Breakdown of Bugün ofis çok sessiz; müdür izinli olmalı.
çok
very
müdür
manager, director
ofis
office
olmak
to be
Questions & Answers about Bugün ofis çok sessiz; müdür izinli olmalı.
Doesn't -malı usually mean obligation? Why does it mean "must be" here instead of "has to be"?
While the -malı / -meli suffix usually shows obligation on action verbs (like gitmeli for "must go"), combining it with olmak (to be) after an adjective or noun creates a logical deduction. So izinli olmalı means "must be on leave" based on the evidence you see, not "is required to be on leave."
How does the word izinli mean "on leave"?
It is made from the noun izin, which means "permission" or "leave" (as in time off from work). Adding the -li suffix, which means "with" or "having," creates the adjective izinli. So it literally translates to "having permission" or "on leave."
Could I use izinliymiş here to mean "apparently he is on leave"?
You could, but it changes the nuance. You use the -miş ending (izinliymiş) when you learned the information from someone else (hearsay). You use olmalı (izinli olmalı) when it is your own logical guess based on context clues, like the office being surprisingly quiet today.
Why is there no ending on sessiz to translate the "is" in "is very quiet"?