Learn Hardcore Turkish: Bu ders, tonlama ve yazım kurallarını akılda tutmayı gerektirir. - This lesson requires keeping tone and writing conventions in mind.

In Turkish, when two (or more) nouns are joined by ve, you only attach the case suffix to the final noun. Here tonlama and yazım kuralları together form the object of gerektirmek, and since it’s definite/specific, it takes the accusative marker -ı on kurallar (→ kurallarını). tonlama remains unmarked.

What exactly does gerektirir mean, and how is it formed?

gerektirir is the 3rd person singular present of gerektirmek, the causative of gerek (“to be necessary”).

gerek alone (intransitive) ⇒ gerekir means “it is necessary.”
gerek + tirmek (causative) ⇒ gerektirmek means “to make something necessary” or “to require.”
So gerektirir = “(it) requires (something).”

Why is akılda tutmayı in the accusative case, and what is its role in the sentence?

akılda tutma is the infinitive noun (verb stem + -ma) meaning “keeping in mind.” As the direct object of gerektirmek, it takes the accusative suffix -yı → tutmayı. Altogether, tonlama ve yazım kurallarını akılda tutmayı is “keeping the intonation and spelling rules in mind,” which gerektirir “requires.”

Why is akılda in the locative (with -da) instead of something like aklında or aklına?

The fixed expression is akılda tutmak (“to keep [something] in mind”). Here akılda (locative of akıl) means “in the mind.” Using aklında (possessive + locative) would specify “in your mind,” but since the sentence is general/impersonal, the plain locative akılda is used to form the idiom.

Is the comma after Bu ders necessary?

No, it’s optional. Placing a comma after Bu ders (“this lesson”) simply adds a slight pause or emphasis, separating the topic from the predicate. You could equally write the sentence without the comma for a more streamlined style.

Why does the verb gerektirir appear at the very end of the sentence?

Turkish follows a Subject–Object–Verb (SOV) order. The finite verb almost always comes last. Here the subject is Bu ders, the object is tonlama ve yazım kurallarını akılda tutmayı, and the verb gerektirir closes the sentence.

Can we make the “you” who must keep these rules in mind explicit?

Yes. To indicate exactly who must do the action, you add the appropriate possessive/subject suffix to akıl and the noun form:

Informal singular: Bu ders, tonlama ve yazım kurallarını aklında tutmanı gerektirir.
Formal or plural “you”: Bu ders, tonlama ve yazım kurallarını aklınızda tutmanızı gerektirir.

What does yazım mean here, and why not use yazı?

yazım is the noun form of yazmak in the sense of “spelling” or “orthography.” yazı, by contrast, means “writing” as in a text or article. In yazım kuralları, yazım specifically qualifies the type of rules (i.e. “spelling rules”).