Learn Hardcore Turkish: Öğrencilere mezuniyet töreninde sertifika verilmesi gerekir. - Certificates need to be given to students at the graduation ceremony.

In Turkish, the indirect recipient of something takes the dative case (-e/-a). Here, öğrencilere means “to the students.” You’re saying “certificates must be given to the students.” Without the dative suffix, öğrenciler would simply be “students” (the subject or object), not specifically the beneficiaries.

What does the locative suffix in töreninde (-de) express?

The locative case (-de/-da) indicates “in/at/on” a place or time. Mezuniyet töreninde literally means “at the graduation ceremony.” Note two parts:

mezuniyet (graduation)
tören (ceremony)
Putting them together as a compound (“graduation ceremony”) and adding -inde gives “at the graduation ceremony.”

Why is the verb in sertifika verilmesi a noun form rather than a finite verb?

Verilmesi is the nominalized (gerund) form of vermek (“to give”), built with the suffix -(i)l- (passive) + -(m)esi (noun-forming). This turns “to be given” into “the giving” or “that it be given.” Turkish often uses such nominalizations to express necessity or obligation impersonally.

What role does gerekir play in this sentence?

Gerekir means “is necessary” or “must.” When you combine a nominalized verb phrase like sertifika verilmesi with gerekir, you get “it is necessary that certificates be given.” So the full sense is “Certificates must be given to the students at the graduation ceremony.”

Could you explain why there’s no explicit subject in “Öğrencilere … verilmesi gerekir”?

This is an impersonal construction. The nominalization (verilmesi) + gerekir already carries the meaning of “it is necessary.” No additional “it” or “one” is needed. Turkish frequently drops impersonal or indefinite subjects when the verb form or context makes the meaning clear.

What’s the difference between gerekir and gerekli/gereklidir?

Both express necessity, but:
• gerekir is a verb meaning “is needed/necessary.”
• gerekli is an adjective meaning “necessary,” and gereklidir is its formal copular form: “(it) is necessary.”
You could rephrase:
– Örnek: Sertifika verilmesi gerekir. (more neutral/verb-based)
– Örnek: Sertifika verilmesi gereklidir. (slightly more formal, adjective + être verb)

Can you change this sentence into the “-meli/-malı” necessity form?

Yes. Replace the nominalization + gerekir with the aorist necessity suffix -meli/-malı on the main verb:
Öğrencilere mezuniyet töreninde sertifika verilmelidir.
or more colloquially:
Öğrencilere mezuniyet töreninde sertifika verilmeli.

Is the word order flexible here? Could I start with Sertifika or Mezuniyet töreninde?

Yes. Turkish has relatively free word order, though the default is Topic–Time–Place–Object–Verb. You can say:
• Mezuniyet töreninde öğrencilere sertifika verilmesi gerekir.
• Sertifika öğrencilere mezuniyet töreninde verilmesi gerekir.
All keep the same meaning, but slight shifts in emphasis occur depending on which element you front.