Learn Hardcore Turkish: Uyumadan önce sürgü çekmeyi unutma. - Don't forget to slide the latch before sleeping.

Because önce (before) requires its complement in the ablative case. With verbs, you make a verbal noun using -mA and then add ablative -DAn: uyu-ma-dan. So:

Before V: V-mA-dAn önce (Uyumadan önce) This is different from the dative -A (uyumaya), which would not work with önce.

Does -madan mean “without doing”? How does that square with “before sleeping”?

On its own, V-mA-dAn means “without doing V” (e.g., Kahvaltı yapmadan çıkma = Don’t leave without having breakfast). But when you add önce after it, the meaning becomes “before doing V.” So:

Uyumadan = without sleeping (by itself)
Uyumadan önce = before sleeping

Why not say Uyuduktan önce?

For “after doing,” Turkish uses a different pattern:

After V: V-DIk-tAn sonra (e.g., Uyuduktan sonra = after sleeping) “Before” pairs with -mA-dAn önce, not -DIk-tAn önce, so Uyuduktan önce is unidiomatic.

What exactly is sürgü?

Sürgü is a sliding bolt or latch, typically on a door or gate. The set phrase sürgü çekmek means “to slide/bolt the latch.” It’s different from:

kilit/kilitlemek: lock/lock with a key
mandal/mandallamak: latch/clip with a catch or clasp There’s also the verb sürgülemek “to bolt,” which you might hear as Sürgülemeyi unutma, but sürgü çekmek is very common.

Why is it sürgü çekmeyi, not sürgü çekmek?

With verbs like unutmak (to forget), when the object is another action, Turkish uses the verbal noun in the accusative:

Pattern: X yapmayı unut- = forget to do X So you need çek-me-yi (nominalizer -mA
- buffer y
  - accusative -I), not the bare infinitive çekmek.

What’s the -y- in çekmeyi?

It’s a buffer consonant (kaynaştırma ünsüzü). You have çekme (ends in a vowel) + -i (starts with a vowel), so Turkish inserts -y- to prevent a vowel clash: çekme-y-i.

Why isn’t it sürgüyü çekmeyi? Is that wrong?

Both are possible:

sürgü çekmeyi: indefinite/generic object (bolt the latch), which sounds idiomatic because sürgü çekmek is a set collocation.
sürgüyü çekmeyi: definite object (the bolt), highlighting a specific latch. This is fine too, especially if you’re referring to a particular bolt you both know about.

Is unutma here the imperative “don’t forget”?

Yes. Unutma is the second-person singular negative imperative of unutmak. It can also be a noun meaning “forgetting,” but the context makes the imperative reading clear. Positive imperative would be unut (forget!), which isn’t what we want; Turkish uses the negative imperative unutma to express English “remember (to).”

How do I make it polite or plural?

Use -ın/-in:

Uyumadan önce sürgü çekmeyi unutmayın. You can add softeners: Lütfen … unutmayın or emphasis: Sakın … unutmayın.

Can I say hatırla instead of unutma?

Yes, but unutma is the most idiomatic way to say “remember to …” in Turkish. Hatırla is fine:

Uyumadan önce sürgü çekmeyi hatırla. It can sound a bit stronger or more marked than the very common unutma.

Where can I place Uyumadan önce in the sentence? Is the word order flexible?

Common and natural options:

Uyumadan önce sürgü çekmeyi unutma. (most typical)
Sürgü çekmeyi, uyumadan önce unutma. (less common; the pause/comma helps) Avoid splitting the action phrase unnaturally. Keeping Uyumadan önce at the start reads most naturally.

Could/should I mention the door explicitly?

You can, especially for clarity:

Uyumadan önce kapının sürgüsünü çekmeyi unutma.
Or simply: Uyumadan önce kapıyı kilitlemeyi unutma. (if it’s a keyed lock rather than a bolt) Leaving it as sürgü çekmek is fine if the context is clear.

Is Yatmadan önce also possible? Any nuance vs Uyumadan önce?

Yes:

Yatmadan önce = before going to bed (focus on going to bed)
Uyumadan önce = before sleeping (focus on actually sleeping) In everyday talk they often overlap; both are acceptable here.

How would I say “after sleeping” or “after going to bed” with this structure?

Use the “after” pattern:

After sleeping: Uyuduktan sonra
After going to bed: Yattıktan sonra Example: Uyuduktan sonra pencereyi açmayı unutma (Don’t forget to open the window after sleeping).

Any quick morphology recap?

uyu-ma-dan: sleep + verbal noun -mA
- ablative -DAn → with önce = before sleeping
çek-me-y-i: pull/slide + verbal noun -mA
- buffer -y-
  - accusative -I → as the object of unutma
unut-ma: negative imperative of unutmak (don’t forget)