Harcama azaltılmalı.

Spending should be reduced.

Breakdown of Harcama azaltılmalı.

• -malı: to express necessity
• harcama: the spending
• azaltılmak: to be reduced

Questions & Answers about Harcama azaltılmalı.

Is this sentence in the passive voice? Why use the passive here?

Yes. azaltılmalı is passive, so harcama (spending) is the grammatical subject and the doer is left unspecified. Turkish often uses the passive for general rules, policies, or recommendations—roughly like English impersonal subjects such as “one,” “you,” “we,” or “they.” So it conveys an impersonal recommendation/necessity without naming who should do it.

What exactly is the subject of the sentence?

Harcama is the subject. In the passive, the thing that would be the object in an active sentence becomes the subject in the nominative (no case ending). There is no explicit agent in this sentence.

Why isn’t it Harcamayı azaltılmalı with the accusative?

Because the verb is passive. In Turkish passives, the patient becomes the subject in nominative case, so it must be harcama, not harcamayı. Accusative marking (-ı/-i/-u/-ü) is for definite direct objects in active clauses, not for subjects of passives.

What is the morphological breakdown of azaltılmalı?

• azal- = decrease (intransitive root)
• -t- = causative → azalt- “to reduce, make decrease”
• -ıl- = passive → azaltıl- “to be reduced”
• -malı/-meli = necessitative mood → azaltılmalı “should/must be reduced” The -malı/-meli is a single mood suffix (the vowels change by harmony).

Why is there no person ending on azaltılmalı? Who is understood to reduce it?

With third-person passive recommendations, Turkish typically uses bare -malı/-meli with no person ending. The agent is left implicit (“one/people/we/they”). If you want to name the agent, switch to an active clause or add a tarafından/-ce phrase (see below).

How do I say it actively with an explicit subject like “we”?

Use the active verb and add a person ending:

• Harcamayı azaltmalıyız. “We should reduce spending.”
• Şirket harcamayı azaltmalı. “The company should reduce spending.”
• Herkes harcamayı azaltmalı. “Everyone should reduce spending.”

What’s the difference between azalmalı, azaltmalı, and azaltılmalı?

• azalmalı: intransitive — “should decrease (by itself).” Example: Harcama azalmalı.
• azaltmalı: transitive — “should reduce (something).” You must say who and what: (Biz) harcamayı azaltmalıyız. Saying Harcama azaltmalı is ungrammatical because “spending” can’t reduce something else.
• azaltılmalı: passive — “should be reduced (by someone, unspecified).” Your sentence uses this form.

What’s the difference between azaltılmalı and azaltılmalıdır?

-dır/-dir adds formality, generalization, or emphasis in writing. Azaltılmalıdır sounds more formal (policy/official tone). Both are correct; azaltılmalı is the neutral everyday form.

How do I negate it?

Insert the negative -ma/-me before -lı:

• azaltılmamalı → “should not be reduced.” Full sentence: Harcama azaltılmamalı.

How do I make a yes/no question?

Use the question particle after the predicate, harmonized:

• Harcama azaltılmalı mı? The particle is separate in writing and matches the last vowel (here mı because of the back vowel ı).

How can I specify the agent in the passive?

Add a tarafından (“by”) phrase or use -ce/-ça:

• Harcama şirket tarafından azaltılmalı.
• Harcama şirketçe azaltılmalı. These keep the impersonal/passive feel while naming who is responsible.

How do I pluralize or talk about multiple expenditures?

Use a plural subject:

• Harcamalar azaltılmalı. Don’t add plural to the verb here (avoid azaltılmalılar). The passive predicate remains singular even with non-human plural subjects. For extra formality: Harcamalar azaltılmalıdır.

How do I say “our spending should be reduced”?

Use a possessive on the noun:

• Harcamamız azaltılmalı. Other examples: Aylık harcamamız azaltılmalı. / Gereksiz harcamalarımız azaltılmalı.

Where can I put adverbs and quantities?

Commonly before the predicate or right before what they modify:

• Harcama acilen/ciddi ölçüde azaltılmalı.
• Harcama en az %10 azaltılmalı.
• Gereksiz harcama mutlaka azaltılmalı.

How do I express past necessity or future plans?

• Past necessity (unmet or retrospective): Harcama azaltılmalıydı. (“Spending should have been reduced.”)
• Future passive plan (no necessity, just future): Harcama azaltılacak. (“Spending will be reduced.”) Remember -malı/-meli itself expresses necessity, not time; context supplies time, or add auxiliary forms like -ydı for past.

Could -malı/-meli here mean “must be” (inference), like in Saat 10 olmalı?

In practice, with verbs like azaltıl-, -malı/-meli is read deontically (obligation). For inference/probability about an ongoing passive, Turkish prefers forms like azaltılıyor olmalı (“it must be being reduced”) or azalmış olmalı (“it must have decreased”).

Any natural synonyms for the nouns/verbs here?

• Nouns: harcama (spending), gider (expense), masraf (cost).
• Verbs: azaltmak (reduce), düşürmek (lower), kısmak (cut). Examples:
• Giderler düşürülmeli.
• Masraflar kısılmalı.

How is azaltılmalı pronounced, and where is the stress?

• Dotless ı is a back, unrounded vowel (like the vowel in Turkish kız), not like English “i.”
• Syllables: a-zal-tıl-ma-lı
• Primary stress falls on the last syllable: azal-tıl-ma-lı.

Why is it -ıl and -malı, not -il and -meli?

Vowel harmony. The last vowel before each suffix is a back vowel (a/ı/o/u), so back-vowel variants are chosen:

• passive: -ıl (not -il)
• necessitative: -malı (not -meli) Hence azaltılmalı.