Ben haftada bir sinemaya gidiyorum.

I go to the cinema once a week.

Breakdown of Ben haftada bir sinemaya gidiyorum.

• ben: I
• gitmek: to go
• sinema: the cinema
• haftada bir: once a week

Questions & Answers about Ben haftada bir sinemaya gidiyorum.

Why is Ben included at the beginning? Is it necessary?

Ben is the first person pronoun “I.” In Turkish you can drop it because the verb ending in gidiyorum already indicates “I.” It’s there for emphasis or clarity, but you could simply say Haftada bir sinemaya gidiyorum and still mean “I go to the cinema once a week.”

What does haftada bir literally mean, and how does it become “once a week”?

Haftada = hafta (week) + the locative suffix -da (“in/at/during a week”). Adding bir (one) yields “one in a week,” i.e. “once a week.”

Why is sinema followed by -ya in sinemaya?

The suffix -ya is the dative case marker meaning “to.” So sinema + -ya = sinemaya, “to the cinema.”

Why is gidiyorum used rather than a simple present like giderim?

Turkish often uses the present continuous (-iyor) for habitual actions. Gidiyorum literally “I am going” also conveys “I go regularly.” You could use giderim (“I go” as a general truth), but gidiyorum is more colloquial for routines.

How does the root git- become gidiyor? Why the change from t to d?

When a vowel-initial suffix attaches, Turkish applies voicing assimilation: the /t/ in git- becomes /d/ before the vowel i of -iyor. So git + iyor → gidiyor. Then -um (1st-person) gives gidiyorum.

Can you break down gidiyorum into its morphemes?

Yes:
• git- (go) – root
• -iyor – present continuous suffix
• -um – 1st person singular ending
Together: git + iyor + um = gidiyorum (“I am going/I go [habitually]”).

Why is the word order Subject – Time – Place – Verb? Could it change?

The default Turkish order is Subject → Time → Place → Verb. You can shift elements for emphasis, but deviating too much can sound awkward. For example, Sinemaya haftada bir gidiyorum (Place first) is okay; putting ben at the end (…gidiyorum ben) might feel marked or poetic.

What’s the difference between her hafta and haftada bir?

Her hafta = “every week,” highlighting each individual week.
Haftada bir = “once a week,” emphasizing the count (one time per week). In everyday usage they often overlap, but haftada bir focuses on frequency.

How would you say “twice a week” or “three times a month” in Turkish?

Replace bir with another number, optionally adding kez (“times”):
• Haftada iki = “twice a week” (or haftada iki kez)
• Ayda üç = “three times a month” (or ayda üç kez)