To express that an action was just about to happen when it was suddenly interrupted, Turkish combines the future and past tenses with a specific framing structure. This is especially useful for explaining household accidents, sudden spills, or minor injuries.
Future in the Past: -(y)AcAktI
The core of this grammar is the "Future in the Past" tense. You form it by attaching the past tense suffix (-DI) directly to the future tense suffix (-(y)AcAk).
For first-person subjects ("I was going to"), the suffix becomes -(y)AcAktIm. To frame the action as being "just about to" happen at the exact moment of interruption, place the word tam (exactly/just) before the phrase, and follow the verb with the conjunction ki (when). The interrupting event comes immediately after ki.
| I was just about to take the teapot when its handle broke off and the boiling water spilled. | Tam çaydanlığı alacaktım ki kulpu koptu ve kaynar su döküldü. |
| I was just about to put the plate on the table when it fell and the food scattered. | Tam tabağı masaya koyacaktım ki düştü ve yemek saçıldı. |
Explaining Sudden Accidents
This pattern is incredibly common when explaining how you got a sudden scrape, bruise, or sprain. The first clause sets the scene of what you were attempting to do, and the clause after ki delivers the unfortunate result.
| I was just about to go down the stairs when I fell and sprained my ankle. | Tam merdivenden inecektim ki düştüm ve bileğimi burktum. |
| I was just about to sit on the chair when a splinter pierced my leg. | Tam sandalyeye oturacaktım ki bacağıma kıymık battı. |
Third-Person Subjects
The interrupted action doesn't have to be your own. If a situation or an object was on the verge of doing something, use the third-person form -(y)AcAktI (it was going to). In these cases, the interrupting action after ki is often your own reflex to prevent a disaster.
| The water was just about to drip onto the carpet when I put the bucket. | Tam su halıya damlayacaktı ki kovayı koydum. |
| The knife was just about to graze my finger when I dropped the apple. | Tam bıçak parmağımı sıyıracaktı ki elmayı düşürdüm. |