Hello,

Could somebody explain the difference in use between -mAlI and gerek/Lazim?

As I remember one of them was expressing a need comming more from "the inside" (i.e. not what other told you to do etc.), but I don´t remember which.

For example how do you say:

I am hungry. I have to eat.

You have to eat.

Thanks.

I´m also interested in this. Like in English we use need, what would we say in Turkish. For example at a hotel, "I need small room".

I need small room --> Bana küçük bir oda lazım.

However, Turks prefer to say " I want a small room". We don´t tend to use " I need", instead we say " I want "

Küçük bir oda istiyorum 

You can also say: 

"Tek kişilik bir oda istiyorum" if you want single room, or if it is room for two persons "Çift kişilik bir oda istiyorum."

Karnım aç. Birşeyler yemem lazım.

Birşeyler yemen lazım.

The modal of obligations in Turkish can be grouped in two category :

1) Lexical obligation

Gerek:

Gerek is one of the oldest existing modal in Turkish.

 Old forms were ‘kergek, kergeksiz, ne kergek ” in both verb and adjective forms.

Mutfağa bir masa gerekiyor.   -à The kitchen needs a table.

Gitmem  gerekiyor.  -à  I need to go.

Lazım :

This is borrowed from Arabic nearly from 13^th century. This word is used  for obligations..

Gitmem lazım. -à I must/ need to go.

Görmem lazım. -à I must / need to see.

Zorunda :

This word indicates just obligations/necessities.  It has been created in 20^th century New Turkish.

Gitmek zorundayım.  --à I have to go.

Durumunda :

       This word was quite newly created. Likewise , it indicates obligation.

       Gitmek  durumundayım.  -à I have to go.

     2)  Grammatical obligation

-        malı/meli  is the only suffix that denote obligation in Turkish. The formation of  -malıgoes back to the last period of  Old Anatolian Turkish era.  From participle –ma and suffix –lı  is combined by referring the future. First as participle and later in Ottoman times it started to appear as necessity/obligation suffix.

·       In contemporary Turkish, it may denote both necessity and advice/suggestion.

Bu filmi izlemelisin. --à You should watch this film. -à Suggestion.

Dersine çalışmalısın. -à You must/should study your lesson.  -à Necessity

What about mecbur?

for example 

ona hesap vermeye mecbur değilsin. 

Bana olan borcunu odemeye mecbursun

does mecbur give the same meaning as , Mali or gerek?

and is it commonly used in daily talk? Cause I never really hear it. 

mecbur olmak = to be obligated to / to have to do 

ona hesap vermeye mecbur değilsin - You don´t have to give him explanations.

Bana olan borcunu odemeye mecbursun. ---> You have to pay me your debt.

ona hesap vermen gerek ---> you need to give him explanations.

                                                   [should]

Bana olan borcunu odemelisin. --> you must pay me your debt.

mecbur will mean "I have no choice"