Ben çayı çabucak içiyorum.

to drink

Breakdown of Ben çayı çabucak içiyorum.

• ben: I
• çay: the tea
• çabucak: quickly

Questions & Answers about Ben çayı çabucak içiyorum.

Why is Ben used at the beginning? Do I always need it?

In Turkish, subject pronouns like Ben (I) are optional because the verb ending (-um) already tells you it’s first person. You can drop Ben and simply say Çayı çabucak içiyorum and it still means “I am drinking the tea quickly.”

Why is çayı not just çay?

Çay (tea) takes the accusative case suffix -ı (becomes çayı) to mark a definite, specific object (“the tea”). If you say çay içiyorum without the suffix, it means “I am drinking tea” in general, without pointing to a particular tea.

Why does the word order put çayı before içiyorum?

Turkish typically follows Subject–Object–Verb (SOV) order. In Ben çayı çabucak içiyorum, the object (çayı) comes before the verb (içiyorum). You can shuffle elements for emphasis, but basic sentences use SOV.

What does the -iyor part in içiyorum mean?

The suffix -iyor is the present continuous tense marker. It turns the root iç (to drink) into içiyor (he/she/it is drinking). When you add the first-person suffix -um, you get içiyorum (“I am drinking”).