Learn Hardcore Turkish: Her toplantı sonunda, tartışılan konuların özeti tutanakta yer almalıdır. - At the end of every meeting, the summary of the discussed topics must be included in the minutes.

In Turkish you can form a compound noun by placing two nouns together: toplantı (meeting) + sonu (its end) → toplantı sonu (“meeting end”). Then you add the locative suffix -nda to the second noun: toplantı-sonu-nda (“at the end of the meeting”). Because toplantı sonu is a compound, you don’t need the genitive -nın on toplantı. Saying Her toplantının sonunda is also grammatically correct, but Her toplantı sonunda is a more concise, compound-style expression.

Is the comma after Her toplantı sonunda mandatory?

No, it’s optional. Turkish often places a comma after a fronted time or place phrase (like Her toplantı sonunda) to improve readability, especially in formal writing. You can write the sentence with or without that comma.

How does tartışılan konuların özeti break down?

tartışılan: passive participle of tartışmak (“to discuss”), formed with -ılan, meaning “that were discussed.”
konuların: konular (“topics”) + genitive -ın, meaning “of the topics.”
özet: “summary,” the head noun.
özet takes the possessive suffix -i (→ özeti) because it is “the summary” belonging to those topics.
Altogether tartışılan konuların özeti = “the summary of the topics that were discussed.”

Why is tartışılan used instead of tartışan konular?

The suffix -ılan creates a passive participle (“that were discussed”), so tartışılan konular are “topics that were discussed.” By contrast, -an is an active participle, so tartışan kişiler would be “people who discuss/argue.” It wouldn’t make sense to call topics “those who discuss,” so we need the passive form.

Why does özet have the suffix -i in tartışılan konuların özeti?

That -i on özet is the 3rd-person possessive suffix, not the accusative. In a genitive–possessive construction (X-ın Y-si), Y receives -si (here -i) to show ownership by X. So konuların özeti = “the topics’ summary.”

Why is tutanakta in the locative case, and what does tutanakta yer almak mean?

tutanak = “minutes/record.”
The locative suffix -ta → tutanakta = “in the minutes.”
yer almak literally means “to take a place.” Put together, tutanakta yer almak is an idiom meaning “to be included in the minutes” or “to be recorded.”

What does the suffix -malı in almalıdır express?

The suffix -malı/-meli adds a sense of obligation or necessity (“must,” “should”). So almalıdır on the verb almak (“to take”) means “must take” or “should take,” giving “must take place.”

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

Turkish is an SOV (Subject-Object-Verb) language. The finite verb—including all its suffixes—routinely appears at the end of the clause, whereas subjects, objects, and adverbials precede it.