Breakdown of Acil bir durumda ambulans çağırmak şarttır.
olmak
to be
bir
a
durum
the situation
çağırmak
to call
-da
in
ambulans
the ambulance
şart
necessary
acil
emergency
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Questions & Answers about Acil bir durumda ambulans çağırmak şarttır.
What does the suffix -da in durumda indicate?
It’s the locative case marker, meaning “in” or “at.” So durumda literally means “in the situation,” here “in (an) emergency situation.”
What is the role of bir in acil bir durumda?
bir functions as the indefinite article (“a/an”). It makes durum (“situation”) indefinite: “in an emergency situation.” Without bir, you’d have a more general or clipped sense.
Why is çağırmak in the infinitive form instead of a finite verb or the imperative?
In Turkish, the infinitive (dictionary form) can act as a noun—here it’s the subject of the sentence. So çağırmak (“to call”) → “calling” becomes the thing that is necessary. If you used the imperative, you’d be giving a direct order rather than stating a general necessity.
What does şarttır mean, and how is it formed?
şarttır is built from the noun şart (“condition, requirement”) + the copula suffix -tır. Together they express necessity: “it is necessary,” “it’s a must,” or “it’s compulsory.”
Can I replace şarttır with gereklidir or zorunludur?
Yes. All three convey that something is required, but with slight register differences:
- gereklidir = “it is necessary” (neutral/formal)
- zorunludur = “it is mandatory” (strong, formal)
- şarttır = “it’s a must” (common, somewhat emphatic)
How would I turn this into a direct “you must” command?
Use the obligative/necessity form for “you”:
- Acil bir durumda ambulans çağırmalısın. (informal “you must”)
- Acil bir durumda ambulans çağırmalısınız. (formal/plural “you must”)
Is it possible to drop bir in acil bir durumda?
You could say acil durumda, but it often sounds less natural. acil bir durumda emphasizes “an emergency situation.” Omitting bir can feel clipped or overly colloquial.
Could I also say ambulans çağırılması şarttır?
Yes. çağırılması is the nominalized passive (“the calling of an ambulance”). Both versions mean “calling an ambulance is necessary,” but the plain infinitive (çağırmak şarttır) is more common for general advice or rules.
Does word order matter here? For example, can I say Ambulans çağırmak acil bir durumda şarttır?
Turkish is relatively flexible, but the most idiomatic order places the adverbial phrase first:
1) Acil bir durumda (setting)
2) ambulans çağırmak (subject/infinitive)
3) şarttır (predicate)
Your alternative isn’t wrong, but moving acil bir durumda to the front sounds more natural when stating a general rule.