Kitap okumak lazım.

It is necessary to read a book.

Breakdown of Kitap okumak lazım.

• kitap: the book
• okumak: to read
• lazım: necessary

Questions & Answers about Kitap okumak lazım.

Why is the verb okumak in its infinitive form instead of being conjugated?

In Turkish, when expressing necessity with lazım, the verb typically appears in its infinitive form. This structure is used to indicate that the action (reading a book) is required in general, without specifying who must perform it.

What function does lazım serve in this sentence?

Lazım acts as an impersonal adjective meaning “necessary.” It attaches to the infinitive to express that performing the action is needed. This creates a general statement of obligation rather than targeting a specific person.

How is the subject of the sentence expressed if there is no personal pronoun present?

The subject is implied rather than explicitly stated. In such impersonal constructions, the obligation applies generally—meaning “one,” “you,” or “people in general”—so no specific subject is needed in the sentence.

Can this structure be adjusted to specify that a particular person must read a book?

Yes, to specify the subject you can use a construction with zorunda olmak. For example, “Sen kitap okumak zorundasın.” explicitly means “You must read a book,” with sen clearly indicating the person responsible for the action.

Why is kitap in its singular form without any articles or plural markers?

Turkish does not use articles like “a” or “the,” and nouns are often used in a general sense when referring to concepts or activities. Using the singular kitap implies the general idea of reading a book, rather than a particular book or multiple books.

Is the pattern [noun] + [infinitive verb] + lazım a common way to express necessity in Turkish?

Yes, this pattern is a standard impersonal construction in Turkish for stating necessities or obligations. The noun and the infinitive combine to describe an activity, and lazım indicates that performing the activity is necessary, making it a concise and frequently used expression in everyday language.