Learn Turkish: Toplantı için fotokopi çekmek zorunlu olmalı. - Making photocopies for the meeting must be mandatory.

Toplantı için fotokopi çekmek zorunlu olmalı.

Making photocopies for the meeting must be mandatory.

Breakdown of Toplantı için fotokopi çekmek zorunlu olmalı.

Questions & Answers about Toplantı için fotokopi çekmek zorunlu olmalı.

How does olmalı work with the adjective zorunlu in this sentence?

In this lesson, we are using -malı for logical deduction, meaning 'must be'. Because zorunlu (mandatory) is an adjective, it cannot take the -malı suffix directly. Instead, we use the helper verb olmak (to be) and attach the suffix to it. Therefore, zorunlu olmalı translates to 'must be mandatory'.

Why does the sentence use the verb çekmek (to pull/draw) for making photocopies?

In Turkish, the standard set phrase for 'making a photocopy' is fotokopi çekmek. This is similar to how Turkish uses çekmek for taking pictures (fotoğraf çekmek). You just have to memorize these words together as a single vocabulary chunk.

Why doesn't the infinitive çekmek have any case endings here, like -meyi or -meye?

In this sentence, the action of 'making photocopies' (fotokopi çekmek) acts as the grammatical subject. The sentence is basically saying '[Making photocopies] must be mandatory.' When an action acts as the main subject of a sentence, the verb stays in its pure dictionary form (-mak or -mek) without taking any extra case markers.

Could zorunlu olmalı also mean 'it should be mandatory' as a suggestion?

Yes! The suffix -malı commonly expresses obligation or recommendation ('should' or 'ought to'). Out of context, this sentence could mean 'Making photocopies should be mandatory' as a new rule suggestion. However, because of our current lesson on deductions, it is being used here to mean 'Looking at the facts, I deduce that it must be mandatory.' In real conversations, context makes the intended meaning obvious.