Ben misafirlere çay ikram ediyorum.

I am serving tea to the guests.

Breakdown of Ben misafirlere çay ikram ediyorum.

• ben: I
• çay: the tea
• misafir: the guest
• -lere: to
• ikram etmek: to serve

Questions & Answers about Ben misafirlere çay ikram ediyorum.

Why is Ben optional in the sentence?

In Turkish, the verb ending already tells you who the subject is. The suffix -yorum in ediyorum marks first person singular (“I”). So you can drop Ben entirely unless you want to emphasize “I” specifically.

What does misafirlere mean and why is it in that form?

Start with misafir (“guest”). Add the plural suffix -ler → misafirler (“guests”). Then add the dative case marker -e (harmonized to -lere) to mean “to”. So misafirlere = “to the guests.”

Why isn’t çay marked with an accusative suffix?

Turkish only uses the accusative suffix (-ı/-i/-u/-ü) on objects when they are definite or specific. Here çay is indefinite (“some tea”), so it stays unmarked.

What exactly does ikram etmek mean, and why are two words used?

İkram etmek is a compound verb meaning “to offer” or “to treat (someone to something).” In Turkish you often take a noun (ikram = “treat/refreshment”) and pair it with the light verb etmek (“to do/make”) to form a verb.

How is the present continuous tense formed in ediyorum?

1. Take the verb stem of etmek: et- (remove -mek).
2. Add the progressive suffix -iyor: et-iyor.
3. Insert the consonant assimilation: t → d before the vowel → ediyor.
4. Finally add the first person singular ending -um → ediyorum.

Why does et- change to ediyor instead of etiyor?

This is due to Turkish consonant voicing assimilation: a voiceless t becomes voiced d before the vowel i of -iyor. Hence et-iyor → ediyor.

Could you use a different verb instead of ikram etmek?

Yes. For example:
• Ben misafirlere çay servisi yapıyorum (“I’m serving tea to the guests.”)
• Ben misafirlere çay sunuyorum (“I’m presenting/offering tea to the guests.”)
However, ikram etmek is the most common, polite way to say “to offer someone tea.”