Breakdown of Arka kapı her sabah erkenden açılmalı.
her
every
sabah
the morning
arka
back
kapı
the door
erken
early
-malı
should
açılmak
to be opened
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Turkish grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Arka kapı her sabah erkenden açılmalı.
What does arka kapı mean?
Arka means “back” or “rear” and kapı means “door,” so together arka kapı is “back door.”
Why isn’t there an article like the or a in arka kapı?
Turkish doesn’t use articles; definiteness and indefiniteness are inferred from context. In English you decide “the back door” or “a back door” based on what you know.
What does her sabah mean?
Her means “every” and sabah means “morning,” so her sabah is “every morning.”
Why is it her sabah erkenden instead of just her sabah erken?
Erkenden is the adverbial form of erken with the suffix -den, literally “from early,” implying “early on.” Her sabah erkenden (“early every morning”) is more idiomatic than her sabah erken.
What does the suffix -malı in açılmalı express?
The suffix -malı/-meli marks necessity or obligation. Açılmalı therefore means “must be opened” or “should be opened.”
Why is açılmalı in the passive voice?
The active verb is açmak (“to open”). Adding the passive marker -ıl gives açıl- (“to be opened”), then -malı adds necessity, yielding açılmalı (“must be opened”).
How would you translate açılmalı in English?
You can translate it as “should be opened,” “must be opened,” or “has to be opened,” depending on how strong you want the obligation to sound.
Can I change the word order of her sabah erkenden açılmalı?
Turkish word order is flexible. You could say erkenden her sabah açılmalı or her sabah açılmalı erkenden for stylistic emphasis, but her sabah erkenden açılmalı is the most natural for a routine obligation.