Actions as the Main Predicate
When defining a mission, goal, or philosophy, you often need to say that your purpose "is to do" something. In Turkish, you express this by using the infinitive form of the verb as the main predicate of your sentence.
- The Infinitive Predicate: The infinitive suffix is -mak or -mek. Place the verb in this form at the very end of the sentence.
- The Formal Copula: To make a statement sound more definitive, formal, or like an official mission statement, add the copula -DIr to the end. Because the infinitive always ends in a voiceless consonant (k), this will always take the form -tır or -tir.
You can omit the -tır / -tir in everyday speech, but it is highly common and natural when discussing ideals and visions.
| Our mission is to develop the society. | Misyonumuz, toplumu kalkındırmaktır. |
| His only aim is to develop this region. | Onun tek gayesi, bu bölgeyi kalkındırmak. |
| No matter who asks, my ideal is to be independent. | Kim sorarsa sorsun, idealim bağımsız olmaktır. |
Building the Infinitival Phrase
Even though the infinitive acts as the predicate defining your subject, it is still fundamentally a verb. This means it can take direct objects, dative objects, and adverbs just like a regular conjugated verb would.
The entire phrase leading up to the infinitive builds the complete goal or vision.
| Our philosophy is to make everyone adopt this principle. | Felsefemiz, herkese bu ilkeyi benimsetmektir. |
| The whole issue is to add value to the project. | Bütün mesele, projeye değer katmaktır. |
| Their mission is to make education accessible for everyone. | Misyonları, eğitimi herkes için erişilebilir yapmaktır. |
Expressing Ultimate Visions
When discussing long-term ideals, you will frequently pair these infinitival predicates with adjectives describing the scope or importance of the goal, such as nihai (ultimate) or esas (main).
| Our company's ultimate goal is to create a safe environment in any moment of crisis. | Şirketimizin nihai hedefi, herhangi bir kriz anında güvenli bir ortam oluşturmaktır. |
| As long as we live, our main purpose is to spread this innovative philosophy everywhere. | Yaşadığımız sürece esas gayemiz, bu yenilikçi felsefeyi her yere yaymaktır. |
| Our final decision is to postpone this project. | Nihai kararımız, bu projeyi ertelemektir. |