Learn Hardcore Turkish: Çamaşır makinesi çalışırken ben de mutfağı toparlıyorum. - While the washing machine is running, I tidy up the kitchen.

In this sentence, its subject is the washing machine:
Çamaşır makinesi çalışırken… = “While the washing machine is working…”
You don’t need to repeat a pronoun (like o “it”) for the machine; Turkish just uses the verb form plus the context.

Why is it “çamaşır makinesi” and not just “makine”? What does the -si mean?

Çamaşır makinesi literally means “the machine of laundry”, i.e. “washing machine.”

çamaşır = laundry
makine = machine
makine + si → makinesi = “its machine” / “the machine of …” (3rd person possessive suffix -sı / -si / -su / -sü)

In Turkish, many compound nouns are formed like this:
X + Y’s machine = machine for X
So çamaşır makinesi = machine for laundry.

You can also sometimes see çamaşır makinası in everyday speech; makine is the standard form, makina is a common colloquial or older variant. Meaning is the same.

What does ben de mean here? Is it “too / also,” and who or what am I being compared to?

Ben de means “I also / I too / me too.”

ben = I
de = also, too (and sometimes “even”; here it means “also”)

In English we might think:
“While the washing machine is working, I’m also tidying the kitchen.”

The comparison is not to another person but to another activity happening at the same time. The idea is:

One thing is happening: the washing machine is working.
At the same time, I, too, am doing something: tidying the kitchen.

So ben de adds the nuance “I’m not just sitting around; I’m also doing something.”

Could I drop ben and just say “Çamaşır makinesi çalışırken mutfağı toparlıyorum”?

Yes, grammatically you can drop ben.

Turkish usually drops subject pronouns because they are clear from the verb ending:

toparlıyorum already shows 1st person singular (-um = “I”).

So:

Ben mutfağı toparlıyorum.
Mutfağı toparlıyorum.

These both mean “I’m tidying the kitchen.” The ben is optional.

However, in ben de, the ben is part of a contrastive structure (“I also…”), so keeping ben de makes the contrast/emphasis clearer:

Çamaşır makinesi çalışırken ben de mutfağı toparlıyorum.
= “While the washing machine is working, I’m also tidying the kitchen.”

If you remove ben de, you lose that explicit “also / too” feel; it becomes a more neutral description of two simultaneous actions, without highlighting that you are also active.

What exactly does mutfağı toparlıyorum mean? How is it different from “cleaning the kitchen”?

Mutfağı toparlıyorum literally means “I’m tidying (up) the kitchen.”

mutfak = kitchen
mutfak + ı → mutfağı = “the kitchen” as a definite object (accusative case)
toparla- = to tidy up, straighten, put in order
toparla-yor-um → toparlıyorum = “I am tidying (up)”

Nuance:

toparlamak = tidying, putting things in order, organizing, clearing up clutter.
temizlemek = to clean (focus on removing dirt, washing, wiping).
toplamak = to pick up, gather (toys, clothes, etc.), can also mean “to tidy” in some contexts.

So mutfağı toparlıyorum suggests:

putting things back in place,
clearing counters,
organizing,
not necessarily deep-cleaning (scrubbing, mopping).

In English: “I’m tidying up the kitchen” is the closest natural translation.

Why is it mutfağı (with -ı) and not just mutfak?

The -ı on mutfağı is the accusative case, which marks a definite direct object.

mutfak = kitchen (bare form)
mutfak + ı → mutfağı (k → ğ change) = “the kitchen” as a specific object

In Turkish:

Mutfağı toparlıyorum.
= “I’m tidying the kitchen.” (specific/known kitchen)

If you drop the accusative here and say “Mutfak toparlıyorum”, it sounds wrong/ungrammatical in standard Turkish, because mutfak is a direct object that should take the accusative when it is definite like this.

So: definite, specific object → accusative -ı / -i / -u / -ü.

Why is the verb toparlıyorum in the -yor (progressive) form, and not in some other tense?

