Bisikletin tekerleği tamir edilmeli.

the bicycle

Breakdown of Bisikletin tekerleği tamir edilmeli.

• tamir edilmek: to be repaired
• -meli: must
• tekerlek: the wheel

Questions & Answers about Bisikletin tekerleği tamir edilmeli.

What does the suffix -in in bisikletin indicate?

It marks the genitive case, showing possession. bisikletin literally means “of the bicycle” or “the bicycle’s.”

Why is there a -i on tekerleği?

That -i is the accusative suffix, marking a definite object (“the wheel”) in a necessity statement. In Turkish, when something specific “needs to be” done, it gets the accusative -i even if the verb is in a passive or necessity form.

How can I tell if the -i on tekerleği is the accusative or the possessive suffix?

Here it actually does double duty. A possessed noun (tekerlek) must take a 3rd-person possessive (-i) to agree with the genitive possessor (bisikletin), and as the definite item that “must be repaired” it also takes the accusative. Because both suffixes surface as -i, you only see it once.

What is the function of -meli in tamir edilmeli?

-meli/-malı is the necessity (obligation) suffix. It turns “to be repaired” into “must/should be repaired.”

Why is the verb tamir etmek turned into tamir edilmek instead of just tamir etmek?