Breakdown of Elektrik ve su tasarrufu sağlamak, faturaları azaltmak için çok önemlidir.
olmak
to be
çok
very
su
the water
önemli
important
ve
and
için
for
azaltmak
to reduce
elektrik
the electricity
tasarruf sağlamak
to save
fatura
the bill
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Questions & Answers about Elektrik ve su tasarrufu sağlamak, faturaları azaltmak için çok önemlidir.
What is the grammatical function of elektrik ve su tasarrufu sağlamak in this sentence?
It’s a nominalized infinitive clause (a gerund phrase) acting as the subject. Components:
- sağlamak = “to ensure/provide” (infinitive form with -mak)
- tasarrufu = “saving” in the accusative (object of sağlamak)
- elektrik ve su = specify what is being saved (“electricity and water”)
Why do sağlamak and azaltmak end in -mak?
The suffix -mak/-mek is the infinitive marker in Turkish. It turns verbs into verbal nouns or gerunds. Here:
- sağlamak is part of the subject gerund phrase (“saving…”)
- azaltmak appears in the purpose clause (“to reduce…”)
Why is there a comma after sağlamak?
In formal written Turkish, we often separate a long nominal subject (the entire infinitive phrase elektrik ve su tasarrufu sağlamak) from the predicate with a comma. It clarifies that everything before the comma is the subject.
Why is tasarrufu in the accusative case (with -u)?
Because tasarrufu is the direct object of the transitive verb sağlamak, and Turkish marks definite or specific objects with the accusative suffix.
What does faturaları azaltmak için mean, and how is it built?
It means “in order to reduce the bills.” Breakdown:
- faturaları = “bills” (plural -lar
- accusative -ı)
- azaltmak = “to reduce” (infinitive)
- için = postposition meaning “for” or “in order to,” introducing a purpose clause
Why is faturaları both plural and accusative?
• Plural (-lar) because we normally refer to multiple bills.
• Accusative (-ı) because it is the definite object of azaltmak (“to reduce”).
What is the role of çok in çok önemlidir, and why use -dir on önemli?
• çok = “very,” an adverb intensifying önemli (“important”).
• önemlidir = “it is important.” In Turkish, adjectives used predicatively pair with the copula olmak, here marked by the suffix -dir (“is/it is”). Omitting -dir would make it a fragment (“very important”), not a full clause.
Can this sentence be rephrased using a different verb, like kullanmak, instead of sağlamak?
Yes. For example:
- Elektrik ve suyu tasarruflu kullanmak, faturaları azaltmak için çok önemlidir.
Here tasarruflu kullanmak (“to use sparingly”) shifts the focus from “ensuring savings” to “using electricity and water economically,” but the overall message remains the same.