Tüm veriler kayıt altına alınmalı.

All data should be recorded.

Breakdown of Tüm veriler kayıt altına alınmalı.

• tüm: all
• veri: the data
• kayıt altına alınmak: to be recorded

Questions & Answers about Tüm veriler kayıt altına alınmalı.

What does Tüm mean here, and can I use Hepsi instead?

Tüm means “all” or “entire.” It’s a formal distributive adjective placed before the noun: Tüm veriler = “all the data.” You could express the same idea colloquially with hepsi, but it usually follows the noun: Verilerin hepsi kayıt altına alınmalı.

Why is veriler plural, and isn’t veri already “data”?

While veri is an uncountable noun meaning “data,” Turkish often pluralizes uncountables when referring to individual items or sets. Veriler emphasizes the separate data points. Saying Tüm veri kayıt altına alınmalı would sound less natural.

Why doesn’t veriler take the accusative suffix -i (i.e., verileri)?

In a passive sentence, the original object becomes the subject and stays in the nominative case. Here veriler is the subject of the passive verb alınmalı, so it does not take the accusative -i suffix.

What is kayıt altına almak, and why does it include altına?

Kayıt altına almak is a compound verb meaning “to record” (literally “to take under record”).

• kayıt = record
• altına = “under” (dative of alt, “under”)
• almak = to take
  Together they form “to put something on record.”

How is the passive + necessity formed in kayıt altına alınmalı?

1. Start with the verb almak (“to take”).
2. Drop -mak → al-.
3. Add passive suffix -ın → alın.
4. Add necessity suffix -malı (must/should) → alınmalı = “must be taken/recorded.”

What does the suffix -malı (or -meli) express?

The -malı/-meli suffix expresses necessity or obligation (“must,” “should”). In impersonal statements (no personal ending), it gives a general command:
kayıt altına alınmalı = “it must/should be recorded.”

Could I say Tüm veriler kaydedilmelidir instead? What’s the difference?

Yes. Kaydetmek is another verb meaning “to record.” Passive + formal necessity → kaydedilmelidir (“must be recorded”).

• kaydedilmelidir sounds more formal and written than kayıt altına alınmalı, but both mean essentially the same thing.

Is the word order Tüm veriler kayıt altına alınmalı fixed, or can it change?

Turkish word order is flexible due to case marking. The neutral structure is Subject/Object + Verb. Here Tüm veriler (subject) comes first, then the verb phrase kayıt altına alınmalı. You can move elements for emphasis (e.g., Kayıt altına tüm veriler alınmalı), but the original order is the most natural in formal contexts.