Doktor tuz tüketimini azaltmamı önerdi.

The doctor suggested that I reduce my salt intake.

Breakdown of Doktor tuz tüketimini azaltmamı önerdi.

• önermek: to suggest
• azaltmak: to reduce
• doktor: the doctor
• tuz tüketimi: the salt consumption

Questions & Answers about Doktor tuz tüketimini azaltmamı önerdi.

What’s the overall structure here? Which part is the main clause and which part is embedded?

• Main clause: Doktor … önerdi. (The doctor recommended.)
• Embedded nominalized clause (object of önerdi): tuz tüketimini azaltmamı (that I reduce my salt consumption).
• Roles: Subject = Doktor; Main verb = önerdi; Direct object = the whole embedded clause.

What does the ending on önerdi tell us?

• Root: öner- (to recommend/suggest).
• Tense: -di (simple past).
• Person: 3rd person singular (no extra person ending).
• Negation: önermedi. Yes–no question: önerdi mi?

How is azaltmamı built and what does it literally mean?

• azalt- (reduce) + -ma (verbal noun/nominalizer) + -m (1st person singular possessor = my) + -ı (accusative).
• Literal meaning: my reducing (it), functioning as a noun phrase.
• As a subject (not object), it would appear without the final accusative: azaltmam.

Why azaltmamı instead of azaltmayı or azaltmak?

• azaltmamı specifies who should do it (I), thanks to the possessive -m on the nominalized verb.
• azaltmayı has no subject marking; it’s generic: recommended reducing (in general).
• Bare infinitive azaltmak is not the form used as the object of önermek here.
• Both are possible depending on meaning:
  • Doktor tuz tüketimini azaltmamı önerdi. (He recommended that I reduce it.)
  • Doktor tuz tüketimini azaltmayı önerdi. (He recommended reducing it, in general.)

Do I have to put benim before azaltmamı?

• No. The possessive -m on azaltmamı already encodes “I”.
• You can add benim for clarity or emphasis: Doktor benim tuz tüketimini azaltmamı önerdi.
• Similarly for other persons: Doktor (senin) … azaltmanı / Doktor (sizin) … azaltmanızı önerdi.

What exactly is tuz tüketimini? Why that form?

• It’s a noun–noun compound: tuz tüketimi (salt consumption).
• In Turkish indefinite compounds, the head noun takes 3rd person possessive -(s)I as a compound marker: tüketim-i.
• It then takes accusative as the object of azalt- inside the embedded clause.
• Morphology: tüket- (consume) + -im (derivational noun “consumption”) + -i (3sg poss/compound marker) + -ni (accusative, with buffer n) → tüketimini.

Why does the object inside the embedded clause take the accusative?

• In -ma nominalized clauses with a genitive/possessive subject (explicit or implied), the direct object is typically accusative, especially when specific.
• Here it’s a specific thing being reduced, hence tuz tüketimini.
• Leaving it unmarked (tuz tüketimi) sounds awkward here and is mostly limited to very generic, non-specific readings.

There are two accusatives: tüketimini and azaltmamı. Is that normal?

• Yes. They mark different things:
  • Inner accusative (tüketimini) = object of the embedded verb azalt- (what is being reduced).
  • Outer accusative (azaltmamı) = the entire embedded clause as the object of önerdi.

Can I add the person being advised (to me/you/us)?

• Yes, use the dative:
  • Doktor bana tuz tüketimini azaltmamı önerdi.
  • Doktor size tuz tüketimini azaltmanızı önerdi.
• The dative recipient is optional and often understood from context.

Is the word order fixed?

• Neutral: Subject – [embedded object clause] – Verb → Doktor [tuz tüketimini azaltmamı] önerdi.
• You can front the embedded clause for emphasis: [Tuz tüketimini azaltmamı] doktor önerdi. (marked focus)
• Keep the main verb last; other reorderings are possible but change emphasis.

How do I change the person of “who should reduce”?

• Change the possessive on the embedded verb:
  • I: azaltmamı
  • you (sg): azaltmanı
  • you (polite/pl): azaltmanızı
  • he/she: azaltmasını
  • we: azaltmamızı
  • they: azaltmalarını
• Example: Doktor tuz tüketimini azaltmanızı önerdi. (He recommended that you reduce it.)

Can I say tuzu azaltmamı instead? Is it natural?

• Yes: Doktor tuzu azaltmamı önerdi. is idiomatic and common.
• It targets “salt” directly rather than the abstract noun “consumption”. In practice the meaning matches.

What are other natural ways to express the same idea?

• With tavsiye etmek: Doktor tuz tüketimini azaltmamı tavsiye etti.
• Passive nominalization (more formal): Doktor tuz tüketiminin azaltılmasını önerdi/tavsiye etti.
• With the noun öneri: Doktorun önerisi, tuz tüketimini azaltmamdı.
• With öneride bulunmak: Doktor tuz tüketimini azaltmam konusunda öneride bulundu.
• Direct speech: Doktor, Tuz tüketimini azalt, dedi.

Could I use a -DIK clause or ki here?

• -DIK clauses (e.g., azalttığımı) report facts, not suggestions, so they don’t fit with öner-.
• önerdi ki … is not idiomatic. Use the -ma complement or direct speech.

What about a generic recommendation without saying who will reduce?

• Impersonal complement: Doktor tuz tüketimini azaltmayı önerdi/tavsiye etti.
• Or passive: Doktor tuz tüketiminin azaltılmasını önerdi/tavsiye etti.
• Both avoid specifying the agent.

What do the vowels and buffer consonants in the endings show?

• Vowel harmony:
  • Accusative -I → -ı/-i/-u/-ü. azaltmamı uses -ı after back unrounded a; tüketimini uses -i after front unrounded i.
  • Past -DI → -dı/-di/-du/-dü. önerdi uses -di after front vowels.
• Buffer consonants:
  • -n- between possessive -(s)I and accusative -I: tüketim-i-n-i → tüketimini.
  • -y- appears when a vowel-final form takes a vowel-initial suffix (not needed in azaltmamı).

How would I say “the doctor recommended that I not reduce my salt consumption”?

• Negate the embedded verb; you will see two -ma morphemes (one for negation, one the nominalizer):
  • Doktor tuz tüketimini azaltmamamı önerdi.
  • Breakdown: azalt- (reduce) + ma (negation) + ma (verbal noun) + m (my) + ı (accusative).

Do I need bir before doktor to mean “a doctor”?

• Not required. Bare Doktor … can mean the doctor (specific) or a doctor (non-specific) from context.
• Use Bir doktor … if you want to make the non-specific reading explicit.