Breakdown of Ödevi bitmeyen öğrencinin okulda kalması lazımdı.
öğrenci
student
okul
school
kalmak
to stay / to be left / to remain (in a state)
bitmek
to finish / to end
ödev
homework
lazım
necessary
Questions & Answers about Ödevi bitmeyen öğrencinin okulda kalması lazımdı.
How does Ödevi bitmeyen öğrenci translate to "The student whose homework was not finished"?
This is the Turkish way to form a "whose" clause. You start with the possessed noun (ödev + -i = his/her homework), followed by the verb describing its state using the -(y)an/-(y)en relative suffix. So, ödevi bitmeyen öğrenci literally means "the student [that] his/her homework is not finishing/ending".
The English translation uses the passive "was not finished". Why doesn't bitmeyen have a passive suffix?
In Turkish, the verb bitmek is intransitive and naturally means "to come to an end" or "to be finished" without needing a passive suffix. If you wanted to focus on the student's action ("the student who didn't finish their homework"), you would use the transitive verb bitirmek: Ödevini bitirmeyen öğrenci...
Why is there a genitive suffix on öğrencinin?
It pairs with the possessive suffix on kalması (staying) to form a genitive-possessive phrase: öğrencinin kalması (the student's staying). When expressing necessity with lazım, Turkish uses this "[Person's] [doing] is necessary" structure.
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