Is a comma needed after Toplantıdan sonra?

Not required. You may add a comma for clarity in longer sentences, but in a short sentence like this it’s usually written without one.

Could I say Toplantıdan sonra vs Toplantıdan önce? What’s the pattern?

Yes:

-dan sonra = after (from X, after)
-dan önce = before (from X, before) Examples: Dersten sonra… (after class), Yemekten önce… (before the meal)