Simple Tense of Obligation
I must go
I ought to go
I should go
I have to go
I have got to go
This Mood is formed by attaching the -li Suffix of Obligation to the short infinitive form of the verb. The suitable to be personal suffix is then added to denote the number of the person - I, you, he, we, you, they..
There are a number ways to express obligation in Turkish.
The first way is to use the noun zor - trouble, difficulty, worry, problem,difficult, hard
zorunda kalmak [zor-u-nda - "in the problem"] - to be left no choice but (to do something)
zorunda olmak - to have to, be obliged to (do something)
Or one can use an arabic word mecbur - necessity, need to..
mecbur olmak /-a/ (demands a Motion Towards Object) - to be forced to, be obliged to, have to (do something).
mecbur kalmak -/a/ (demands a Motion Towards Object) - to feel obliged to, feel that one has to (do something). (Bakmaya mecbur oldum - I felt (that) I had to look)
zorunda - to be compelled to do something
zorunda is conjugated with the Infinitive
oynamak - to play
oynamak zorundayım - I have to play
oynamak zorundasın
o oynamak zorunda
oynamak zorundayız
oynamak zorundasınız
oynamak zorundalar
mecbur - to commit to do something
mecbur is conjugated with Motion Towards (dative)
düşünmek - to think
düşünmeye mecburum - I must think
düşünmeye mecbursun
o düşünmeye mecbur
düşünmeye mecburuz
düşünmeye mecbursunuz
düşünmeye mecburlar
Here "I, you, she etc.." is subject in sentence so no need to use the Possessive "-in"
ben kitap okumalıyım
sen kitap okumalısın
ali kitap okumalı
biz kitap okumalıyız
siz kitap okumalısınız
onlar kitap okumalı(lar)
Benim kitap okumam lâzım - [lit: My reading book is needed] - means - I should read a book- that's why we use "-im" - "my" to personalize the sentence.
Benim kitap okumam lâzım or Benim kitap okumam gerek
Senin kitap okuman lâzım or Senin kitap okuman gerek
Ali'nin kitap okuması lâzım or Ali'nin kitap okuması gerek
Bizim kitap okumamız lâzım or Bizim kitap okumamız gerek
Sizin kitap okumanız lâzım or Sizin kitap okumanız gerek
Onların kitap okuması (or okumaları) lâzım or Onların kitap okuması (or okumaları) gerek
The Possessive Personalized "-in" is used with both gerek and lâzım but not with -meli,-malı tense suffix.
Turkish gerek is now used in preference to the Arabic lâzım, although the latter is often used in daily conversation. These methods are widely used especially in notices and newspapers, but the verb itself has a Mood of Obligation which is explained below. There may be some fine differences in meaning and intent within these various methods of expressing obligation, but they can only be learned by experience and observation.
In the table below we show all the meanings in English which the Turkish Necessitative replaces. We realize that the English method have slightly differing meanings which are better explained by a grammarian. Suffice it to say that these fine meaning are understood "in context" when speaking Turkish.
| Necessitative Mood Tenses | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Positive forms | Negative forms | ||
| Statement | Interrogative | Statement | Interrogative |
| Simple Tense of Obligation - I must, I ought to, I should, I have (got) to, do it.. | |||
| ben etmeliyim | ben etmeli miyim? | ben etmemeliyim | ben etmemeli miyim? |
| sen etmelisin | sen etmeli misin? | sen etmemelisin | sen etmemeli misin? |
| o etmeli(dir) | o etmeli mi? | o etmemeli | o etmemeli mi? |
| biz etmeliyiz | biz etmeli miyiz? | biz etmemeliyiz | biz etmemeli miyiz? |
| siz etmelisiniz | siz etmeli misiniz? | siz etmemelisiniz | siz etmemeli misiniz? |
| onlar etmeli(dir)ler | onlar etmeliler mi? | onlar etmemeliler | onlar etmemeliler mi? |
| I must do I ought to do I should do I have (got) to do | Must I do..? Ought I to do? Should I do? Have I (got) to do? | I must not do I ought not to to.. I should not do I have not (got) to do | Must I not do? (Mustn't I do?) Ought I not to do? (Oughtn't I to do?) Should I not do? (Shouldn't I do?) Have I not (got) to do? (Haven't I (got) to do?) |
The Short infinitive is formed by dropping the final -k from the Full Infinitive thus giving bakma for the Positive Verb stem while the Negative Verb Stem produces bakmama -(from bakamamak - not to see)
Then with the addition of the undotted form of the-lı Suffix of Obligation we arrive at the necessitative mood verb roots bakmalı- for the Positive and bakmamalı- for the Negative..
