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Masadaki kullanışsız telefonu saklamıştım; israfı sevdiğimden değil, hatırası olduğundan.

Masadaki kullanışsız telefonu saklamıştım; israfı sevdiğimden değil, hatırası olduğundan.
I had kept the impractical phone on the table; not because I like waste, but because it held memories.
From Lesson 402:Not because (-dığından değil)·Turkish

Questions & Answers about Masadaki kullanışsız telefonu saklamıştım; israfı sevdiğimden değil, hatırası olduğundan.

How exactly does sevdiğimden değil translate to "not because I like"?
Let's break it down: sev (like) + -diğ (the fact that) + -im (my) + -den (from / due to). So sevdiğimden literally means "due to my liking." Adding değil negates this reason, creating the meaning "not because I like."
There is no word for "but" in the second half of the sentence. How do we get "but because..."?
In Turkish, when you use the -dIğIndAn değil (not because...) structure followed immediately by the actual reason using another -dIğIndAn, the contrast is naturally implied. You don't need to explicitly say ama (but); placing the real reason right after the negated one does the job perfectly.
Why is it hatırası olduğundan rather than just hatıra olduğundan?
To say something "has" a memory or sentimental value, Turkish uses the possessive construction: hatırası var (its memory exists). When turning this into a "because" clause, var becomes olduğundan (because it is/exists), and we keep the possessive hatırası. So it literally means "because its memory exists."
Why use the past perfect saklamıştım instead of the simple past sakladım?
Saklamıştım (sakla-mış-tı-m) means "I had kept." At B2, you will often see this past perfect tense used to establish background information or a state that existed before the main story you are telling. It emphasizes that keeping the phone was an action already completed in the distant past.
Why does israf (waste) have the accusative case ending in israfı sevdiğimden?
Verbs of emotion and preference, like sevmek (to like) and nefret etmek (to hate), usually require their direct objects to take the accusative case in Turkish. This applies even when talking about general or abstract concepts, which is why israf becomes israfı.

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