Çamaşırlar kurudu mu mandalları toplayacağım.

Not exactly. In this sentence, kurudu mu does not function like a normal yes/no question.

Here it means something like:

• once the clothes are dry
• when the clothes have dried
• if the clothes are dry

So Çamaşırlar kurudu mu mandalları toplayacağım means roughly Once the clothes are dry, I’ll collect the clothespins.

By itself, Kurudu mu? can mean Did it dry? But before a main clause, this pattern often gives a time/condition meaning rather than a real question.

Because mi/mı/mu/mü is a separate question particle in Turkish, not an ending attached directly to the word.

So:

• kurudu mu
• not kurudumu

The form changes by vowel harmony:

• mı
• mi
• mu
• mü

Here it is mu because the previous vowel is u.

Even though it is written separately, it is very closely connected to the word before it in meaning and pronunciation.

This is a very common thing that confuses English speakers.

kurudu is literally dried / became dry, but in the pattern verb + -DI + mı, Turkish often uses it to mean:

• when it has done X
• once it does X
• after it does X

So kurudu mu is not a simple past statement here. It marks an action that must be completed before the next action happens.

That is why the sentence feels future-oriented overall:

• Çamaşırlar kurudu mu... = Once the clothes have dried...
• ...mandalları toplayacağım. = ...I will collect the clothespins.

Because Turkish often uses a singular verb with a non-human plural subject.

So:

• Çamaşırlar kurudu = normal
• The clothes dried / became dry

This is especially common with things, objects, animals, and other non-human nouns.

With human subjects, plural marking on the verb is more common:

• Çocuklar geldi(ler) = The children came

But with non-human subjects like çamaşırlar, singular verb agreement is the usual pattern.

Here çamaşırlar means the clothes or the laundry.

A few useful points:

• çamaşır can mean laundry
• çamaşırlar can mean the clothes / the laundry items
• in context like drying and clothespins, it usually means washed clothes hanging out to dry

So in this sentence, it is not just abstract laundry in general; it refers to the actual clothes on the line.

mandalları is the direct object of toplayacağım.

Breakdown:

• mandal = clothespin
• mandal-lar = clothespins
• mandal-lar-ı = the clothespins

That final -ı is the definite accusative ending. Turkish often uses it when the direct object is specific/definite.

So:

• mandal toplamak = to collect clothespins / collect clothespins in general
• mandalları toplamak = to collect the clothespins

In this sentence, the speaker means specific clothespins, so mandalları is natural.

toplayacağım means I will collect / I’m going to gather.

Breakdown:

• topla- = collect, gather
• -yacak / -ecek = future
• -ım / -im / -um / -üm = I

So:

• toplayacağım = I will collect

Turkish usually does not need the subject pronoun ben because the verb already shows who is doing the action.

So:

• mandalları toplayacağım = I will collect the clothespins
• adding ben is possible, but usually only for emphasis

Because Turkish very often puts time, condition, and background information before the main action.

So the structure is:

• Çamaşırlar kurudu mu = when/once the clothes are dry
• mandalları toplayacağım = I’ll collect the clothespins

This is very natural Turkish word order. It is similar to English sentences like:

• When the clothes are dry, I’ll collect the clothespins.
• Once the clothes are dry, I’ll collect the clothespins.

Turkish often saves the main action for later in the sentence.

Yes, and the meaning would be similar, but not identical.

For example:

• Çamaşırlar kuruyunca mandalları toplayacağım.

  • when / once the clothes dry

• Çamaşırlar kurursa mandalları toplayacağım.

  • if the clothes dry

Compared with those:

• Çamaşırlar kurudu mu mandalları toplayacağım.

This version is very natural and conversational. It often has the sense of as soon as they’re dry / once they’re dry.

So:

• kuruyunca = more straightforward when
• kurursa = clearer if
• kurudu mu = often a natural spoken once/when/if after completion

Yes, it is natural, especially in everyday speech.

A speaker might also pause slightly after mu, and in writing you may sometimes see a comma:

• Çamaşırlar kurudu mu, mandalları toplayacağım.

But the version without a comma is also fine.

The sentence sounds like a normal household comment: Once the clothes are dry, I’ll gather up the clothespins.