The verb form is completed by adding the personal endings of the verb - to be
| The Mood of Obligation - A-Undotted Verbs adds -malı- Suffix | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| bakmalıyım | I ought to see/I must see | bakmamalıyım | I ought not to see |
| bakmalısın | You ought to see/You must see | bakmamalısın | You ought not to see |
| O bakmalı(dır) | He ought to see/He must see | O bakmamalı(dır) | He ought not to see |
| bakmalıyız | We ought to see/we must see | bakmamalıyız | We ought not to see |
| bakmalısınız | You ought to see/you must see | bakmamalısınız | You ought not to see |
| bakmalı(dır)lar | They ought to see/They must see | bakmamalı(dır)lar | They ought not to see |
Similarly for the E-Dotted Group of Verbs (where because of Vowel Harmony Rules the Suffix of Obligation takes its dotted form -li-) - girmek - to enter - will become girmeli- for the Positive and girmemeli- for the Negative
| The Mood of Obligation - E-Ddotted Verbs add -meli- Suffix | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| girmeliyim | I ought to enter | girmemeliyim | I ought not to enter |
| girmelisin | You ought to enter | girmemelisin | You ought not to enter |
| O girmeli(dir) | He ought to enter | O girmemeli(dir) | He ought not to enter |
| girmeliyiz | We ought to enter | girmemeliyiz | We ought not to enter |
| girmelisiniz | You ought to enter | girmemelisiniz | You ought not to enter |
| girmeli(dir)ler | They ought to enter | girmemeli(dir)ler | They ought not to enter |
| Mood of Obligation - Positive Form - Statement Present Tense | |
|---|---|
| Ben gitmeliyim | I must go |
| Sen gitmelisin | You ought to go |
| O gitmeli(dir) | He, She, It should go |
| Biz gitmeliyiz | We have to go |
| Siz gitmelisiniz | You have got to go |
| Onlar gitmeli(dir)ler | They have to go |
| Mood of Obligation - Positive Form - Interrogative Present Tense | |
|---|---|
| Ben gitmeli miyim? | Must I go? |
| Sen gitmeli misin? | Ought you to go? |
| O gitmeli mi? | Should he go? |
| Biz gitmeli miyiz? | Have we to go? |
| Siz gitmeli misiniz? | Have you got to go? |
| Onlar gitmeliler mi? | Have they got to go? |
| Mood of Obligation - Negative Form - Statement Present Tense | |
|---|---|
| Ben gitmemeliyim | I must not go |
| Sen gitmemelisin | You ought not to go |
| O gitmemeli | He should not go |
| Biz gitmemeliyiz | We have not to go |
| Siz gitmemelisiniz | You have not got to go |
| Onlar gitmemeliler | They have not got to go |
| Mood of Obligation - Negative Form - Interrogative Present Tense | |
|---|---|
| Ben gitmemeli miyim? | Must I not go? (Mustn't I go?) |
| Sen gitmemeli misin? | Ought you not to go? (Oughtn't you to go?) |
| O gitmemeli mi? | Should he not go? (Shouldn't he go?) |
| Biz gitmemeli miyiz? | Have we not got to go? (Haven't we (got) to go?) |
| Siz gitmemeli misiniz? | Have you not to go? (Haven't you to go?) |
| Onlar gitmemeliler mi? | Have they not got to go? (Haven't they got to go?) |
Necessitative Past Definite - Relates to an actual situation - I should have gone.., He must have gone.., etc..
