Questions & Answers about Mangal için et alacaktım.
How does alacaktım translate to "I was going to buy"?
It combines the verb root al (buy) with the future suffix -acak (will) and the past suffix -tı (was), topped off with the personal ending -m (I). Stacking the past tense right after the future tense creates this "future in the past" meaning, which is perfect for expressing an unfulfilled intention or something you planned to do.
Why is it just et and not eti? Doesn't the direct object need the accusative case?
It only needs the accusative case if it is a specific, definite object (meaning "the meat"). Because you are talking about buying meat in general rather than a specific piece, et stays in its bare, indefinite form.
Does the word için (for) require any special ending on mangal (barbecue)?
No, regular nouns like mangal stay in their bare form when used with the postposition için. You only need to add a genitive (possessive) ending when using için with personal pronouns, such as benim için (for me) or senin için (for you).
I originally learned that almak means "to take". Does it mean "to buy" here?
Yes! almak is the standard verb for both "to take" and "to buy" in Turkish. You can tell which meaning is intended from the context. In a shopping context like getting meat for a barbecue, it translates to "buy".