Toparlıyorum is present continuous (progressive):

toparla- = tidy up
-yor = progressive “is doing”
-um = “I”

So toparlıyorum = “I am tidying (up)”, describing an action happening right now or around now.

In English we use the progressive:
“While the washing machine is working, I’m tidying the kitchen.”

In Turkish, using -yor here matches that sense of current, ongoing action. You could choose other tenses in other contexts (like general habits), but for this specific situation-in-progress, -yor is the most natural choice.

Can I change the word order, for example: “Ben de çamaşır makinesi çalışırken mutfağı toparlıyorum” or “Mutfağı toparlıyorum çamaşır makinesi çalışırken”?

Yes, Turkish word order is relatively flexible, and these variations are grammatically possible, but the emphasis changes.

Çamaşır makinesi çalışırken ben de mutfağı toparlıyorum.
– Neutral, common order: sets the time situation first (“While the machine is working”) and then what you do.
Ben de çamaşır makinesi çalışırken mutfağı toparlıyorum.
– Slightly more emphasis on “I, too” from the very beginning.
Mutfağı toparlıyorum çamaşır makinesi çalışırken.
– Puts focus on “I’m tidying the kitchen” first, then adds “(by the way) this is while the machine is working.”
– Still understandable, but less typical in neutral speech; it can sound a bit like an afterthought or stylistic variation.

In general, keep the -ken clause (çamaşır makinesi çalışırken) before the main clause for the most natural, neutral sentence.

Could I say “Çamaşır makinesi çalıştığı zaman…” instead of “çalışırken”? Is there a difference?

Yes, you can say that:

Çamaşır makinesi çalıştığı zaman… = “When the washing machine works / when it is working…”

Differences:

çalışırken = “while it is working”, often felt as more continuous, smooth, and natural in spoken language for simultaneous actions.
çalıştığı zaman = “when it works / when it is working”, slightly more formal or structural, and can sound a bit more like a repeated condition or whenever-type statement, depending on context.

In everyday speech about what you’re doing at this moment, çalışırken is usually the most natural.

What exactly does the -de in ben de do, and can it move to another place in the sentence?

The -de here is a separate word (not a suffix in this sentence) meaning “also / too.”

ben = I
de = also / too

In writing, it’s a separate word: ben de (not bende, which is another word meaning “on/at me / I have it”).

You generally attach de to the element you want to say “also” about, and it follows that element:

Ben de geliyorum. = I also am coming / I’m coming too.
Ahmet de geliyor. = Ahmet is also coming.
Bugün de geliyorum. = I’m also coming today.

In ben de mutfağı toparlıyorum, the focus is: “I, too, am tidying the kitchen.”
If you said “Mutfağı da toparlıyorum”, that would mean “I’m also tidying the kitchen (in addition to something else).” Different meaning.

Is the subject of çalışırken “I”? Why doesn’t it show the subject clearly like toparlıyorum does?

No, the subject of çalışırken here is “çamaşır makinesi” (the washing machine), not “I”.

Structure:

Çamaşır makinesi = subject of çalışırken
çalışırken = “while (it) is working”
ben = subject of toparlıyorum
toparlıyorum = “I am tidying”

In çalışırken, the subject is understood from the context (the noun right before it). This is normal with -ken clauses:

Ben çalışırken o uyuyor.
= While I am working, he/she is sleeping.
(Subject of çalışırken is ben.)
Arabam çalışırken sen konuşma.
= Don’t talk while my car is running.
(Subject of çalışırken is arabam.)

So çalışırken doesn’t need a personal ending like -um; the subject is indicated by the noun in front.

Is Çamaşır makinesi çalışırken ben de mutfağı toparlıyorum formal, informal, or neutral? Could I use it in everyday conversation?

This sentence is neutral and perfectly natural in everyday conversation. You can use it:

talking to friends or family,
describing your routine or what you’re doing right now,
even in relatively neutral written contexts (like a diary or a textbook example).

It’s not slangy or overly formal; it’s a good standard, everyday Turkish sentence.