Breakdown of Toplantıyı başlatmak üzere herkes yerine oturuyor.
herkes
everyone
oturmak
to sit
toplantı
the meeting
başlatmak
to start
Questions & Answers about Toplantıyı başlatmak üzere herkes yerine oturuyor.
Why does Toplantıyı have the suffix -yı? Why not just Toplantı?
Because başlatmak is transitive and takes a direct object. Specific/definite direct objects are marked with the accusative -(y)ı/-(y)i/-(y)u/-(y)ü. Here, the last vowel of toplantı is ı, so you get toplantı-yı (the -y- is a buffer). Without the accusative, it would sound like an unspecific “a meeting,” which is not intended here.
What’s the difference between başlamak and başlatmak, and why is başlatmak used?
- başlamak is intransitive: “to begin.” The thing begun is marked with dative: Toplantıya başlamak.
- başlatmak is causative/transitive: “to start [something].” It takes an accusative object: Toplantıyı başlatmak. In the sentence, the idea is “start the meeting,” hence the transitive başlatmak.
What does the -mak/-mek üzere construction mean here?
It forms an adverbial of purpose, roughly “in order to.” So Toplantıyı başlatmak üzere = “in order to start the meeting.” The same pattern can also mean “on the verge of/about to” in other contexts (e.g., Toplantı başlamak üzere = “The meeting is about to start”).
Can I use için instead of üzere? Any nuance difference?