Eğer kütüphaneye gidersen ödünç kitap alabilirsin.

If you go to the library, you can borrow books.

Breakdown of Eğer kütüphaneye gidersen ödünç kitap alabilirsin.

• gitmek: to go
• eğer: if
• kütüphane: the library
• ödünç kitap alabilmek: to be able to borrow books

Questions & Answers about Eğer kütüphaneye gidersen ödünç kitap alabilirsin.

What does eğer mean, and is it always required in conditional sentences?

Eğer means if. It’s used to introduce a conditional clause. In Turkish it’s optional, though—you can drop eğer if your verb already has the conditional suffix -(y)se.
Example:
• Eğer kütüphaneye gidersen...
• Kütüphaneye gidersen...
Both mean “If you go to the library...” and are equally correct.

How is gidersen formed? Why isn’t it gitersen or just giders?

Breakdown of gidersen (“if you go”):

1. root git (to go)
2. epenthetic vowel -i- (because git ends in a consonant)
3. conditional consonant -r-
4. conditional vowel -e (vowel-harmonized with i)
5. 2nd person singular ending -n
   Putting it together: git + i + r + e + n → gidersen.
   The rule is: root + -(i)rse + personal ending.

Why is kütüphaneye in the dative case, and why do we add -ye instead of -a?

You’re expressing motion to the library, so you use the dative case. The dative suffix is -(y)e / -(y)a, chosen by vowel harmony:
• a/e matches the last vowel of the word.
• A y is inserted if the word ends in a vowel to avoid a hiatus.
Since kütüphane ends in –e, you add -ye (with buffer y):
kütüphane + ye → kütüphaneye (“to the library”).

What does ödünç kitap almak literally mean, and why is it used for “to borrow a book”?

Ödünç is an adjective meaning on loan/borrowed, and almak means to take. So literally ödünç kitap almak = to take a book on loan.
Common collocations:
• ödünç kitap almak = “to borrow a book”
• ödünç kitap vermek = “to lend a book”

How do we express can in Turkish, as in alabilirsin?

Turkish uses the potential mood suffix -(y)abil- / -(y)e bil-, plus tense/aspect and personal endings. For alabilirsin (“you can take/borrow”):

1. root al (take)
2. potential suffix -abil- (able to)
3. present tense -ir-
4. 2nd person singular -sin
   Giving al + abil + ir + sin → alabilirsin.

Why don’t we see the pronoun sen (you) in the sentence?

In Turkish, verb endings encode the subject. Both gidersen and alabilirsin clearly show “you.” Therefore you omit sen unless you want to add emphasis or avoid ambiguity.

How would I say “If you don’t go to the library, you can’t borrow a book”?

Negate both the conditional and the potential:
Eğer kütüphaneye gitmezsen, ödünç kitap alamazsın.
• git + -me- (neg) + -z + -sen → gitmezsen (“if you don’t go”)
• al + -ama- (neg potential) + -z + -sın → alamazsın (“you can’t take/borrow”)

Can the main clause come before the conditional clause, like in English?

Yes, but the protasis (if-clause) usually comes first in Turkish. You could say:
Ödünç kitap alabilirsin eğer kütüphaneye gidersen.
Informally you can even drop eğer:
Ödünç kitap alabilirsin kütüphaneye gidersen.
However, native speakers more often lead with the “if” clause.