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Breakdown of Mektuba pul yapıştırmadan postaya veremezsin.
mektup
the letter
-a
to
-madan
without
pul
the stamp
yapıştırmak
to stick
postaya vermek
to mail
Questions & Answers about Mektuba pul yapıştırmadan postaya veremezsin.
What does pul mean in this sentence?
It means postage stamp, the small adhesive sticker you stick on a letter.
Why is mektuba in the dative case (with -a)?
When you stick something onto another object in Turkish, the thing you stick it on takes the dative. So mektuba pul yapıştırmak literally means to affix a stamp onto the letter.
Why doesn’t pul take an accusative ending (why not pulu)?
Because it’s indefinite – you’re referring to any stamp, not a specific one. Turkish typically omits the accusative suffix for indefinite direct objects.
What does the -madan suffix in yapıştırmadan do?
-madan is a negative gerundive suffix meaning without doing [the verb]. Here, pul yapıştırmadan = without sticking a stamp.
How is veremezsin formed, and how is it different from vermezsin?
veremezsin breaks down as ver-ebil-(-me)-sin: root ver (give) + potential -ebil (can) + negative -me + second-person -sin = you cannot give.
In contrast, vermezsin (root + negative + person) simply means you do not give.
Why is the direct object of vermek (the letter) omitted?
It’s clear from context. You just talked about that letter, so Turkish drops the direct object when it’s understood.
What does postaya vermek mean?
Literally to give to the post, but idiomatically it means to mail or to send something via the post office.
Can I change the word order in this sentence?
Turkish word order is fairly flexible, but the neutral sequence places the without… clause before the main verb. You can move elements for emphasis, but Mektuba pul yapıştırmadan postaya veremezsin is the most natural ordering.
Could I use pul koymadan instead of pul yapıştırmadan?
Yes, pul koymadan (without putting a stamp) is perfectly understandable, but pul yapıştırmak (to stick/glue a stamp) is the more common collocation in postal contexts.
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