Learn Turkish: Kâşif mızrak kullanmadığı için hayatta kalamazdı. - Because the explorer didn't use a spear, he couldn't have survived.

It combines the verb root kal (stay) with the inability suffix -ama, the negative aorist marker -z, and the past tense marker -dı. Together, kal-ama-z-dı forms the negative counterfactual past ability, meaning 'would not have been able to stay' or 'could not have stayed'. When paired with hayatta (in life), it becomes 'could not have survived'.

Why do we use kullanmadığı için instead of a regular past tense verb like kullanmadı için?

To say 'because someone did (or didn't do) something', Turkish uses the participle -dIk followed by a possessive suffix right before için. You cannot put a standard conjugated verb directly before için. Here, it is built from kullan (use) + ma (negative) + dık (participle) + ı (his), which undergoes consonant mutation to become kullanmadığı (literally 'his not-using').

Is hayatta kalmak the standard way to say 'survive' in Turkish?

Yes. It literally translates to 'to stay in life' (hayat + locative -ta + kalmak). While Turkish has the verb kurtulmak, that leans more toward 'to be saved' or 'to escape a disaster'. For physically staying alive in harsh conditions, hayatta kalmak is the most natural and common expression.