A big thanks for the corrections and explanations, caliptrix. At this point I always wish I had done a little bit better.

One question:

It wouldn´t have come to my mind to use aorist here. I don´t even know how to ask about it...

Maybe it is easier to come closer to it without the past tense. Yes, I have noticed that dilerim is used as often than diliyorum. It is very difficult to understand the difference. It is the same as with istemek. If someone says

                        Seninle konuşmak isterim

what does she mean by not using istiyorum? Is it about time (yes, she wants to talk but maybe not now), wanting less (actually she doesn´t want but she is being polite) or wanting more (this wanting is a part of her which is not tied to a certain time)?

Your question is a very good one. Most Turks could not explain it in a hundred years even if they intuitively make the right choices. A learner can acchieve a slight intuition also after diving into the language deep enough, I know it from experience.

While we wait for the masters to clear it allow me to tell you my learner´s view  -  or maybe mix it a little bit more.

The verbal noun -mA denotes the somewhat abstract concept of an action or its result. -DIK participle is narrative. Your examples are good:

The first action, the train´s leaving, doesn´t exist anywhere else but as a concept in the speaker´s head. Similarly, -mA infinitive is used when the result of the action is the issue like in

                  Trenin kalkması beni biraz üzdü. ´The train´s leaving made a little sad.´

Also when we talk about actions that are necessary we see them as abstract (future) concepts in our head.

                   Gitmem lazım. ´I must go, my going is necessary.´

The place of possessive marked -DIK participle is often with verbs denoting saying, thinking or knowing. What do we say, think or know? Things that have/haven´t actually happened, actions we want to relate, to tell about, to share. Like in your example, jas206: the speaker wants to say he knows what the actual state of affairs is.

Pssst. The way to feel good here and stay long is not to get too deep into these discussions. Yes, you can do it just for fun but always keep classes and language threads number one on your list. Three sentences to Turkish, one sentence for religion and politics has been a good proportion for me. It´s also good to remember once you have got into a conversation which creates heat to your brain you can step out any time.

Good luck for your Turkish studies.

They say al-Dajjal (the Deceiver, the Antichrist) also has one eye only.

A little help here, please.

1. You’ll be leaving for Tokyo soon, won’t you? Kısa süre içinde Tokyo’ya gitmek üzere yola çıkıyorsun, değil mi?

2. I really think you had better see a doctor. Bence gerçekten bir doktora görünsen iyi olur.

3. Fiestas have been made in Cologne, Germany for many years now. Fiesta’ları uzun yıllardır Almanya’daki Köln’de yapılıyor.

4. She wished she had bought a new car. Yeni bir araba satın almış olmasını diledi.

5. Which model goes 250 k.p.h.? Hangi model saatte 250 km hızla gider?

6. In his position as managing director, he is responsible for more than 300 employees. Onun makamında müdür olarak 300’den daha fazla çalışandan sorumludur.

7. Ken said he would finish that project soon. Ken o projeyi yakında bitireceğini söyledi.

8. Unfortunately, Mary has few friends in Tacoma. Yazık ki Mary’nin Tacoma’da az arkadaş var.

9. Where was Jack yesterday?  -  I don’t know. He might have been seeing the doctor. Jack dün neredeydi?  -  Bilmiyorum. Doktora gitmiş olabilirdi.

10. Jack told her that he was going to come the next day. Jack ona ertesi gün geleceğini söyledi.

11. He drove the car out of the garage and left for work. Arabayı garajdan sürüp işe gitmek için ayrıldı.

12. Where do you think Anne was yesterday?  -  She must have been at home. Anne’nin dün nerede olduğunu düşünüyorsun?  -  Evde olmalıydı.

13. He has no interest in continuing the project. Projeyi devam etmekle ilgilenmiyor.

14. Unless he comes, we won’t have much to talk about. Gelmezse konuşacak çok şeyimiz yok.

15. Look at those clouds! It looks like it’s going to rain. O bulutlara bak!  -  Yağmur yağacak gibi görünüyor.

16. I could hardly make out the ship in the distance. Uzaktaki gemiyi zorla farkettim.

17. That is the man whose grandfather founded the company. Büyükbabası şirketi kurduğu erkek budur.

If I wanted to leave permanently I would have to cut my fingers also not to come back.

I use Firefox because I like it. Often people say they can´t see the message even if I do and some other people do.

If I try to send something heavy like a picture the post gets white even in my eyes. The picture sometimes eats the text, too! I have learned from this and use GC for heavy loads.

How many of my posts are really empty...that one I don´t know.

My Try:

He doesn´t feel reluctant to split hairs on this topic.

Business enterprises are stingy in employing staff. As a result general unemployment rates also gradyally increase.

make tiny distinctions, "split hairs"

(My Tries.)

Interestingly, it is a real condition in the past. The speaker just doesn´t know if the action took place or not. If it was unreal it would be something like

                  İstanbul´a gitseydi, Sultanahmet Camiini görürdü / görmüş olurdu 

´If she had gone...she would have seen...´, true?

Conditional clauses are an endless source of wonders.