Breakdown of Nöbetçiyken dikkatli olmak gerek.
dikkatli
careful
olmak
to be
gerek
necessary
nöbetçi
guard on duty
Questions & Answers about Nöbetçiyken dikkatli olmak gerek.
How does the word nöbetçiyken break down?
It comes from the noun nöbetçi (guard or person on duty). To say 'while being on duty', we add the suffix -ken. Because nöbetçi ends in a vowel, we must use the buffer letter -y-, creating nöbetçiyken. Notice that -ken is an exception in Turkish: it never changes to fit vowel harmony.
Does this sentence specify who is on guard duty?
No, it is a general statement. Because there are no personal endings like -(i)m or -sin on nöbetçiyken, and because it uses the plain infinitive olmak (to be), it applies to anyone. It translates to 'while one is on guard duty' or 'while on guard duty' in general.
Why do we use the dictionary form olmak before gerek?
The word gerek means 'necessary' or 'needed'. When you want to say 'it is necessary to do something' as a general rule, you simply put the infinitive form of the verb (ending in -mak or -mek) right before gerek. Here, dikkatli olmak gerek means 'it is necessary to be careful'.
How does the word dikkatli mean careful?
It is built from the noun dikkat, which means 'attention' or 'care'. The suffix -li means 'with' or 'having'. So, adding it creates dikkatli, which literally means 'with attention', or as we say in English, 'careful'.