Bugün işleri rastgele seçmedim; acil olanları öne aldım.

I didn’t pick tasks at random today; I prioritized the urgent ones.

Breakdown of Bugün işleri rastgele seçmedim; acil olanları öne aldım.

• olmak: to be
• bugün: today
• iş: the task
• acil: urgent
• rastgele: at random
• seçmek: to pick
• öne almak: to prioritize

Questions & Answers about Bugün işleri rastgele seçmedim; acil olanları öne aldım.

What does the ending in işleri do? Why not just işler or iş?

• iş = task/work (singular, no case)
• işler = tasks (plural, unmarked; often used as a subject)
• işleri = the tasks (plural, definite direct object; accusative)

In Turkish, a specific/definite direct object takes the accusative -(y)i. Here, işleri means “the tasks (we’re talking about).”

If you mean it in a nonspecific way, you’d typically drop the accusative and even the plural:

• Bugün rastgele iş seçmedim. = I didn’t pick tasks at random (nonspecific).

Why is there no subject pronoun like ben?

Turkish is a pro-drop language. The person/number is encoded in the verb ending:

• seçme-di-m, al-dı-m → the final -m already means “I,” so ben is optional and used only for emphasis.

How are the verbs seçmedim and aldım built?

• seç-me-di-m: seç (choose) + -me (negation) + -di (past) + -m (1st sg) → “I didn’t choose.”
• al-dı-m: al (take) + -dı (past) + -m (1st sg) → “I took.”

What exactly is acil olanları? Why do we need olan?

acil is an adjective (“urgent”). To say “the ones that are urgent,” Turkish commonly uses a participle of olmak:

• acil ol-an = “the one that is urgent”
• acil olan-lar = “the ones that are urgent”
• acil olan-lar-ı = accusative (definite object): “the urgent ones”

So acil olanları literally means “those that are urgent” and functions as the object of aldım.

Could I just say acilleri instead of acil olanları?

You can, but be careful with nuance:

• acilleri can mean “the urgent ones,” but acil is also used as a noun for the emergency department (ER). So acilleri öne aldım might be read as “I prioritized the emergencies/ER cases.”
• acil olanları is unambiguous: “the ones that are urgent.”

If you specifically mean “the most urgent ones,” say en acil olanları.

Why is it öne and not önde?

Case matters:

• öne = “to the front” (dative, direction/motion)
• önde = “at the front” (locative, location)

Since almak implies moving something, öne is correct. Önde aldım would be ungrammatical here.

What does the expression öne almak mean?

Literally “to take to the front,” and idiomatically:

• to prioritize,
• to move up in order or schedule,
• to put first.

Near-synonyms:

• öncelik vermek (to give priority),
• önceliklendirmek (to prioritize; business/tech register),
• öne çekmek (to move earlier in time),
• öne çıkarmak (to bring to the fore/highlight).

Can I say öne getirdim or öne koydum instead of öne aldım?

• öne getirmek is understandable but less idiomatic for “prioritize.”
• öne koymak fits physical placement; figuratively it can work but is less common than öne almak for prioritizing.
• For schedules, öne çekmek is natural; for highlighting, öne çıkarmak is better.

Where can rastgele go, and does its position change the meaning?

As an adverb, it usually sits near the verb:

• … işleri rastgele seçmedim (neutral).
• Rastgele … seçmedim (fronted for emphasis).

If you put it directly before a noun, it becomes an adjective:

• rastgele işler = “random tasks.” So Rastgele işleri seçmedim means “I didn’t choose the random tasks,” which is different from “I didn’t choose randomly.”

Is rastgele the same as gelişigüzel or tesadüfen? Any spelling notes?

• rastgele = at random (random method/without plan).
• gelişigüzel = haphazardly/carelessly (sloppy rather than strictly random).
• tesadüfen = by coincidence (not planned, but not a selection method).

Standard spelling is rastgele (with a t). You may see rasgele informally. The fisherman’s greeting is also written Rastgele!

Why is there a semicolon? Could I use a comma or a conjunction?

A semicolon (;) neatly links two closely related independent clauses. In everyday Turkish, a comma is often used:

• Bugün işleri rastgele seçmedim, acil olanları öne aldım. You can also add a linker:
• …, bu yüzden … (therefore),
• …, ama … (but),
• …, çünkü … (because).

If these are my tasks, shouldn’t it be işlerimi?

Yes, if you mean “my tasks,” use the possessive:

• işler-im-i = my tasks (definite object) Example: Bugün işlerimi rastgele seçmedim.

Without possessive (işleri), it means “the tasks” known from context (e.g., team tasks). For a nonspecific object, use no accusative:

• Bugün rastgele iş seçmedim.

Can I change the word order for emphasis?

Yes. Turkish uses word order to highlight information:

• Bugün işleri rastgele seçmedim. (neutral; sets time first)
• İşleri bugün rastgele seçmedim. (emphasizes “today”)
• Rastgele seçmedim bugün işleri. (colloquial; emphasizes the manner)

The version in your sentence is the most neutral and clear.

Could I use other tenses like seçmezdim, seçmemiştim, or seçmiyorum?

• seçmezdim = I wouldn’t choose / I used not to choose (habitual or conditional).
• seçmemiştim = I hadn’t chosen (pluperfect; before another past reference point).
• seçmiyorum = I’m not choosing (right now/ongoing).

seçmedim is a simple completed past, which suits a summary of what you did today.

Why is it işler-i but olanlar-ı? How does vowel harmony pick i/ı/u/ü?

The accusative -(y)i follows 4-way vowel harmony based on the last vowel of the word:

• Last vowel e/i → -i (front unrounded): işler-i
• Last vowel ö/ü → -ü (front rounded): gönüller-ü (hypothetical), göz-ü
• Last vowel a/ı → -ı (back unrounded): olanlar-ı, kitap-ı
• Last vowel o/u → -u (back rounded): konu-lar-ı → konular-ı (object), okul-u

So işleri takes -i (from e), while olanları takes -ı (from a).