Breakdown of Çeyiz için neler almak lazımdı?
almak
to take, to buy
için
for
lazım
necessary
neler
what (plural) / what all
çeyiz
trousseau / dowry
Questions & Answers about Çeyiz için neler almak lazımdı?
Why use the plural neler instead of just ne?
Using neler (what things / what all) implies that the speaker expects a list of multiple items in the answer. Since preparing a çeyiz (trousseau) involves collecting many different household goods and linens, the plural question word is much more natural here than the singular ne.
How does lazımdı work here? I thought lazım wasn't a verb.
Why is the verb almak left in its dictionary (infinitive) form?
When expressing necessity with lazım, the action that needs to be done takes the infinitive -mak / -mek form. In Turkish grammar, this infinitive acts as the subject of the sentence. Literally, this translates to "To buy what things was necessary?"
What is the difference in meaning if I change it to almam lazımdı?
Leaving it as the plain infinitive almak lazımdı makes it a general statement: "What was necessary to buy?" (for anyone in this situation). If you changed it to almam lazımdı by adding the 1st-person possessive suffix, it would specifically mean "What did I need to buy?"
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