Mekanizma çalışmazsa teknik servisi aramalısınız.

If the mechanism doesn’t work, you should call technical service.

Breakdown of Mekanizma çalışmazsa teknik servisi aramalısınız.

• çalışmak: to work
• servis: the service
• teknik: technical
• aramak: to call
• -sa: if
• mekanizma: the mechanism

Questions & Answers about Mekanizma çalışmazsa teknik servisi aramalısınız.

Why does çalışmazsa combine -ma and -sa instead of using separate words for “not” and “if”?

In Turkish, negation and condition are suffixes attached directly to the verb root. Here’s the breakdown:

• verb root: çalış- (to work)
• negative suffix: -ma → çalışma (does not work)
• conditional suffix: -sa → çalışmazsa (if it does not work)
  You never need a separate word for “not” or “if” in this construction.

Do I have to use eğer before çalışmazsa to say “if”?

No. The suffix -sa already carries the “if” meaning. Adding eğer is optional and a bit more formal or emphatic. Both are correct:

• Mekanizma çalışmazsa… (If the mechanism doesn’t work…)
• Eğer mekanizma çalışmazsa… (If the mechanism doesn’t work…)

Why is mekanizma not marked with any suffix here?

Mekanizma is the subject of the sentence, and Turkish subjects don’t take a special case ending in simple declarative or conditional clauses. Only definite direct objects get the accusative suffix.

Why does servisi have -i at the end?

Servisi is the direct object of aramalısınız (you should call). When the object is specific (the technical service), Turkish uses the accusative ending -i:

• servis (service)
• servisi (the service; accusative)

How is aramalısınız formed to mean “you should call”?

This uses the necessity suffix -malı/-meli plus the personal ending. Breakdown:

1. verb root: ara- (to call)
2. necessity: -malıs → aramalıs (must/should call)
3. 2nd person plural/formal ending: -ınız → aramalısınız (you must/should call)

Does aramalısınız mean plural “you” or polite “you”?

Turkish uses the same form for both plural “you” and the formal polite singular “you.” Context tells you whether you’re speaking to several people or politely addressing one person.

What’s the difference between çalışmazsa and çalışmıyorsa?

Both mean “if it does not work,” but:

• çalışmazsa uses the simple present negative plus conditional. It states a general condition.
• çalışmıyorsa adds the progressive -yor before negation, making it sound more immediate or ongoing (“if it’s not working right now”).
  In a troubleshooting instruction, çalışmazsa is more common.

Can I move the clauses around, for example put teknik servisi aramalısınız first?

Yes. Turkish has flexible word order. You could say:

• Teknik servisi aramalısınız, mekanizma çalışmazsa.
  But the most natural sequence is to state the condition first and then the result.

Could I drop teknik and just say servisi aramalısınız?

Grammatically yes, but that changes the meaning. servisi aramalısınız means “you should call the service,” but without teknik it might be unclear which service you mean. Use teknik servisi when you specifically mean the technical service.