Ich trinke gern Tee, wenn mir kalt ist.

I like to drink tea when I am cold.

Breakdown of Ich trinke gern Tee, wenn mir kalt ist.

• sein: to be
• trinken: to drink
• ich: I
• mir: me
• kalt: cold
• wenn: when
• der Tee: the tea
• gern: gladly; like

Questions & Answers about Ich trinke gern Tee, wenn mir kalt ist.

Why is there a comma before wenn?

In German, a subordinate clause introduced by wenn is usually separated from the main clause by a comma.
So you write: Ich trinke gern Tee, wenn mir kalt ist.
The comma marks where the subordinate clause begins.

What does wenn do to word order?

Wenn introduces a subordinate clause, and in subordinate clauses the conjugated verb goes to the end.
That’s why you get … wenn mir kalt ist (verb ist at the end), not … wenn mir ist kalt.

Why is it mir kalt ist and not ich kalt bin?

German often uses an “impersonal” structure for sensations/conditions: mir ist kalt = literally to me it is cold.
So the person is in the dative (mir), and the verb is sein with a “dummy” es that’s usually dropped:

• (full) Wenn es mir kalt ist …
• (normal) Wenn mir kalt ist …
  Ich bin kalt would usually mean you are “cold” in temperature to the touch or cold-hearted (depending on context), not that you feel cold.

Why is mir in the dative?

With expressions like mir ist kalt / mir ist warm / mir ist schlecht, German treats the person as an “experiencer” in the dative.
Pronoun forms: mir, dir, ihm/ihr, uns, euch, ihnen.
Example: Wenn dir kalt ist, nimm eine Jacke.

Why is there no es (like es ist mir kalt)?

German can include es as a formal subject (Es ist mir kalt), but in everyday speech and writing it’s very commonly omitted: Mir ist kalt.
Both are grammatical; Mir ist kalt is more natural/typical.

What’s the role of gern here, and where does it go?

Gern means you do something with pleasure / like doing it. It modifies the verb trinke (the action), not the noun Tee.
Common placement is near the verb: Ich trinke gern Tee.
You can move it for emphasis, but this is the standard, neutral choice.

Is there a difference between gern and gerne?

They mean the same thing. Gern is slightly more common in many regions; gerne can sound a bit more explicit/rounded, but it’s mostly style and regional preference.
Both: Ich trinke gern/gerne Tee.

Why is it Ich trinke … in the present tense—does it mean “right now” or “in general”?

German present tense covers both “right now” and habitual/general statements, depending on context.
Here, with wenn mir kalt ist, it naturally reads as a habit: whenever you feel cold, you like to drink tea.

Why is there no article before Tee?

German often drops the article when talking about a drink/food in general: Tee trinken, Kaffee trinken, Wasser trinken.
If you add an article, it becomes more specific:

• Ich trinke gern Tee = I like drinking tea (in general).
• Ich trinke gern einen Tee = I like to drink a (cup of) tea (one serving).
• Ich trinke gern den Tee = I like drinking that particular tea.

Can the wenn-clause come first, and what happens then?

Yes. If the subordinate clause comes first, the main clause verb comes immediately after it (verb-second rule), so you get inversion:
Wenn mir kalt ist, trinke ich gern Tee.
Notice trinke comes right after the comma, and ich moves after the verb.