| Mood of Obligation - Positive Form - Statement Past Tense Definite | |
|---|---|
| Ben gitmeliydim | I must have gone |
| Sen gitmeliydin | You ought to have gone |
| O gitmeliydi | He should have gone |
| Biz gitmeliydik | We had to go |
| Siz gitmeliydiniz | You had got to go |
| Onlar gitmeliydiler | They had to go |
| Mood of Obligation - Positive Form - Interrogative Past Tense Definite | |
|---|---|
| Ben gitmeli miydim? | Must I have gone? |
| Sen gitmeli miydin? | Ought you to have gone? |
| O gitmeli miydi? | Should he have gone? |
| Biz gitmeli miydik? | Had we to go? |
| Siz gitmeli miydiniz? | Had you got to go? |
| Onlar gitmeliler miydi? | Had they got to go? |
| Mood of Obligation - Negative Form - Statement Past Tense Definite | |
|---|---|
| Ben gitmemeliydim | I must not have gone |
| Sen gitmemeliydin | You ought not to have gone |
| O gitmemeliydi | He should not have gone |
| Biz gitmemeliydik | We had not to go |
| Siz gitmemeliydiniz | You had not got to go |
| Onlar gitmemeliydiler | They had not got to go |
| Mood of Obligation - Negative Form - Interrogative Past Tense Definite | |
|---|---|
| Ben gitmemeli miydim? | Must I not have gone? (Mustn't I have gone?) |
| Sen gitmemeli miydin? | Ought you not to have gone? Oughtn't you to have gone?) |
| O gitmemeli miydi? | Should he not have gone? (Shouldn't he have gone?) |
| Biz gitmemeli miydik? | Had we not got to go? (Hadn't we got to go?) |
| Siz gitmemeli miydiniz? | Had you not got to go? (Hadn't you got to go?) |
| Onlar gitmemeliler miydi? | Had they not got to go? (Hadn't they got to go?) |
The -meli/-malı necessative has no future form. If you want to say in English "I will have to do it", then you cannot use -meli/-malı in Turkish.
Instead gerek, zorunda is used for the Future
Bunu yapmak zorunda olacağım. - I will have to do this.
Onu yapman gerekecek. - You will have to do that.
Necessitative Past of Presumption - relates to an assumption - I suppose that I should have gone, I suppose that he should have gone, etc.
| Mood of Obligation - Positive Form - Statement of Presumption | |
|---|---|
| Ben gitmeliymişim | (I suppose that) I must have gone |
| Sen gitmeliymişsin | (I believe that) you ought to have gone |
| O gitmeliymiş | (Presumably) he should have gone |
| Biz gitmeliymişiz | (In reality) we had got to go |
| Siz gitmeliymişsiniz | (It seems that) you had to go |
| Onlar gitmeliymişler | (Probably) they had got to go |
| Mood of Obligation - Positive Form - Question of Presumption | |
|---|---|
| Ben gitmeli miymişim? | Ought I to have gone? (at all?) |
| Sen gitmeli miymişsin? | Should you have gone? (possibly?) |
| O gitmeli miymiş? | (I wonder?) Did he have to go? |
| Biz gitmeli miymişiz? | (I wonder?) Did we have to go? |
| Siz gitmeli miymişsiniz? | (It seems that?) Did you have to go? |
| Onlar gitmeli miymişler? | (Surely by now?) Must they have gone? |
| Mood of Obligation - Negative Form - Statement of Presumption | |
|---|---|
| Ben gitmemeliymişim | (I suppose that) I must not have gone. |
| Sen gitmemeliymişsin | (I believe that) you ought not to have gone. |
| O gitmemeliymiş | (Presumably) he should not have gone. |
| Biz gitmemeliymişiz | (In reality) we had not got to go. |
| Siz gitmemeliymişsiniz | (It seems that) you had not to go. |
| Onlar gitmemeliymişler | (Probably) they did not have to go. |
| Mood of Obligation - Negative Form - Interrogative of Presumption | |
|---|---|
| Ben gitmemeli miymişim? | Ought I not to have gone? (at all?) |
| Sen gitmemeli miymişsin? | (I think that?) Should you not have gone? |
| O gitmemeli miymiş? | (I wonder?) Did he not have to go? |
| Biz gitmemeli miymişiz? | (I wonder?) Had we not got to go? |
| Siz gitmemeli miymişsiniz? | (It seems that? ) Did you not have to go? |
| Onlar gitmemeli miymişler? | (Surely?) must they not have gone? |
Gerekmek - to need, to want to - is a verb in Turkish. As such it can be used in all tenses and moods as thes examples show:
Saatimin ayarlanması gerekiyor. - My watch needs adjusting.
