Reçeteyi eczacıya teslim etmeden önce doktorun onayını almalısın.

Before submitting the prescription to the pharmacist, you must get your doctor’s approval.

Breakdown of Reçeteyi eczacıya teslim etmeden önce doktorun onayını almalısın.

• önce: before
• almak: to get
• doktor: the doctor
• -ya: to
• -meden: without
• onay: the approval
• reçete: the prescription
• eczacı: the pharmacist
• teslim etmek: to submit

Questions & Answers about Reçeteyi eczacıya teslim etmeden önce doktorun onayını almalısın.

Why is reçeteyi in the accusative case, and what does it signify?

• -yi (or -yı/​-yu/​-yü after vowels) is the Turkish accusative suffix.
• It marks reçete (“prescription”) as a definite direct object—“the prescription” rather than “a prescription.”

What does eczacıya mean, and why is it in that form?

• eczacı = “pharmacist.”
• -ya (or -ye after vowels) is the dative case suffix meaning “to.”
• So eczacıya = “to the pharmacist.”

Why do we say teslim etmeden önce for “before delivering,” and how is it built?

• teslim etmek is a compound verb (borrowed noun teslim + etmek = “to deliver”).
• To form “before doing X,” you attach:

1. The negative participle suffix -me to the verb root: et- + me → etme (“not doing”)
2. The ablative suffix -den: etme + den → etmeden (“without doing”)
3. Then önce (“before”): etmeden önce = “before you deliver.”

How would you say “after delivering” instead of “before delivering”?

Use the resultative participle plus sonra (“after”):
• Root + -dikten (resultative + ablative) + sonra
• teslim et- + -dikten sonra = teslim ettikten sonra = “after you deliver.”

What does doktorun onayını almak literally mean, and how are the words formed?

• doktor = “doctor”
• -un is the 3rd-person singular possessive suffix: doktorun = “doctor’s.”
• onay = “approval.”
• -ını is the 3rd-person singular possessive plus accusative: onay + -ı (possessive) + -nı (object) → onayını = “the doctor’s approval.”
• almak = “to take/get.”
• So doktorun onayını almak = “to get the doctor’s approval.”

What does almalısın mean, and how is it formed?

• al = verb root “take/get”
• -malı/-meli = necessity/obligation suffix: “must/should”
• -sın = 2nd-person singular personal ending
• al + malı + sın = almalısın = “you must get” or “you should take.”

Why is there no separate word for “you” in this sentence?

• Turkish verbs carry person information through their endings.
• Here, -sın already indicates 2nd-person singular (“you”), so a separate pronoun (sen) is optional and usually omitted unless for emphasis.

Why does the main verb come at the end of the sentence?

• Turkish is an SOV (Subject-Object-Verb) language.
• All particles, participles and auxiliary information typically precede the final verb (almalısın) at the very end.