Word
Toplantı için sadece biz buradayız; diğerleri izinli veya raporlu olmalı.
Meaning
Only we are here for the meeting; the others must be on leave or on sick leave.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
Breakdown of Toplantı için sadece biz buradayız; diğerleri izinli veya raporlu olmalı.
biz
we
burada
here
olmak
to be
toplantı
meeting
Questions & Answers about Toplantı için sadece biz buradayız; diğerleri izinli veya raporlu olmalı.
Why does olmalı mean "must be" (as a guess) here instead of "must be" (as a rule)?
The suffix -malı is often used for obligation, like "I have to go." However, when you attach it to olmak (to be) right after an adjective or noun, it expresses a logical deduction. The speaker is making a strong guess based on the empty room, so izinli veya raporlu olmalı means "they must be on leave or sick leave."
Why is it diğerleri and not just diğerler for "the others"?
Diğer is an adjective meaning "other." To turn it into a standalone pronoun meaning "the others," Turkish adds the plural suffix -ler followed by the 3rd person possessive suffix -i. It literally translates to "the others of them," which is the standard way to say "the others" or "the rest."
How does the word raporlu translate to "on sick leave"?
The root word is rapor, meaning "report." In Turkish work and school culture, to take a sick day, you need a doctor's note called a sağlık raporu (health report). By adding the suffix -lu (meaning "with" or "having"), you get raporlu. It literally means "having a doctor's report," which is the everyday way to say someone is officially off sick.
Could I say Biz sadece buradayız instead of Sadece biz buradayız?