Embedded clause subjects (-nin ... -diği)

Owning the Action: The Genitive Subject

In English, we connect sentences using words like "that" (e.g., "I know that the radar works" or "It is necessary that the pilot sees"). Turkish takes a different approach: it nominalizes the embedded sentence, turning it into a giant noun phrase.

Because the embedded clause acts like a noun, its logical subject becomes the "owner" of the action. Therefore, you must mark the subject with the genitive case suffix (-ın, -in, -un, -ün, or -nın, -nin, -nun, -nün). The verb at the end of the clause then takes a matching possessive suffix.

Action Clauses with "-ma / -me"

When expressing that an action is necessary, mandatory, or abstract (often paired with words like lazım or zorunlu), the embedded verb takes the verbal noun suffix -ma / -me, followed by a possessive suffix.

Translated literally, "The pilot needs to see" becomes "The pilot's seeing is necessary." Notice how pilot takes the genitive suffix (pilotun) and the verb takes the possessive (görmesi).

The pilot needs to see his own airplane on the radar.
Pilotun kendi uçağını radarda görmesi lazım.
The airplane's reporting the correct coordinate is mandatory.
Uçağın doğru koordinatı bildirmesi zorunlu.

Present and Past Facts with "-dık / -dik"

When reporting a factual observation that is currently happening or has already happened, the embedded verb takes the suffix -dık / -dik (which becomes -dığ- / -diğ- before a vowel).

Again, the subject of this embedded clause must be in the genitive case. For example, "the radar" (radar) becomes "the radar's" (radarın).

The tower confirmed that the radar is tracking the airplane.
Kule, radarın uçağı izlediğini onayladı.
The tower noticed that the helicopter was losing altitude.
Kule, helikopterin irtifa kaybettiğini fark etti.
The captain is saying that the wind affects the speed.
Kaptan, rüzgârın sürati etkilediğini söylüyor.

Future Facts with "-acak / -ecek"

If the embedded fact will happen in the future, you simply swap the factual suffix for the future suffix -acak / -ecek (which becomes -acağ- / -eceğ- before a vowel). The genitive subject rule remains exactly the same.

We know that the airplane whose engine broke down will lose altitude.
Motoru bozulan uçağın irtifa kaybedeceğini biliyoruz.
We heard that the aviation company will buy new airplanes.
Havacılık şirketinin yeni uçaklar alacağını duyduk.
No one guessed that the visibility would drop this much.
Görünürlüğün bu kadar düşeceğini kimse tahmin etmedi.