Ödevimi baştan yapmalıyım.

I should redo my homework from the beginning.

Breakdown of Ödevimi baştan yapmalıyım.

• benim: my
• yapmak: to do
• ödev: the homework
• baştan: from the beginning

Questions & Answers about Ödevimi baştan yapmalıyım.

Why does ödevimi have two -i suffixes?

Turkish allows suffix stacking. ödev (homework) takes the possessive -im to become ödevim (my homework). When a direct object is definite, you add the accusative -i. These merge seamlessly into ödevimi.

What does baştan mean and why is it used here?

baştan is an adverb meaning “from the beginning” (literally “from the head”). It emphasizes starting over at the very start of something. In this sentence, it clarifies that you must redo your homework from scratch.

What’s the difference between baştan and yeniden?

Both can mean “again,” but:

• yeniden is a general word for “again/once more.”
• baştan specifically means “from the very start.”
  Use baştan when you want to stress restarting from zero.

How is yapmalıyım formed?

Breakdown of yapmalıyım:

1. yap- = verb root “to do”
2. -malı = necessity suffix (“must/should”)
3. -y- = buffer consonant (to avoid vowel-vowel clash)
4. -ım = 1st person singular ending
   Putting it together: yap + malı + y + ım = yapmalıyım (“I must do”).

Why does the suffix -malı in yapmalıyım use a instead of e?

Turkish vowel harmony dictates that the suffix vowel matches the root vowel’s backness and rounding. The root yap- has an a, a back unrounded vowel, so the necessity suffix takes -malı (not -meli).

Why is there a -y- between malı and ım in yapmalıyım?

Turkish doesn’t allow two vowels to come together directly, so when a suffix starting with a vowel attaches to a stem ending in a vowel, a buffer consonant y is inserted. Here malı ends in ı and ım begins with ı, so we insert -y-.

Could I say yapmam lazım or yapmam gerek instead of yapmalıyım?

Yes. Both are colloquial equivalents:

• yapmam lazım uses the noun yapma
  • lazım (“necessary”).
• yapmam gerek uses gerek (“necessary”) in the same way.
  They all convey “I have to do [it],” though yapmalıyım is more formal/neutral.

What’s the difference between baştan and başta?

• baştan = ablative form of baş (“head”), used adverbially to mean “from the beginning.”
• başta = locative form of baş, meaning “at the beginning” or “initially,” often used to list points (“başta…, sonra…”).
  In “Ödevimi baştan yapmalıyım,” you need baştan to express “from the very start.”