Expressing "The Thing I Must Do"
To describe a noun with a relative clause expressing necessity—like "the crib that I must assemble"—Turkish uses a construction that translates literally to "the crib of my assembling being necessary."
This is formed by taking the verb stem, adding the verbal noun suffix (-ma or -me), and attaching the possessive suffix that matches the person who needs to do the action. This is followed by the word gereken (the relative participle of gerekmek, meaning "that is necessary") and the noun being described.
| Subject | Verb Stem | Suffixes | Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ben | kur- | -ma-m | kurmam gereken beşik | the crib that I must assemble |
| Sen | hazırla- | -ma-n | hazırlaman gereken kundak | the swaddle that you must prepare |
| O / Bebek | uyu- | -ma-sı | bebeğin uyuması gereken beşik | the crib the baby must sleep in |
| Biz | al- | -ma-mız | almamız gereken pudra | the powder that we must buy |
As with other compound structures, the specific "doer" of the action can optionally be stated using the Genitive case (e.g., benim, senin, onların) for clarity or emphasis. Notice that when the subject is onlar (they), the third-person singular possessive suffix (-sı or -si) is frequently used on the verbal noun instead of the plural form, especially when the subject is explicitly stated.
| The crib I must assemble stands right there. | Benim kurmam gereken beşik şurada duruyor. |
| The crib the baby must sleep in is very safe. | Bebeğin uyuması gereken beşik çok güvenli. |
| The swaddle you must prepare is on the bed. | Senin hazırlaman gereken kundak yatağın üstünde. |
| The swaddle they must wash is very dirty. | Onların yıkaması gereken kundak çok kirli. |
Nursery Preparations and Chores
This structure is perfectly suited for running through checklists and daily chores, such as preparing the nursery for a newborn.
| The powder we must buy is finished. | Bizim almamız gereken pudra bitti. |
| Where is the wet wipe I must put in the bag? | Çantaya koymam gereken ıslak mendil nerede? |
| The pump she must use is broken. | Onun kullanması gereken pompa bozuk. |
You can also use this structure in more complex sentences, seamlessly combining it with clauses like diye (so that) to explain exactly why the action is necessary.
| The bottles the mother must sterilize are in the kitchen. | Annenin sterilize etmesi gereken biberonlar mutfakta. |
| There are pacifiers we must sterilize immediately so that the baby doesn't get sick. | Bebek hasta olmasın diye hemen sterilize etmemiz gereken emzikler var. |
| This is the cover we must change so that the baby doesn't get cold. | Bebek üşümesin diye değiştirmemiz gereken kılıf bu. |
