Toplantı kaydedilmelidir.

The meeting should be recorded.

Breakdown of Toplantı kaydedilmelidir.

• toplantı: the meeting
• -meli: should
• kaydedilmek: to be recorded

Questions & Answers about Toplantı kaydedilmelidir.

What is the function of the suffix -melidir in Toplantı kaydedilmelidir?

The element -meli / -malı is the “necessity” (gereklilik) mood in Turkish, equivalent to English must/should. Adding -dir at the end is the third-person definite personal suffix, which makes the statement more formal or certain. So kaydedil-melidir literally means “it is necessary to be recorded” or idiomatically “must be recorded.”

Can we omit the -dir at the end and just say Toplantı kaydedilmeli?

Yes. In everyday colloquial Turkish, the -dir is often dropped, yielding Toplantı kaydedilmeli. It still means “The meeting must be recorded,” but sounds less formal. Adding -dir simply adds a layer of official or written-style emphasis.

How is the passive voice formed in this verb?

Starting from the active verb kaydet- (“to record”):

1. Insert the passive suffix -il (after a consonant) → kaydet + il → kaydetil.
2. Apply regular vowel harmony changes: kaydetil → kaydedil.
3. Then add the necessity suffix -meli and the personal suffix -dir → kaydedil
   • meli
     • dir = kaydedilmelidir.

Can you break down kaydedilmelidir into its morphemes?

Sure:

• kaydet = record (root)
• • il
  = passive voice marker
• kaydedil = “be recorded” (passive stem)
• -meli = necessity mood (“must/should”)
• -dir = third-person definite personal suffix (formality/certainty)
  Putting it together: kaydet + il +meli + dir.

Why is there no explicit subject or agent (“by someone”) in this sentence?

In Turkish passives, the patient of the action (what would be the direct object in the active voice) becomes the grammatical subject. Here Toplantı (“the meeting”) is the subject. The agent (who records) is unspecified and usually omitted if it’s not important or obvious. If you needed “by someone,” you could add an expression like birisi tarafından.

How would you say “The meeting must not be recorded”?

Insert the negative marker -me- before the necessity suffix:
Toplantı kaydedil-me-melidir.
This means “The meeting must not be recorded.”

How do you turn Toplantı kaydedilmelidir into a question?

Add the question particle mi after the verb phrase (and drop -dir if you want a more neutral tone):
Toplantı kaydedilmeli mi?
Literally, “Must the meeting be recorded?”

What is the active-voice equivalent of Toplantı kaydedilmelidir?

In active voice you need a subject (an agent) and the necessity mood on kaydetmek:
Birisi toplantıyı kaydetmeli.
= “Someone must record the meeting.”