Learn Turkish: Trafiğe takıldığımıza göre, gecikmemizi bugün telafi etmemiz lazımdı. - Since we got stuck in traffic, we had to make up for our delay today.

This sentence uses the deductive inference structure: Verb + -dık + possessive + dative + göre. It translates to 'since,' 'seeing that,' or 'based on the fact that.' Here, we have takıl- (get stuck) + -dık + -ımız (our) + -a (dative) + göre, which builds the meaning 'based on our getting stuck'.

Why does trafik take the dative suffix -e in trafiğe takıldığımıza?

The verb takılmak means 'to get stuck' or 'to snag'. In Turkish, when you get stuck in or caught by something, the verb requires the dative case (direction towards). Conceptually, you get stuck to the traffic, hence trafiğe. Notice also the consonant mutation where the final k in trafik softens to ğ.

Why is the accusative case used at the end of gecikmemizi?

Let's break the word down: gecik- (to be delayed) + -me (makes it a noun: the act of delaying) + -miz (our) + -i (accusative). The accusative is required because 'our delay' is the specific direct object being acted upon by the compound verb telafi etmek (to make up for / to compensate for).

How does telafi etmemiz lazımdı translate to 'we had to make up for'?