Ben az su içiyorum.

I am drinking little water.

Breakdown of Ben az su içiyorum.

• su: the water
• içmek: to drink
• ben: I
• az: little

Questions & Answers about Ben az su içiyorum.

What does az mean in Ben az su içiyorum and how is it different from biraz?

• az is an adjective meaning “little” or “not much,” describing a small, insufficient amount.
• biraz is a quantifier/adverb meaning “a little” or “some,” used to indicate a modest positive amount.
• In az su içiyorum, you’re stating that you drink an insufficient amount of water (e.g. “I don’t drink much water”).
• In contrast, biraz su içiyorum would mean “I’m drinking a little water” as a neutral statement about the current action, without the nuance of scarcity.

Why isn’t su marked with the accusative suffix (i.e. suyu) in Ben az su içiyorum?

• Turkish only adds the accusative suffix -(y)i to definite direct objects (known or specific).
• az su refers to an indefinite small quantity of water—there’s no particular water being singled out—so it stays in the bare form su.
• If you said Ben az suyu içiyorum, it would imply “I am drinking that little bit of water (we’ve been talking about),” making it definite.

Is the pronoun Ben necessary here? Can it be omitted?

• It is not necessary. Turkish is a pro-drop language: the verb ending -yorum already indicates “I.”
• So Az su içiyorum is perfectly natural.
• You would include Ben only for emphasis or contrast (e.g. “I, however, drink little water, but she drinks a lot”).

What’s the difference between içiyorum (present continuous) and içerim (simple present) in Turkish?

• içiyorum (with -yor) can express both ongoing actions (“I am drinking water now”) and habitual actions (“These days I drink little water”).
• içerim (with -(I)r) states a general fact or ability (“I drink water (as a habit/fact)”).
• In daily speech, -yor is far more common even for habits: Az su içiyorum often means “I generally don’t drink much water.”

How does word order work in Ben az su içiyorum?

• Turkish is typically Subject-Object-Verb (SOV).
  • Ben = subject
  • az su = object
  • içiyorum = verb
• Modifiers (like az) come before the noun they modify (su).
• The verb almost always appears at the end, though you can rearrange other parts for emphasis.

Could I say Çok su içmiyorum instead? Does that mean the same thing?

• Yes. Çok su içmiyorum literally means “I don’t drink a lot of water,” which is functionally equivalent to “I drink little water.”
• Instead of using az with an affirmative verb, you use çok plus the negative form of the verb. Both convey the idea of a low-water habit.

What’s the nuance difference between Az su içiyorum and Biraz su içiyorum?

• Az su içiyorum: emphasizes that the amount of water you drink is small or insufficient (a statement about your habit or quantity).
• Biraz su içiyorum: focuses on the fact that you are drinking some water right now—neutral about whether it’s enough.
• In short, az carries a sense of “too little,” while biraz simply means “some.”

Can I say Ben suyu az içiyorum? If so, how is it different?

• Yes, you can, but it shifts the focus:
  • su
  • accusative -yu → suyu makes it “that water” or “the water in question.”
    • Ben suyu az içiyorum then means “I drink that particular water little” (e.g. “I don’t like this water and only drink a small amount of it”).
• Word-order and case marking together signal that you’re talking about a specific, known water rather than water in general.