Questions & Answers about Hava tahminine bakmak lazımdı.
How does lazımdı express the past tense here?
Lazım means "necessary." To talk about the past, we add the past tense suffix -dı (which comes from the past "to be" verb, idi), making lazımdı (it was necessary). When paired with the infinitive bakmak (to look), it means "it was necessary to look."
Why is there an -ine at the end of tahminine?
There are two grammar rules at work here. First, hava tahmini (weather forecast) is a noun compound, giving it the -i suffix. Second, the verb bakmak (to look) requires the dative case (the "to" or "at" direction). To add the dative -e suffix to a noun compound, we must use the buffer letter -n-, resulting in -ine.
Could I use gerekiyordu instead of lazımdı in this sentence?
Yes, absolutely! You could say Hava tahminine bakmak gerekiyordu and the meaning would be exactly the same. Both are common ways to express past general necessity when placed after a -mak or -mek infinitive verb.
What does the word tahmin mean on its own?
On its own, tahmin means a "guess," "estimate," or "prediction." Paired with hava (weather) in a noun compound, it specifically means the weather forecast.