Toplantıyı ertelememiz gerekiyor.

We need to postpone the meeting.

Breakdown of Toplantıyı ertelememiz gerekiyor.

• gerekmek: to be necessary
• toplantı: the meeting
• ertelemek: to postpone

Questions & Answers about Toplantıyı ertelememiz gerekiyor.

What does the suffix in Toplantıyı mean?

The suffix -yı is the accusative case marker, showing that toplantı (meeting) is a specific/definite direct object. In Turkish, definite objects take the accusative:

• Toplantıyı erteledik. = We postponed the (specific) meeting. For an indefinite object, no accusative is used:
• Bir toplantı ertelememiz gerekiyor. = We need to postpone a meeting.

Why is there a y in Toplantıyı?

It’s a buffer consonant. When a noun ends in a vowel and the suffix starts with a vowel, Turkish inserts y to avoid two vowels meeting:

• toplantı + ı → toplantı-y-ı This happens with many vowel-initial suffixes: arabayı, okumaya, evimizde (here the suffix starts with a consonant, so no buffer).

What exactly is ertelememiz?

It’s a verbal noun (gerund) with a possessive suffix:

• ertele- (postpone) + -me (verbal noun) → erteleme (postponing)
• erteleme
  • -miz (our) → erteleme-miz = ertelememiz (our postponing) So the structure is literally “Our postponing the meeting is necessary.”

Is the -me in ertelememiz a negative marker?

No. Here -me is the nominalizer (verbal noun). The negative -me/-ma would come before it:

• ertelemememiz = our not postponing For “we must not postpone,” Turkish more commonly uses -me/-ma + -meli/-malı:
• Toplantıyı ertelememeliyiz.

Where is the subject “we”? Why isn’t biz used?

The possessive -miz in ertelememiz already encodes “we/our.” You can add bizim for emphasis or clarity:

• Bizim toplantıyı ertelememiz gerekiyor. = It’s we who need to postpone the meeting.

Can I say Toplantıyı ertelemek gerekiyor instead?

Yes, but the meaning shifts slightly:

• Toplantıyı ertelemek gerekiyor = It is necessary to postpone the meeting (impersonal; doesn’t say who).
• Toplantıyı ertelememiz gerekiyor = We need to postpone the meeting (the agent is “we”).

How does Toplantıyı ertelemeliyiz compare?

• … ertelemeliyiz (meli/malı) = We should/ought to postpone (advice, recommendation, or strong suggestion).
• … ertelememiz gerekiyor (gerekmek) = It is necessary/required that we postpone (more objective/requirement-like). Both are common; context decides which fits better.

What’s the difference between gerek, gerekiyor, gerekir, and lazım?

All express necessity, with stylistic/nuance differences:

• … ertelememiz gerek. Short, neutral, common in speech and writing.
• … ertelememiz gerekiyor. Very common, sounds current/ongoing.
• … ertelememiz gerekir. More formal, general statement of necessity.
• … ertelememiz lazım. Very common in everyday speech; similar to “need to.”

How do I make it negative (we don’t need to postpone)?

Use gerekmiyor:

• Toplantıyı ertelememiz gerekmiyor. = We don’t need to postpone the meeting. Another common pattern is gerek yok with the dative:
• Toplantıyı ertelemeye gerek yok. = There’s no need to postpone the meeting.

What tense/aspect is gerekiyor? Can I change it?

It’s the present (progressive-looking) form of gerekmek:

• Past: gerekiyordu (it was necessary)
• Future: gerekecek (it will be necessary)
• Question: gerekiyor mu? (is it necessary?)
• Conditional: gerekiyorsa (if it’s necessary)
• Reported: gerekiyormuş (apparently it’s necessary)

Is the word order fixed?

Default and most natural is object before the verbal noun:

• Toplantıyı ertelememiz gerekiyor. You can front the agent for emphasis:
• Bizim toplantıyı ertelememiz gerekiyor.
• Toplantıyı bizim ertelememiz gerekiyor. (focus on “we”) Putting the object after gerekiyor is generally unnatural in neutral statements.

How do I say “postpone to Monday/tomorrow/next week”?

Use the dative case (-e/-a) for the new time:

• Toplantıyı pazartesiye ertelememiz gerekiyor. (to Monday)
• Toplantıyı yarına ertelememiz gerekiyor. (to tomorrow)
• Toplantıyı haftaya ertelememiz gerekiyor. (to next week)

How do I ask “Do we need to postpone the meeting?”

Attach the question particle to the verb:

• Toplantıyı ertelememiz gerekiyor mu? The particle harmonizes: mı/mi/mu/mü depending on vowel harmony.

How can I specify a different agent (e.g., Ali must postpone it)?

Use a genitive noun + verbal noun with 3rd-person possessive:

• Ali’nin toplantıyı ertelemesi gerekiyor. = Ali needs to postpone the meeting. Pattern: [Agent in genitive] + [verb + -me/-ma + 3sg possessive -sı/-si] + gerekiyor.

Can I use the -DIK nominalizer instead of -me here?

Not with gerekmek in this pattern. Gerekmek naturally takes:

• An infinitive -mek/-mak: ertelemek gerekiyor (impersonal), or
• A verbal noun -me/-ma with a possessive: ertelememiz gerekiyor (specifies the agent). Using -DIK here sounds unidiomatic.

How would I say “We need to postpone our meeting”?

Mark “meeting” as possessed:

• Toplantımızı ertelememiz gerekiyor. = We need to postpone our meeting. Here, -ımız on toplantı shows “our,” and -yı (accusative) becomes -yı after the possessive: toplantı-mız-ı → toplantımızı.

Any pronunciation tips (those dotted/undotted i’s)?

• ı (dotless) is a back, unrounded vowel (like the second vowel in “roses” for many speakers): to-plan-tı-yı, gerekiyor.
• Stress in Turkish is usually on the last syllable of words, so you’ll often hear stress on -yor in gerekiyor and on -yor-adjacent syllables in speech rhythm.