Question 1

How does the grammar behind başvurması icap eden work here?

Accepted Answer

This is a relative clause of necessity. It combines the verbal noun for 'his applying' (başvurması) with the modifying participle for 'that necessitates' (icap eden). Literally, it means 'the authority that necessitates his applying', which naturally translates to 'the authority that he is required to apply to'.

Question 2

How do we know who is required to do the applying?

Accepted Answer

The person who must do the action is shown by the possessive suffix on the verbal noun. In başvurması, the -sı ending is the third-person possessive, meaning 'his', 'her', or 'its' applying. If the sentence were about 'me' having to apply, it would be başvurmam icap eden.

Question 3

The verb başvurmak usually takes the dative case (to apply to). Why is there no dative suffix like -a or -ya here?

Accepted Answer

When the target of the action becomes the head noun being described by the relative clause (in this case, makam), the case marker it would normally take is dropped. Because we are directly describing the authority itself, the 'to' is inherently understood from the verb başvurmak modifying that specific noun.

Question 4

Is icap eden interchangeable with gereken in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

Yes, they mean exactly the same thing, but icap etmek belongs to a slightly more formal or traditional register. It pairs perfectly in this sentence with the formal noun makam (official authority or high office). In everyday, casual speech, you will more often hear başvurması gereken.

Bu, başvurması icap eden en yüksek makamdır.

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