Otobüse binmem gerekiyor mu? - Do I have to get on a bus?
Mehmet'e yardım gerekiyor. - Mehmet needs help.
Bir vize gerekiyor mu? - Is a visa necessary?
Kışın kar yağması gerekmiyor mu? - It's supposed to snow in winter, right?
Hakkımda hiçbir şey öğrenmen gerekmiyor. - You do not need to learn anything about me.
Ondan korkmamız gerekmiyor. - We have no need to be frightened of that/it.
İstanbul'a gitmek gerekmez. - It is not necessary to go to Istanbul.
Bunun üzerinden gümrük ödemeniz gerekir. - Because of this it will be necessary to pay Customs Duty.
Gülmek gerekir bazen - One should laugh sometimes.
On dakika beklemeniz gerekebilir. - It may be necessary for you to wait ten minutes.
Mutlu olmak için mutlu etmek gerekmiş. - In order to be happy it is necessary to make happiness.
Bir bilene sormak gerekmiş. - It seem it is necessary to ask someone who knows.
Çok şey gerekmezmiş mutlu olmaya. - Many things are not needed to become happy.
Sevmek için sebep gerekmezmiş. - No reason is necessary to love.
Hatta kimseye bir şey anlatması gerekmezmiş. - It seems it is not even necessary to let anybody know.
Kalemler pahalı olunca, ek iş bulma gerektı. - A the items were expensive, a spare time job was necessary.
Öyle olması gerekti. - It had to be like that.
Başarmamız gerekti aslında. - Really, we had to succeed.
Oraya buraya gitmem gerekti. - I had to go here and there.
Senin iyi olduğunu görmem gerekti. - I had to see that you were alright.
3 uncu kez denemem gerekmedi. - I did not have to try a third time.
4.vitesten yukarı çıkmam gerekmedi. - It wasn't necessary to change up to 4th gear.
Bir defa bile kutusunu açmam gerekmedi. - I did not even have to open the box.
Bu adamların adını hatırlamam gerekecek. - I will have to remember these gentlemen's names.
Eşme'ye yeni bir yαtαk αlmαm gerekecek - I will have to get a new bed for Esme.
İlk önce siteden şifre almanız gerekecektir. - Firstly you must obtain a password from the site.
Boyut değiştirmemiz gerekecektir - We will have to change the dimensions.
Kutuyu bitirdikten sonra yeniden doktorunuza görünmeniz gerekecektir. - After finishing the box it will be necessary to see the doctor again.
İzlenilmesi gerekilen bir Filim - A film which must be seen.
Ankara'ya gidince uğranılması gerekilen bır yer olduğunu düşünüyorum. - I think that it is a place that must be visited when going to Ankara..
gerçekten öğrenmesi gerekilen çok şeyler var. - Truly there are many things which are necessary to be learned.
Gümrük vergisi ödenmesi gerekmeyenki arabamla geldim. - I came in my car for which customs duty was not necessary.
Sebzelerin tüketiminde dikkat edilmesi gerekilen konusu. - The steps that are necessary for the conservation of vegetables.
O an ne yapılması gerekiyorsa onu yaparım. - I'll do whatever is necessary to do at that moment.
Eğer gitmem gerekiyorsa giderim - I will go if it is necessary
Her ne gerekiyorsa yaparım - I will do whatever is necessary.
Öyle olması gerekiyorsa öyle olur. - If it has to be like that then let it be so.
Her Türk asker doğar, gerekirse vatan için şehit olur. - All Turks are born soldiers and if necessary will die as a martyr for the country.
Kısaca anlatmak gerekirse böyle onu yazayım. - Let me write it like this if it need to be explained in short.
Gerekmezse konuşmam - If it is not necessary, I will not speak.
English translation: "as well as.."
gerek göklerdeki kuşlar, gerek denizdeki balıklar, gerek yerdeki hayvanlar, ...
It is not "whether" in English, there is not a choice between them. Here the writer wants to say all of them. "The birds in the sky, the fishes in the sea and also the animals on land, all of them" it is similar to "not only but also" in English.