Eldivenlerimi takmadan önce ellerimi yıkamak zorundayım.

(I have to wash my hands before putting on my gloves.)

Breakdown of Eldivenlerimi takmadan önce ellerimi yıkamak zorundayım.

• benim: my
• önce: before
• el: the hand
• yıkamak: to wash
• zorunda olmak: to have to
• -madan: without
• eldiven: the glove
• takmak: to put on

Questions & Answers about Eldivenlerimi takmadan önce ellerimi yıkamak zorundayım.

What does the suffix -madan mean in takmadan önce, and why is önce placed after it?

The combination verb stem + -madan + önce literally means “before doing [verb].” Here’s how it breaks down:

• tak = “put on”
• -madan = the adverbial form (sometimes called the “connegative”), which in this structure doesn’t negate but marks “before doing”
• önce = “before”
  So tak-madan önce = “before putting on.”

Why do we say eldivenlerimi instead of just eldivenler or eldivenim?

Eldivenlerimi carries three pieces of information:

1. -ler = plural (“gloves”)
2. -im = 1st person singular possessive (“my”)
3. -i = accusative case (marks a definite direct object)
   Altogether, eldiven-ler-im-i = “my gloves” as a specific, direct object.

In ellerimi yıkamak zorundayım, why is ellerimi in the accusative case?

Because you’re talking about washing a specific body part—your hands. Turkish marks definite, specific direct objects with the accusative suffix -i/-ı/-u/-ü (here eller-im-i). If it were indefinite or general (“I must wash hands”), you could drop the accusative.

What does zorundayım mean, and how is it formed?

Zorundayım means “I have to” or “I must.” It comes from the adjective zorunda (“in the necessity/obligation”) plus the 1st person singular copula -yım. Together:
zorun-da+yım = “I am under necessity” → “I must.”

Could I say ellerimi yıkamalıyım instead of ellerimi yıkamak zorundayım?

Yes. Yıkamalıyım uses the necessity/modality suffix -malı/-meli (“should/must”), so ellerimi yıkamalıyım also means “I should wash my hands.” The nuance is subtle:

• zorundayım often feels a bit stronger or more official (“I’m obliged”)
• -malı/-meli is a bit more like giving advice or stating necessity in general.

Why do we use takmak for gloves? Isn’t giymek also “to wear”?

Both verbs can mean “to wear,” but they have different uses:

• giymek is general for clothes, shoes, hats, etc.
• takmak is for accessories or things you “put on”/“attach,” like watches, glasses, jewelry—and yes, gloves. So native speakers normally say eldiven takmak.

Can I reorder the sentence, for example put ellerimi yıkamak first?

Turkish is fairly flexible, but the most natural word order here is:

1. Adverbial clause: Eldivenlerimi takmadan önce
2. Direct object + infinitive + verb: ellerimi yıkamak zorundayım
   You could shift small phrases for emphasis, but verbs typically stay at the end, and time/place clauses usually come early. A totally scrambled order would sound odd.

Is there another way to say “before putting on my gloves” besides takmadan önce?

Yes. A more literary or older-fashioned option is takmadan evvel, since evvel also means “before.” But in everyday modern Turkish, takmadan önce is by far the most common.