Learn Hardcore Arabic (Modern Standard): ماذا تريد أن تشرب في الصباح، قهوة أم ماء؟ - What do you want to drink in the morning, coffee or water?

ماذا means what in questions. It’s historically ما + ذا, but in Modern Standard Arabic you can treat it as a single question word meaning what.
In this sentence it’s the object of the whole idea: What do you want to drink…?

Why is the verb تريد first? Where is the subject you?

Arabic often uses a verb-first order, especially in questions. The subject you is already built into the verb تريد (you want).
So تريد = you want (masculine singular by default, see the gender question below).

How do I know تريد means you want and not he wants?

Because of the prefix تـ:

تريدُ = you (masc.) want / you (fem.) want (context decides unless it’s marked as feminine, see below)
يريدُ = he wants

So the t- vs y- is the key clue.

What is the function of أن before تشرب?

أن is a particle that often follows verbs like want, like, prefer, hope to introduce another verb: want to + verb.
So:

تريد أن تشرب = you want to drink

Grammatically, أن makes the following verb take the subjunctive form (usually visible as a final ـَ in fully-vowelled Arabic).

Why is it تشرب and not something like an infinitive to drink?

Arabic doesn’t use an English-style infinitive. Instead it uses a present-tense verb after أن:

أن + تشرب literally looks like that you drink, but it functions like to drink in English.

Is تشرب masculine or feminine? How would I say it to a woman?

In unvowelled writing, تشرب could match:

masculine singular تشربُ
feminine singular تشربينَ (this one is visibly different)

So for clarity:

To a man: ماذا تريد أن تشرب…؟
To a woman: ماذا تريدين أن تشربي…؟

(You usually change both verbs: تريد → تريدين and تشرب → تشربي/تشربين depending on style and case endings.)

What does في الصباح mean, and can it go elsewhere in the sentence?

في الصباح means in the morning.
It can move for emphasis, for example:

ماذا تريد أن تشرب في الصباح؟ (neutral)
في الصباح، ماذا تريد أن تشرب؟ (emphasizes the time)

Why is there a comma before قهوة أم ماء? Is that normal in Arabic?

Yes—modern Arabic punctuation often uses commas similarly to English, especially in printed text. Here it separates the main question from the choices being offered. You could also write it without a comma; the meaning stays clear.

How does أم work? What’s the difference between أم and أو?

أم is used in either/or questions where you expect the listener to choose one of the listed options:

قهوة أم ماء؟ = Coffee or water? (choose one)

أو often means or in a broader sense and can appear in statements, or in questions that don’t force a strict choice. In many learning contexts:

أم = choice question
أو = general or

Why are the options just nouns (قهوة / ماء) without articles? Shouldn’t it be القهوة?

Both are possible, but omitting الـ is common when you mean the item in general:

قهوة أم ماء؟ = Coffee or water? (as a type of drink)

With الـ it can sound more specific/contextual:

القهوة أم الماء؟ = The coffee or the water? (the ones we’re talking about / available)

Do I need to pronounce case endings here (like تريدُ, تشربَ, قهوةً, ماءً)?

In careful, fully vocalized MSA you might see/hear:

تريدُ (indicative)
أن تشربَ (subjunctive after أن)
possibly قهوةً أم ماءً (as objects/options)

But in most modern speaking and much writing, final case endings are often not pronounced, and the sentence is still completely normal.

How would I answer this question naturally in Arabic?

Common answers include:

أريد قهوة. = I want coffee.
أريد ماء. = I want water.
قهوة، من فضلك. = Coffee, please.
ماء، من فضلك. = Water, please.

Is ماذا تريد أن تشرب...؟ the only way to ask this, or are there alternatives?

Alternatives you’ll also see:

ماذا تريد أن تشرب صباحًا، قهوة أم ماء؟ (in the morning using صباحًا)
ماذا تحب أن تشرب في الصباح…؟ = What do you like to drink in the morning…?
هل تريد أن تشرب قهوة أم ماء في الصباح؟ (uses هل and still offers a choice)

Your sentence is a very standard, clear MSA phrasing.

Why is ماء spelled that way, and how is it pronounced?

ماء is pronounced roughly maa’: a long aa followed by a slight stop at the end (because of the ء hamza). The hamza represents a glottal stop, like the catch in the throat in uh-oh between the two syllables.

Does قهوة have any special pronunciation points?

قهوة is usually pronounced qahwa in careful MSA:

ق is a deeper q sound (not an English k)
the ة (taa marbuuTa) is usually pronounced as -a at the end in pause: qahwa.
If you continue directly into another word with grammatical endings, it can become -t (more in formal recitation), but most learners can start with qahwa.