At su içiyor.

The horse is drinking water.

Breakdown of At su içiyor.

• su: the water
• içmek: to drink
• at: the horse

Questions & Answers about At su içiyor.

Why isn’t there an article like the or a before At?

Turkish has no separate definite or indefinite articles. A bare noun like at can mean a horse or, in the right context, the horse. To be explicit you’d use a demonstrative:
• Bu at su içiyor. = This horse is drinking water.

Why doesn’t su have an accusative suffix like -u or -ı?

Accusative marking (-ı/-i/-u/-ü) appears only on definite direct objects. Here su (water) is indefinite or generic, so it stays unmarked. If you want to say the water, you would use:
• At suyu içiyor. = The horse is drinking the water.

What does içiyor mean and how is it formed?

içiyor is the present continuous (progressive) of içmek (to drink). It breaks down as:
• root iç-
• progressive suffix -(I)yor (vowel harmonizes to i)
• 3rd-person-singular ending ∅
So iç- + iyor + ∅ = içiyor = is drinking.

Why isn’t there a suffix for the third-person subject on içiyor?

In Turkish the 3rd-person singular and plural verb suffix can be zero (∅). Context or a plural noun shows number. For example:
• At su içiyor. = The horse is drinking water.
• Atlar su içiyor. = The horses are drinking water.
You can also add -lar on the verb (içiyorlar) but it’s optional if the subject is already plural.

English is SVO, but At su içiyor is SOV. How strict is Turkish word order?

Turkish is generally head-final, so subject-object-verb (SOV) is the default. You can reorder for emphasis or topic, but the verb almost always stays at the end.

Can you drop At and just say Su içiyor?

Yes. Turkish is pro-drop, so you can omit the subject when it’s clear.
• Su içiyor. could mean He/she/it is drinking water.
If you need clarity you can add O (he/she/it) or specify At again.

What’s the difference between At su içer and At su içiyor?

• içer = simple present (aorist), describes habitual or general truths: The horse drinks water (regularly).
• içiyor = present continuous, describes an action happening right now: The horse is drinking water.

How would you say The horses are drinking water?

You mark horses with -lar and then either:
1) Keep the verb ending zero: Atlar su içiyor.
2) Add the plural verb suffix: Atlar su içiyorlar.
Both are correct; (1) is more commonly used.