Breakdown of Dün akşam dayıma yardım etmem lazımdı.
akşam
evening
yardım etmek
to help
dün
yesterday
lazım
necessary
dayı
uncle (maternal)
Questions & Answers about Dün akşam dayıma yardım etmem lazımdı.
How does yardım etmem lazımdı translate to "I had to help"?
Turkish expresses personal necessity by saying "my doing [action] is/was necessary." First, we take the verb yardım et- (to help), add the short verbal noun ending -me, and then the possessive -m (my) to make yardım etmem (my helping). Then, we add lazımdı, which is lazım (necessary) plus the past tense ending -dı (was). Literally, it translates to "My helping was necessary."
Could I use gerekiyordu instead of lazımdı in this sentence?
Yes, absolutely! Saying yardım etmem gerekiyordu means exactly the same thing. lazımdı (was necessary) and gerekiyordu (was needed) are completely interchangeable when talking about what you had to do.
Why is there an -a at the end of dayıma?
In Turkish, certain verbs require a specific case ending for their object. The verb yardım etmek (to help) always takes the dative case (-(y)a / -(y)e), which translates roughly to "to" or "towards." So in Turkish, you don't just help someone; you give help to someone. Therefore, dayım (my uncle) becomes dayıma (to my uncle).
Does dayı mean a specific type of uncle?
Yes. Turkish has different words for aunts and uncles depending on which side of the family they are from. dayı specifically means your maternal uncle (your mother's brother). If you had to help your father's brother, you would use the word amca and say amcama yardım etmem lazımdı.
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