Consisting of... (-maktan ibaret)
When a job is incredibly repetitive, it might feel like it "amounts to" or "consists of" nothing more than a single action. To express this, Turkish pairs an infinitive verb in the ablative case with ibaret.
To form this structure:
- Take the infinitive (
-makor-mek). - Add the ablative case suffix, which mutates to
-tanor-tenafter the voicelessk(forming-maktanor-mekten). - Follow with
ibaret(often formally finalized with the copula asibarettir).
| In other words, my whole duty consists of stamping documents from morning to evening. | Yani, bütün vazifem sabahtan akşama kadar evrak kaşelemekten ibaret. |
| Even though its salary is good, his duty consists of stapling paper. | Her ne kadar maaşı iyi olsa da, vazifesi kâğıt zımbalamaktan ibarettir. |
Monotony and Drudgery
This structure is perfect for describing a monotonous (tekdüze) routine or physical drudgery (angarya). Notice how sadece (only/solely) is frequently paired with ibaret to emphasize that there is absolutely nothing else to the task.
| His monotonous job consists of counting boxes. | Onun tekdüze işi kutuları saymaktan ibaret. |
| This physical drudgery consists solely of carrying heavy boxes. | Bu bedensel angarya sadece ağır kutuları taşımaktan ibarettir. |
Listing Multiple Actions
If a duty consists of two or more tedious tasks, simply put each infinitive verb in the ablative form and link them with ve (and).
| My task at the company consists of stamping and binding reports. | Şirkette görevim, raporları kaşelemekten ve ciltlemekten ibarettir. |
The Toll of the Grind
Highly mechanical routines take a toll over time. You can expand your workplace complaints with terms like robotlaşmak (to become robotic) and işkolik (workaholic) to describe the feeling of endless repetition.
| Namely, you feel that you are slowly becoming robotic because of this mechanical routine. | Şöyle ki, bu mekanik rutin yüzünden yavaş yavaş robotlaştığını hissediyorsun. |
| The life of a workaholic consists of working like a machine. | Bir işkoliğin hayatı makine gibi çalışmaktan ibaret. |