Learn Turkish: Ben her sabah keçileri sağıyordum. - I used to milk the goats every morning.

Sağıyordum is in the past continuous tense. It combines the continuous suffix -ıyor (like the English "-ing") with the past tense suffix -du and the personal ending -m ("I"). This combination (-ıyordum) is used for ongoing actions in the past ("I was milking") or regular past habits ("I used to milk").

What is the suffix -i at the end of keçileri?

It is the definite accusative case ending. Keçi means goat, and -ler makes it plural. Adding the -i at the end marks keçileri as the specific direct object receiving the action of the verb sağmak (to milk).

How do we know which connecting vowel to use before the -yor suffix in sağıyordum?

The verb root is sağ- (from sağmak, to milk). Because it ends in a consonant, we need a vowel to connect it to the -yor suffix. Under 4-way vowel harmony rules, the vowel a in sağ- requires an ı to follow it, making the word sağıyor-.

Is it necessary to include Ben at the beginning of the sentence?