Learn Hardcore Turkish: Çorba soğumadan acilen sunulmalı. - The soup should be served urgently before it gets cold.

soğumadan comes from the verb soğumak (to get cold) plus the suffix -madan, which means “before doing something” or “without doing something.” You attach -madan (or -meden after front vowels) directly to the verb stem. Since soğumak has back vowels, we use -madan. So soğumadan literally means “before it cools down” or “before it gets cold.”

What does acilen mean and how is this adverb formed?

acilen is the adverbial form of the adjective acil (urgent). It means “urgently” or “immediately.” Many Turkish adverbs are made by adding -en to an adjective: acil + -en → acilen. You could also use hemen (“right away”), but acilen sounds more formal.

How is sunulmalı formed and what grammatical meaning does it express?

sunulmalı breaks down as follows:

sun- (verb root “to serve”)
-ul- (passive suffix → “to be served”)
-malı (necessity suffix → “should/must”)
No personal ending is added, so it stays general. The whole word means “should be served” or “must be served.”

Why is there no explicit subject in this sentence?

In Turkish, passive sentences with the -malı necessity suffix often omit the doer when it’s general or unimportant. Here Çorba is the topic (the thing undergoing the action), so you don’t need to specify who serves it. The implied meaning is “(It is necessary that) the soup be served…”

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

Turkish is an SOV (Subject-Object-Verb) language. Adverbial phrases and subordinate clauses come before the main verb. The order here is:

Çorba (subject/topic)
soğumadan (adverbial clause “before it gets cold”)
acilen (adverb “urgently”)
sunulmalı (main verb “should be served”)

Can I swap soğumadan and acilen in the sentence?

Yes, you can say Çorba acilen soğumadan sunulmalı, and the core meaning stays the same. However, native speakers usually place the time/condition clause (soğumadan) right after the subject, then other adverbs. The original word order sounds more natural.

What’s the difference between acilen and hemen?

Both translate as “immediately” or “urgently.” hemen is very common in spoken Turkish and informal contexts. acilen is more formal and often used in written instructions, announcements, or menus. You can safely swap them, but choose acilen for a more formal tone.

Why is the suffix -madan used instead of -meden in soğumadan?

Turkish suffixes obey vowel harmony. After back vowels (a, ı, o, u) you use -madan; after front vowels (e, i, ö, ü) you use -meden. Since soğumak contains back vowels, it becomes soğumadan.

How would you say “We must serve the soup urgently before it gets cold” in Turkish?

Switch to the active voice with a personal ending:
Çorbayı soğumadan acilen sunmalıyız.
Notes:
• You add -ı (accusative) to çorba because it’s now a definite direct object.
• sunmalıyız = “we must serve.”

Why doesn’t çorba take the accusative suffix in Çorba soğumadan acilen sunulmalı?

In passive constructions or general statements with no specific actor, the noun stays in the nominative case (no -yı/-yi). Here Çorba is the topic that needs serving; it isn’t marked as a definite object. If you make the sentence active and specify a subject, then you would use the accusative (çorbayı).