Learn Turkish: Çöpleri atmam lazım. - I need to throw away the garbage.

To say you need to do something in Turkish, you don't use a verb like 'need'. Instead, you turn the action into a noun and say it is necessary. Here, at is the verb root (to throw), -ma turns it into a short verbal noun (throwing), and -m adds 'my'. So, atmam literally means 'my throwing'. Adding lazım (necessary) at the end makes the full phrase 'my throwing is necessary', which translates to 'I need to throw'.

Why is there an -i at the end of çöpleri?

The -i is the specific direct object ending, also called the accusative case. You use it because you are talking about specific garbage ('the garbage'). If you just said çöp atmam lazım, it would mean 'I need to throw garbage' in a general, non-specific sense.

In English, 'garbage' is usually singular. Why does Turkish use the plural çöpler here?

Turkish often uses the plural form for things that consist of many pieces, items, or bags, like garbage (çöpler) or hair (saçlar). You could say çöpü atmam lazım (singular), but çöpleri is much more common and natural when talking about taking out the household trash.

Can I use gerek instead of lazım in this sentence?