Questions & Answers about Kutsal ayin için gece toplanmalıymışız.
How exactly does toplanmalıymışız break down?
It combines several suffixes: the verb stem toplan- (to gather) + -malı (obligation: must) + the buffer -y- + -mış (inferential: supposedly/I heard) + -ız (we). Altogether, it means 'I heard that we must gather' or 'supposedly we should gather.'
When would I say toplanmalıymışız instead of just toplanmalıyız?
You use toplanmalıyız when you are stating the obligation yourself ('We must gather'). By adding the inferential -mış to make it toplanmalıymışız, you distance yourself from the rule. It implies 'I was told we have to gather' or 'Apparently, we are supposed to gather.' It's perfect for rules or plans you just found out about from a third party.
Why does 'at night' translate to just gece instead of gecede?
In Turkish, words for parts of the day acting as time adverbs usually don't take the locative case suffix (-da/-de). Just like you use sabah for 'in the morning', you simply use gece for 'at night'. Adding -de here would sound unnatural.
I thought the verb for 'to gather' was toplamak. Why is there an -n- in toplanmalıymışız?