Learn Hardcore Turkish: Telefonum çalarken toplantıdaydım, açamadım. - While my phone was ringing, I was in a meeting and couldn’t answer.

Telefon-um
- telefon = phone
- -um = my (1st person singular possessive)
  → telefonum = my phone
çalar-ken
- çal- = ring / play / steal (here: ring)
- -ar = aorist suffix (used here to form while it was ringing)
- -ken = while / when
  → çalarken = while (it) was ringing
toplantı-da-ydı-m
- toplantı = meeting
- -da = in / at (locative case)
- -ydı = past of to be (was)
- -m = I (1st person singular)
  → toplantıdaydım = I was in a meeting
aça-ma-dı-m
- aç- = open (for phones: answer, pick up)
- -a- = linking vowel
- -ma = not able to / cannot (negative potential)
- -dı = simple past (did)
- -m = I
  → açamadım = I couldn’t answer (it) / I wasn’t able to pick up.

Where is the subject “I” in this sentence? Why is there no ben?

Turkish usually drops personal pronouns because the verb ending already shows who the subject is.

In toplantıdaydım:
- -m at the end means I. So the whole thing means I was in a meeting.
In açamadım:
- Again, -m at the end means I. So it means I couldn’t answer.

You could say Ben toplantıdaydım, açamadım, but that usually sounds like you are emphasizing I (e.g. I was in the meeting (not someone else)). In neutral sentences, Turks just omit ben.

What is the difference between telefon, telefonum, and telefonu?

telefon = phone (no possessor, no case)
telefon-um
- -um = my
  → telefonum = my phone
telefon-u
- -u = accusative case (the phone as a definite object: the phone / his-her phone (as object), depending on context)
  → telefonu can mean:
- the phone (object) — e.g. Telefonu açtım = I picked up the phone
- his/her phone (when possession is clear from context or earlier in the sentence).

In Telefonum çalarken, telefonum must be my phone because of the 1st person possessive ending.

What exactly does çalarken mean and how is it formed?

çalarken means while (it) was ringing or when (it) was ringing.

Formation:

çal- = verb stem ring / play / steal
-ar = aorist suffix (3rd person singular, çalar = it rings)
-ken = while / when

So literally çalarken = while it rings → functionally while it was ringing in this past context.

You can think of -ken as a “while doing X” marker. It attaches to verb stems like gel-ir-ken (while coming), git-er-ken (while going), çalar-ken (while ringing).

Does çalmak always mean “to ring”? I’ve seen it mean “to steal” or “to play (an instrument)” too.

çalmak is quite polysemous; it has several common meanings:

(Phone / alarm / bell) çalmak = to ring
- Telefon çalıyor. = The phone is ringing.
(Instrument) çalmak = to play (an instrument)
- Gitar çalıyorum. = I play the guitar.
çalışmak (different verb) = to work, not the same; but: bir şeyi çalmak = to steal something
- Arabayı çaldılar. = They stole the car.

In Telefonum çalarken, the subject is telefonum (my phone), so the only natural reading is “my phone was ringing”.

What exactly is inside toplantıdaydım? Why does it look so long?

toplantıdaydım is a stack of smaller pieces:

toplantı = meeting
-da = in / at (locative case) → toplantıda = in the meeting
-ydı = past form of to be (was)
-m = I

So:

toplantı-da-ydı-m → I was in a meeting.

The y is a buffer consonant: Turkish doesn’t like two vowels touching, so between -da (a) and -dı (ı), a y is inserted: da + idi → daydı.

What is the difference between toplantıdaydım and toplantıdayım?

toplantıdaydım
- -ydı = past
- -m = I
  → I was in a meeting.
toplantıdayım
- -yım = present (I am)
  → I am in a meeting.

So the only difference is tense:

toplantıdaydım = past
toplantıdayım = present.

What does -da in toplantıda- mean, and why does it turn into -day- in toplantıdaydım?

-da / -de is the locative case suffix: it usually means in / at / on.
- evde = at home
- okulda = at school
- toplantıda = in a meeting

In toplantıdaydım, you have:

toplantı-da
- idi (was) + -m (I)

When spoken naturally:

da + idi → daydı (the y is a buffer consonant, and idi is reduced)
So: toplantıda + ydı + m → toplantıdaydım

The actual function of -da doesn’t change; it still means in / at, just fused together with the past idi.

What is the difference between açamadım and açmadım?

açamadım = I couldn’t open/answer (it), I wasn’t able to.
- Implies inability (busy, no chance, no signal, etc.).
açmadım = I didn’t open/answer (it).
- Simple negation, usually interpreted as by choice (I chose not to answer / I just didn’t).

