Misafirlikten dönünce anahtarlığımı komodinin üstüne bıraktım ve gece lambasını açtım.

Misafirlik means being a guest / visiting someone’s home. In this sentence, misafirlikten means from a visit or from being at someone else’s place as a guest.

The ending -ten is the ablative case, which often means from.

So:

• misafirlik = visiting as a guest
• misafirlikten = from a visit / from being out visiting people

This is a very natural Turkish way to express coming back from visiting someone.

Dönünce means when (I) returned or upon returning.

It comes from the verb dönmek = to return / to turn back plus the suffix -ince / -unca, which creates a when/once/after doing meaning.

So:

• döndüm = I returned
• dönünce = when I returned / after returning

In this sentence, Misafirlikten dönünce... sets the time for the main actions:

• I came back from visiting someone,
• then I left my keychain on the dresser,
• and turned on the night lamp.

This is because of vowel harmony.

The suffix has forms like:

• -ınca
• -ince
• -unca
• -ünce

Since the verb stem here is dön-, which contains the front rounded vowel ö, the correct harmonic form is -ünce.

So:

• bakınca = when looking
• gelince = when coming
• okuyunca = when reading
• dönünce = when returning

Anahtarlık usually means keychain, keyring, or sometimes key holder, depending on context.

In anahtarlığımı, we have:

• anahtarlık = keychain / keyring
• -ım = my
• -ı = accusative case, marking it as a definite direct object

So anahtarlığımı means my keychain as the thing being left somewhere.

Structure:

• anahtarlık → keychain
• anahtarlığım → my keychain
• anahtarlığımı → my keychain (as the direct object)

Notice the consonant change:

• anahtarlık
• anahtarlığım

This is normal in Turkish: final k often changes to ğ when a vowel-initial suffix is added.

Turkish commonly stacks endings, so one word can contain several pieces of information.

Here:

• -ım = my
• -ı = marks the object as definite/specific

So anahtarlığımı bıraktım literally works like:

• I left my keychain

Because it is a specific object, Turkish uses the accusative.

Compare:

• Anahtarlık bıraktım. = I left a keychain.
• Anahtarlığımı bıraktım. = I left my keychain.

The possessive and accusative can appear together very naturally in Turkish.

Komodinin üstüne means onto/on top of the dresser/nightstand.

This is a very common Turkish structure:

• X-in üstü = the top of X
• X-in üstüne = onto the top of X
• X-in üstünde = on the top of X

So:

• komodin = dresser / bedside table / nightstand
• komodinin = of the dresser
• komodinin üstüne = onto the top of the dresser

Turkish often uses these postposition-like noun phrases instead of a single preposition.

English says:

• on the dresser

Turkish often says something more literally like:

• onto the dresser’s top

This is an important distinction:

• üstüne = onto / to the top of
• üstünde = on / on top of

In this sentence, bırakmak often takes a destination-like phrase, so üstüne is natural:

• komodinin üstüne bıraktım = I put/left it onto the top of the dresser

If you said komodinin üstünde, that would describe location more statically:

• Anahtarlığım komodinin üstünde. = My keychain is on the dresser.

So:

• -e / -a often suggests movement toward a place
• -de / -da often describes being at a place

Because Turkish uses a genitive + possessed noun structure here.

The pattern is:

• X-in üstü = the top of X

So:

• komodin = dresser / bedside table
• komodinin = of the dresser
• üstü = its top

Then üstüne is the dative form of üstü.

Full breakdown:

• komodinin = of the dresser
• üstüne = onto its top

Together: onto the top of the dresser

Bıraktım is the simple past (also called the definite past) of bırakmak = to leave / put down.

Breakdown:

• bırak- = verb stem
• -tı = past tense
• -m = I

So:

• bıraktım = I left / I put down

The same pattern appears in açtım:

• aç- = open / turn on
• -tı = past
• -m = I

So açtım = I opened / I turned on

Because it is also a specific direct object.

Gece lambasını açtım means I turned on the night lamp.

Breakdown:

• gece lambası = night lamp / bedside lamp
• gece lambasını = the night lamp (as a definite object)

This is the same idea as with anahtarlığımı: Turkish often marks definite direct objects with the accusative.

Compare:

• Gece lambası açtım would sound wrong here.
• Gece lambasını açtım = I turned on the night lamp.

Gece lambası is a noun phrase meaning night lamp. It is a kind of compound.

When Turkish noun compounds take case endings, the form changes accordingly:

• gece lambası = night lamp
• gece lambasını = the night lamp (accusative)

So the final -nı here is the accusative added to the compound form.

This is normal with compound nouns:

• araba kapısı = car door
• araba kapısını = the car door (object)

Yes, açmak literally means to open, but it is also used for turning something on, especially lights, devices, water, etc.

So:

• kapıyı açmak = to open the door
• lambayı açmak = to turn on the lamp
• televizyonu açmak = to turn on the TV
• suyu açmak = to turn on the water

The opposite is often kapatmak:

• lambayı kapatmak = to turn off the lamp

Ve means and.

It links the two main actions:

• anahtarlığımı komodinin üstüne bıraktım
• gece lambasını açtım

So:

• ... bıraktım ve ... açtım = ... I left ... and ... turned on ...

Yes, Turkish can sometimes omit ve, especially in speech, if the connection is obvious. But using ve is completely normal and clear here.

Because Turkish verbs already show the subject.

For example:

• bıraktım = I left
• açtım = I opened / turned on

The ending -m tells you the subject is I.

That means Turkish often leaves out pronouns like ben unless there is special emphasis or contrast.

So this sentence does not need ben.

If you said Ben misafirlikten dönünce..., it would add emphasis, something like As for me, when I got back...

Yes, it is very normal Turkish word order.

Turkish often places:

1. time expressions first,
2. then objects and other details,
3. and the verb at the end.

So here:

• Misafirlikten dönünce = when I returned from visiting
• anahtarlığımı komodinin üstüne = my keychain onto the dresser
• bıraktım = I left
• ve gece lambasını açtım = and turned on the night lamp

A very literal English-style order would sound like:

• When I came back from visiting, my keychain onto the dresser I left and the night lamp I turned on.

That sounds strange in English, but it is normal in Turkish because verbs usually come at the end.

By itself, dönünce does not explicitly state the subject. It can mean when I returned, when you returned, when he/she returned, etc. The subject is understood from context.

In this sentence, the main verbs are:

• bıraktım
• açtım

These clearly mean I left and I turned on, so we naturally understand dönünce here as when I returned.

So the subject of dönünce is inferred from the rest of the sentence.

It can vary by context.

Komodin often refers to a small bedside cabinet / nightstand / bedside table. In some contexts, learners may see it translated as dresser, but nightstand or bedside table is often closer.

Because the sentence also mentions a gece lambası (night lamp), a bedside setting is very likely. So nightstand may be the most natural English image here.

Yes. Bırakmak is a flexible verb.

Depending on context, it can mean:

• to leave
• to put
• to put down
• to set down
• to drop off
• to quit (in other contexts)

In this sentence, komodinin üstüne bıraktım most naturally means:

• I put/left it on top of the nightstand

So both left and put down are possible translations, depending on style.