Akşam çorbaya kişniş katmak istiyorum.

I want to add cilantro to the soup in the evening.

Breakdown of Akşam çorbaya kişniş katmak istiyorum.

• istemek: to want
• çorba: the soup
• katmak: to add
• akşam: evening
• -ya: to
• kişniş: the cilantro

Questions & Answers about Akşam çorbaya kişniş katmak istiyorum.

Why is the word çorbaya used instead of çorba or çorbayı?

çorbaya is the dative form of çorba, marked by -ya, meaning “to the soup.” When you katmak something, you add it to another object, so Turkish uses the dative case to indicate the target of addition. çorbayı would be the accusative (“the soup” as a direct object), and çorba (without suffix) is the nominative.

Why is katmak in its infinitive form followed by istiyorum instead of using a simple verb form like katıyorum?

Turkish verbs often take an infinitive (stem + -mak/-mek) before modal or desire verbs such as istemek. The structure [verb]-mak istiyorum literally means “I want to [verb].” If you said katıyorum, you’d be stating “I am adding [cilantro]” (present continuous), not “I want to add.”

Why is istiyorum in the present continuous tense rather than a simple present?

In Turkish, the present continuous tense (-iyor) is commonly used to express ongoing actions and current desires or intentions. So istiyorum (“I am wanting”) is the normal way to say “I want.” There is no simple present equivalent for istemek that conveys an immediate, current desire.

What exactly is kişniş in English, and are there any nuances?

kişniş corresponds to both coriander seeds and cilantro leaves in English. Usually, if you mean the fresh herb (leaves), you’ll hear kişniş yaprağı (“cilantro leaf”), and for the seeds, kişniş tohumu (“coriander seed”). In cooking contexts, kişniş alone often refers to the leaves.

What’s the difference between katmak and eklemek when translating “to add”?

Both can translate as “to add,” but:

• katmak focuses on mixing or folding in an ingredient (like soup, dough, salad).
• eklemek is more general: “to add,” “to include,” or “to append” in many contexts (a chapter to a document, an ingredient, etc.). In recipes, katmak often sounds more natural for mixing.

Why isn’t the subject pronoun (I) used in this sentence?

Turkish is a pro-drop language: the person is encoded on the verb ending. -yorum in istiyorum already tells you the subject is I. Adding ben (I) would be redundant and is only done for emphasis or clarity.

Why is akşam placed at the beginning without any suffix?

akşam here functions as an adverbial time expression meaning “in the evening” or “tonight.” Temporal words like akşam, sabah (morning), dün (yesterday) often appear without a case suffix when used adverbially. Turkish word order is flexible, so placing akşam at the start simply emphasizes the time.