Ben günde iki defa çay içiyorum.

to drink

Breakdown of Ben günde iki defa çay içiyorum.

• ben: I
• çay: the tea
• günde iki defa: twice a day

Questions & Answers about Ben günde iki defa çay içiyorum.

Why is Ben included in this sentence? Is it mandatory?

In Turkish, subject pronouns like Ben (I) are optional because the verb ending already tells you who is performing the action. You could simply say Günde iki defa çay içiyorum and it still means “I drink tea twice a day.” Including Ben adds emphasis or clarity—perhaps to contrast with someone else—but it is not grammatically required.

What does günde mean, and how is it formed?

Günde comes from gün (day) + the locative suffix -de, which literally means “in the day.” Used adverbially, günde means “per day” or “a day.”
• gün → “day”
• günde → “in a day” → “per day”

Why do we say iki defa instead of just iki kere or iki kez?

All three—defa, kez, and kere—mean “time(s)” in the sense of occasions or repetitions.
• defa is somewhat neutral and common in both spoken and written Turkish.
• kez is very similar in usage to defa.
• kere is a bit more colloquial, often used in everyday speech.
So iki defa, iki kez, and iki kere are all correct and interchangeable here: “twice.”

Why isn’t marked with the accusative suffix (i.e., )?