In this context, Telefonum çalarken toplantıdaydım, açamadım suggests:

My phone was ringing while I was in a meeting; I couldn’t answer — because of the situation, not because I didn’t want to.

Where does the meaning “answer (the phone)” come from in açamadım? Doesn’t açmak just mean “to open”?

Literally, açmak means to open:

Kapıyı aç. = Open the door.
Pencereyi aç. = Open the window.

By extension, telefonu açmak literally is to open the phone, but in everyday Turkish it means:

telefonu açmak = to answer / pick up the phone

So in açamadım, the implied object is telefonu (the phone). The full version would be:

Telefonum çalarken toplantıdaydım, telefonu/açam onu açamadım.
(…I couldn’t answer the phone.)

However, in natural speech you just say açamadım; the object is understood from context.

How is açamadım formed? What does the -ama- part mean?

açamadım breaks down as:

aç- = verb stem open / answer (the phone)
-a- = connecting vowel (harmonic with the root)
-ma = negative potential: not able to / cannot
-dı = past tense
-m = I

So:

aç-a-ma-dı-m = I was not able to open/answer (it) → I couldn’t answer.

You see the same pattern with other verbs:

yap-a-ma-dım = I couldn’t do (it).
gel-e-me-dim = I couldn’t come.
bul-a-ma-dım = I couldn’t find (it).

The -ma/-me here is not the simple not but specifically cannot / be unable to.

Could I also say Telefonum çaldığında toplantıdaydım instead of Telefonum çalarken toplantıdaydım? Is there a difference?

Yes, you can say both, and both are correct:

Telefonum çalarken toplantıdaydım.
- çalar-ken = while it was ringing
- Focuses slightly more on the ongoing action: during the time it was ringing, I was in a meeting.
Telefonum çaldığında toplantıdaydım.
- çaldığın-da = when it rang / at the time it rang
- Slightly more point-in-time: at the moment when it rang, I was in a meeting.

In practice, the difference is subtle, and in this context they are usually interchangeable.

Can I change the word order, like putting toplantıdaydım first? Does that change the meaning?

Possible alternatives:

Toplantıdaydım, telefonum çalarken, açamadım.
Toplantıdaydım telefonum çalarken, açamadım.

The core meaning stays the same, but in Turkish, word order affects emphasis:

Telefonum çalarken toplantıdaydım, açamadım.
- Slight emphasis on the phone ringing as the background situation.
Toplantıdaydım, telefonum çalarken, açamadım.
- Starts with I was in a meeting, so that part is more foregrounded.

All are understandable and natural; the original order is probably the most neutral and common.

Why is there a comma before açamadım? Could this be two sentences?

The sentence really has two clauses:

Telefonum çalarken toplantıdaydım = I was in a meeting while my phone was ringing
açamadım = I couldn’t answer (it)

The comma signals a slight break, like “so / and” in English:

My phone was ringing while I was in a meeting, (so) I couldn’t answer.

You could technically write them as two separate sentences:

Telefonum çalarken toplantıdaydım. Açamadım.

This is acceptable in more informal writing, and gives it a slightly more clipped, dramatic feel. The comma version is more standard for smooth narrative flow.

How would I explicitly say “I couldn’t answer it” in Turkish? Where would the pronoun go?

You can make the object explicit in a few ways:

With onu (it):
- Onu açamadım. = I couldn’t answer it.
With telefonu (the phone):
- Telefonu açamadım. = I couldn’t answer the phone.

Where to put it in the full sentence:

Telefonum çalarken toplantıdaydım, onu açamadım.
Telefonum çalarken toplantıdaydım, telefonu açamadım.

The object usually goes right before the verb, but in speech you may occasionally hear small variations. Placing it somewhere else normally sounds marked or incorrect.

How could I say the same idea in a more formal way? And how about very casual speech?

More formal / careful:

Telefonum çaldığı sırada toplantıdaydım, bu yüzden açamadım.
- çaldığı sırada = at the time when it rang
- bu yüzden = for this reason / therefore

Very casual / spoken:

Toplantıdaydım, telefon çalınca açamadım.
- telefon çalınca = when the phone rang (colloquial)

Or even shorter in context:

Toplantıdaydım, açamadım. = I was in a meeting, I couldn’t answer.

In all of these, the key ideas (in a meeting, phone rang, couldn’t answer) stay the same; only the style and connectors change.