Breakdown of Oğlum sınavı geçti. Maşallah, tebrikler!
sınav
exam
geçmek
to pass / to cross / to shift (into a gear)
oğul
son
tebrikler
congratulations
Questions & Answers about Oğlum sınavı geçti. Maşallah, tebrikler!
Why is it sınavı with an -ı ending instead of just sınav?
The verb geçmek (to pass) takes the accusative case when you are talking about passing a specific thing, like an exam, a test, or a course. The -ı suffix marks sınav (exam) as the specific direct object of the verb.
The word for son is oğul. Why is it spelled oğlum and not oğulum?
This is an example of vowel drop in Turkish. Some two-syllable words lose their second vowel when a suffix starting with a vowel is added. So, oğul plus the possessive -um (my) naturally squeezes together into oğlum to make pronunciation easier.
What exactly does Maşallah mean and why is it used here?
Maşallah is an Arabic phrase meaning what God has willed, but in everyday Turkish, it is used by everyone to express joy, praise, or admiration for good news. Culturally, it is also said to protect the person being praised from the evil eye or bad luck.
Could I just say tebrikler on its own without Maşallah?
Yes, tebrikler (congratulations) works perfectly on its own. However, pairing it with Maşallah makes your response sound much warmer, more native, and shows that you are genuinely happy for the other person's success.