Breakdown of Bu tuhaflığı hemen fark etmem gerekiyordu.
bu
this
hemen
immediately / right away
fark etmek
to notice
gerekmek
to be necessary / to be needed
tuhaflık
strangeness / oddity
Questions & Answers about Bu tuhaflığı hemen fark etmem gerekiyordu.
Why use fark etmem gerekiyordu instead of fark etmeliydim?
Both structures express past necessity ('I had to notice' or 'I should have noticed'). However, fark etmem gerekiyordu uses the verbal noun fark etme (noticing) plus the possessive -m (my) with the past continuous verb gerekiyordu (was necessary). This literally means 'my noticing was necessary.' At the B2 level, using possessive verbal nouns with gerekmek is a very common alternative to the -malı/-meli suffix.
Why is the word tuhaflığı in the accusative case here?
Because 'this strangeness' is the specific direct object of the verb fark etmek (to notice). The word is tuhaflık (strangeness, from the adjective tuhaf). Since it is pointed out with the word bu (this), it is specific and must take the accusative suffix -ı. The final -k softens to -ğ when the vowel suffix is added.
Why are fark and etmem written as two separate words?
In Turkish, compound verbs formed with auxiliary verbs like etmek or olmak are only combined into a single word if a sound change (like a dropped vowel or a doubled consonant) occurs in the noun. Since the word fark (difference/awareness) does not change its spelling when combined with etmek, they are written separately. Contrast this with a word like hissetmek (to feel), where the 's' is doubled.
Does the past tense in gerekiyordu imply that I actually noticed the strangeness in the end?
Like 'I had to' or 'I was supposed to' in English, gerekiyordu just states that the necessity existed in the past. In contexts like this, it usually implies an unfulfilled expectation, meaning you didn't notice it immediately, and you are realizing in hindsight that you should have.
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