-meli/-malı

Must and Should

Level 3

The suffix -meli / -malı is the standard way to express necessity or obligation in Turkish. It translates to both 'must' and 'should' in English, depending on the context.

How It Works

The Necessitative Mood (Gereklilik Kipi) is a versatile tool in Turkish. While it is the standard way to express 'should' or 'must', Turkish also uses structures like -mek zorunda or gerek for stronger or objective necessity.

1. Formation:
Take the verb stem and add -meli (for front vowels e, i, ö, ü) or -malı (for back vowels a, ı, o, u). In natural speech, these almost always take personal endings unless used for impersonal 'one should' statements.

  • Gitmelisin (You should go)
  • Yapmalıyız (We must do it)

2. Personal Endings:
When adding personal endings that start with a vowel (I and We), you must use the buffer consonant -y-.

  • Gitmeliyim (I must go)
  • Gitmeliyiz (We must go)

3. Negation:
To say 'should not' or 'must not', place the -me/-ma negative suffix before the mood suffix: -memeli / -mamalı.

  • Gitmemelisin (You shouldn't go)

4. Questions:
The question particle is written separately and carries the personal ending, following the -meli/-malı suffix.

  • Gitmeli miyim? (Should I go?)

5. Past Obligation and Probability:
To express 'should have done', you can use -meliydi (e.g., Gitmeliydin - You should have gone). Additionally, this mood can express logical deduction or probability, similar to 'must be' in English (e.g., Annem evde olmalı - My mother must be at home).

Examples (5)

  1. Daha çok su içmelisin.

    You should drink more water.

    Word by Word: More much water drink-should-you.

    Here, the suffix acts as friendly advice (should).

  2. Bu akşam ödevimi bitirmeliyim.

    I must finish my homework tonight.

    Word by Word: This evening homework-my finish-must-I.

    Here, it expresses a personal necessity or obligation (must).

  3. Derse geç kalmamalısın.

    You must not be late for class.

    Word by Word: Lesson-to late stay-not-must-you.

    The negative form -mamalı expresses a prohibition or strong advice against an action.

  4. Şimdi ne yapmalıyım?

    What should I do now?

    Word by Word: Now what do-should-I?

    The question word 'ne' (what) makes the question, so no question particle is needed. The personal ending '-ım' stays on '-malı'.

  5. O şimdiye kadar varmış olmalı.

    He must have arrived by now.

    Word by Word: He until now arrived be-must.

    In this context, it expresses a logical deduction or probability rather than an obligation.

Common Mistakes

  • Incorrect negation placement.

    Gitmelimemelisin.
    Gitmemelisin.

    The negative suffix -me/-ma must always come before the mood suffix -meli/-malı.

  • Forgetting the buffer letter -y-.

    Okumalıım.
    Okumalıyım.

    When the personal ending starts with a vowel (like -ım), you must use the buffer -y- after -malı.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

-meli/-malıLevel 3Must and Should

Learn This First

To use the -meli/-malı pattern, you need to understand two-way vowel harmony to choose between the two suffixes. You also need to know how to extract a verb stem from its infinitive form and how to attach personal endings, including the use of the buffer consonant -y- when two vowels meet.

Words in This Pattern

-meli