Learn Hardcore Turkish: Oğlan kaydıraktan iki kez kaydı.

It’s the ablative case (-den/-dan/-ten/-tan), meaning “from/off (the) slide.” With motion away or downward, Turkish marks the source with the ablative: kaydıraktan kaydı ≈ “slid down/off the slide.”

Why is it -tan and not -dan?

Two rules:

Consonant harmony: After a voiceless final consonant (like k), the ablative’s initial d becomes t → -tan/-ten.
Vowel harmony: The last vowel of kaydırak is back (a), so choose a → -tan. Hence: kaydırak + -tan → kaydıraktan. Compare: evden, kitaptan, uçaktan.

Why not use dative (kaydırağa) or locative (kaydırakta)?

Dative (-a/-e) marks a goal/destination, “to the slide,” which is not intended.
Locative (-ta/-te) marks location “at/on the slide,” not the path. For “down/off a surface” with kaymak (slide), the natural choice is ablative: kaydıraktan kaydı. You can also say kaydıraktan aşağı kaydı to make “down” explicit.

Can I add aşağı (“down”) here?

Yes. Both are idiomatic:

Kaydıraktan aşağı kaydı.
Kaydıraktan aşağıya kaydı. The version without -ya is more common. It simply emphasizes the downward direction.

What is kaydı morphologically?

It’s the simple past of kaymak (to slide/slip):

Stem kay-
- past suffix -DI (harmonized to -dı) + 3sg (zero) → kaydı. Full paradigm: kaydım, kaydın, kaydı, kaydık, kaydınız, kaydılar.

Could kaydı be confused with “record/registration”?

In isolation, yes: the noun kayıt with 3sg possessive is kaydı (“his/her record/registration”). In this sentence, the ablative phrase kaydıraktan and the meaning of kaymak make the verbal reading clear.

Is kaymak transitive? Do I need an object?

Kaymak is intransitive; you don’t take a direct object. If you cause someone/something to slide, use the causative kaydırmak:

Çocuğu kaydıraktan kaydırdı. (“He/She made the child slide down the slide.”)

Why use oğlan instead of erkek çocuk or çocuk?

oğlan: “boy” (male child); common, slightly colloquial/old-fashioned in some regions.
erkek çocuk: explicitly “male child,” neutral.
çocuk: gender-neutral “child.” All are acceptable; choose based on nuance and context.

How do I show “a boy” vs “the boy” in Turkish?

Turkish has no articles. Oğlan can mean “the boy” or “a boy” depending on context. To make “a” explicit, use bir oğlan. Definiteness is inferred from discourse, not marked on the noun.

Where can I place iki kez (“twice”)?

Adverbials usually go before the verb. Both are natural:

Oğlan iki kez kaydıraktan kaydı.
Oğlan kaydıraktan iki kez kaydı. Word order in Turkish is flexible; moving elements changes emphasis more than grammaticality.

Differences among iki kez, iki kere, and iki defa?

All mean “twice” and are interchangeable here.

kez: neutral to slightly formal; common in writing.
kere: very common in speech.
defa: also common; slightly bookish in some contexts.

Can I pluralize kez or add case to it (e.g., “iki keze”)?

No. As a counter, kez stays bare: iki kez, üç kez, birkaç kez. Don’t say “iki kezler” or “iki keze” in this usage.

Why doesn’t kaydırak soften to kaydırağ- in kaydıraktan?

Consonant softening (final k → ğ) happens before vowel-initial suffixes: kaydırak + -a → kaydırağa. The ablative starts with a consonant (-dan/-tan), so the k stays: kaydıraktan.

Any pronunciation tips for this sentence?

ğ in oğlan lengthens the preceding vowel; it’s not a hard “g” (roughly “oːlan”).
ı (dotless i) in kaydı/kaydıraktan is a back unrounded vowel [ɯ]; not like English “i.”
-tan has a clear voiceless t.

Can I omit the place phrase?

Yes: Oğlan iki kez kaydı simply means “The boy slid/slipped twice.” Without kaydıraktan, context decides whether it’s sliding down something or slipping (e.g., on ice).

How do I ask a yes/no question or focus on “twice”?

Use the question particle mi (harmonized form):

Neutral yes/no: Oğlan kaydıraktan iki kez kaydı mı?
Focus on frequency: Oğlan kaydıraktan iki kez mi kaydı? (Was it twice?)