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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**.

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### 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.

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### 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.

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Interrupted past actions (tam ... -(y)acaktı ki)

adjective

adverb

conjunction

determiner

interjection

noun

numeral

particle

postposition

preposition

pronoun

sentence

verb

Demonstrative pronouns (bu, şu, o)

Basic question words (kim, ne)

Plural nouns (-lar, -ler)

I am and you are (-(y)ım, -sın)

We, you, and they are (-(y)ız, -sınız)

Negative statements (değil)

Yes and no questions (mı, mi, mu, mü)

Questions with 'to be' (mısın, mıyım)

Numbers 1 to 10 (bir, iki, üç)

Numbers 11 to 20 (on bir, on iki)

Numbers by tens to 100 (otuz, kırk...)

Counting objects (tane)

The locative case (-da, -de)

Consonant assimilation (-ta, -te)

Asking where (nerede)

There is / there are (var)

There is not / there are not (yok)

Asking how many (kaç)

Infinitive verbs (-mak, -mek)

Informal commands (git, gel)

Negative commands (-ma, -me)

Polite and plural commands (-In, -InIz)

Basic word order

Present continuous for consonant roots (-iyor)

Present continuous for vowel roots (-iyor)

Present continuous personal suffixes (-iyorum)

Negative present continuous (-miyor)

Present continuous questions (-iyor mu)

Future plans with present continuous

The dative case (-(y)a, -(y)e)

Consonant mutation (k, t, p, ç to ğ, d, b, c)

From or out of (-dan / -den)

Directional question words (nereye, nereden)

First and second person possessives (-(i)m, -(i)n)

Third person possessive (-(s)i)

Plural possessives (-imiz, -iniz, -leri)

The genitive case (-(n)in)

Definite noun compounds (-nin ... -si)

Indefinite noun compounds (bare noun + -(s)i)

Possessive buffer letter (n)

Spatial postpositions (içinde, üstünde)

The definite direct object (-(y)ı, -(y)i)

Object question words (kimi, neyi)

Adjectives modifying nouns

Manner and choice questions (nasıl, hangi)

Basic degree modifiers (çok, biraz)

Comparisons (daha, en)

Days of the week

Months of the year

The time question word (ne zaman)

Telling time (saat, buçuk)

Asking the time (saat kaç, saat kaçta)

Basic conjunctions (ve, ama, veya)

Causality conjunction (çünkü)

Means and accompaniment (ile, -(y)lA)

Purpose and beneficiaries (için)

Expressing desire (-mak istemek)

The past copula (-(y)DI)

The direct past tense (-DI)

Past tense personal suffixes (-DIm, -DIn)

Past tense negative (-mAdI)

Past tense questions (-DI mI)

Ordinal numbers (-(I)ncI)

Greetings and politeness

Saying 'too' (de, da)

Conversation fillers (şey, yani, hadi)

Conversational essentials

Reflexive pronouns (kendim, kendin)

Reciprocal pronouns (birbiri)

Indefinite pronouns for people (herkes, kimse)

Indefinite pronouns for things and places (her şey, hiçbir şey)

Conjunctions of consequence (bu yüzden, bu nedenle)

Correlative conjunctions (hem... hem, ne... ne)

Verbs taking the dative case (-e / -a)

Verbs taking the ablative case (-den / -dan)

Time origin (beri)

Time duration (-DIr)

Comparisons of similarity (gibi)

Comparisons of equality (kadar)

Perspectives (göre)

Verbal nouns (-mA / -mE)

Verbal nouns as objects (-mAyI / -mEyI)

Verbal nouns with the dative (-mAyA / -mEyA)

General necessity (lazım / gerek)

Personal necessity (-mAm lazım)

Third-person commands (-sIn / -sInlAr)

First person singular optative (-(y)AyIm)

Question	Answer
handle (small, e.g., of a cup or pot)	kulp
boiling	kaynar
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.
to scrape (graze, strip lightly)	sıyırmak
I was just about to wash the cup when its handle scraped my hand.	Tam fincanı yıkayacaktım ki kulpu elimi sıyırdı.
to be scattered	saçılmak
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.
to drip	damlamak
The boiling soup was dripping onto my hand.	Kaynar çorba elime damlıyordu.
burn	yanık
A small burn formed on my hand because of the boiling water.	Kaynar su yüzünden elimde küçük bir yanık oluştu.
to sprain	burkmak
I was just about to go down the stairs when I fell and sprained my ankle.	Tam merdivenden inecektim ki düştüm ve bileğimi burktum.
bucket	kova
I was just about to clean the floor when the bucket tipped over and dirty water scattered around.	Tam yeri temizleyecektim ki kova devrildi ve kirli su etrafa saçıldı.
to bruise	morarmak
Because I bumped into the bucket yesterday, my leg bruised very badly.	Dün kovaya çarptığım için bacağım çok kötü morardı.
splinter	kıymık
to prick / pierce (something sharp sticking in)	batmak
I was pulling the wooden table; it was as if a large splinter pierced my hand.	Ahşap masayı çekiyordum; sanki elime büyük bir kıymık battı.
I was just about to sit on the chair when a splinter pierced my leg.	Tam sandalyeye oturacaktım ki bacağıma kıymık battı.
The burn on his arm was healing, but his knee was still bruising.	Kolundaki yanık iyileşiyordu ama dizi hâlâ morarıyordu.
I was just about to pull the cabinet's handle when my foot slipped and I sprained my ankle.	Tam dolabın kulpunu çekecektim ki ayağım kaydı ve bileğimi burktum.
I can clean the dirty water, but this bucket is very heavy.	Kirli suyu temizleyebilirim ama bu kova çok ağır.
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.