Toplantı notlarını akılda tutmak gerekir.

It is necessary to keep the meeting notes in mind.

Breakdown of Toplantı notlarını akılda tutmak gerekir.

• gerekmek: to be necessary
• toplantı: the meeting
• not: the note
• akılda tutmak: to keep in mind

Questions & Answers about Toplantı notlarını akılda tutmak gerekir.

Why is akılda in the locative case (with -da)?

akılda is the locative form of akıl (“mind”). In Turkish, idiomatic memory expressions like akılda kalmak (“to stay in the mind”) or akılda tutmak (“to keep in the mind”) use the locative to signal “in the mind.” This isn’t a physical place but a figurative location—your memory.

What does akılda tutmak mean, and how is it different from hatırlamak?

Akılda tutmak literally means “to keep in mind,” emphasising the active effort of holding information in memory. Hatırlamak simply means “to remember” or “to recall” something already stored. Use akılda tutmak when you want to stress the action of deliberately storing information for later.

Why is notlarını marked with the accusative suffix -ı? The subject is general—shouldn’t the object stay unmarked?

In Turkish, definite or specific direct objects take the accusative suffix. Here notlarını refers to the meeting notes known from context, so we add -ı (after notlar) to mark it as definite. Even though the implied subject “one” or “you” is indefinite, the object remains definite and thus gets -ı.

What is the function of gerekir here, and why is the sentence impersonal?

Gerekir is the 3rd person singular of gerekmek (“to be necessary”). It’s used impersonally: there’s no explicit “it” or “you.” The real action is the infinitive akılda tutmak. So akılda tutmak gerekir literally means “it is necessary to keep in mind,” or more naturally, “one must keep in mind.”

Why is akılda tutmak in the infinitive before gerekir? Could we use a personal form instead?

Necessity verbs like gerekmek, lazım olmak, zorunlu olmak take an infinitive clause (“to do something”) as their subject/object. You can’t replace this with a finite personal form in the same sentence. If you want a personal statement, rephrase: Sen toplantı notlarını akılda tutmalısın (“You must remember the meeting notes”).

Could we say Toplantının notlarını akılda tutmak gerekir instead of Toplantı notlarını?

Yes. Toplantının notları means “the notes of the meeting” using the genitive. Toplantı notları is a noun–noun compound (“meeting notes”) without the genitive. Both are grammatically correct; the compound is just more concise and common in everyday speech.

Can we replace gerekir with lazım or another expression for necessity?

Absolutely. Instead of gerekir, you can use the colloquial lazım:
Toplantı notlarını akılda tutmak lazım.
For a more formal tone, zorunludur works:
Toplantı notlarını akılda tutmak zorunludur.

Is the word order fixed in this sentence? Could we move parts around?

Turkish word order is relatively flexible thanks to case endings. The neutral order is Toplantı notlarını – akılda tutmak – gerekir. You can front elements for emphasis, e.g.:
• Akılda tutmak gerekir toplantı notlarını (emphasise the action)
• Toplantı notlarını akılda tutmak gerekir (neutral)
Moving gerekir far from the infinitive often sounds odd, so keep akılda tutmak and gerekir close together.