Birazdan çay içeceğiz.

We will drink tea in a bit.

Breakdown of Birazdan çay içeceğiz.

• içmek: to drink
• çay: the tea
• birazdan: in a bit

Questions & Answers about Birazdan çay içeceğiz.

What does birazdan mean exactly? Is it the same as “soon,” “in a bit,” or biraz sonra / az sonra?

Birazdan literally means “from a little (time) later” and corresponds to “in a bit / shortly / soon.” It points to the near future relative to now.

• Biraz sonra is very close in meaning; it can feel slightly more neutral.
• Az sonra also means “shortly,” and you’ll hear it often in announcements.
• Hemen is “right away, immediately,” which is stronger than birazdan.

Why is there no “we” in the sentence? Where did “we” go?

Turkish usually drops subject pronouns because the person is built into the verb. In içeceğiz, the ending -iz shows “we.” You can add Biz for emphasis or contrast:

• Biz birazdan çay içeceğiz, onlar kahve içecek. = “We will drink tea soon; they will drink coffee.”

Can you break down içeceğiz?

Yes: iç- (drink) + -ecek (future) + -iz (we) → içecekiz → by sound change, içeceğiz.
Note: the k in -ecek softens to ğ before a vowel (here, before -iz). So you see -eceğiz / -acağız in writing.

How do I pronounce içeceğiz and birazdan?

• içeceğiz: “ee-cheh-JEH-iz.” The letter c is like English “j,” ç is “ch,” and ğ is not a hard “g”; it lengthens/smooths the preceding vowel (no distinct consonant sound). Main stress is typically on the last syllable: içeceĞİZ.
• birazdan: “bee-RAHZ-dahn,” with stress on the last syllable: birazDAN.

Why is it çay, not çayı?

No accusative ending appears because the object is indefinite/generic (“tea” in general).

• Birazdan çay içeceğiz. = “We’ll drink (some) tea soon.”
• Birazdan çayı içeceğiz. = “We’ll drink the tea (that specific tea) soon.”
  Turkish marks definiteness on direct objects with the accusative (-ı/i/u/ü), not with articles.

Is the word order fixed? Can I move things around?

Default and most natural here is: time adverb first, then object, then verb: Birazdan çay içeceğiz.
Other possibilities for emphasis:

• Çayı birazdan içeceğiz. (Emphasis on “the tea” and/or on the timing “soon.”)
• Birazdan içeceğiz çayı. (Colloquial, heavy emphasis on “çayı.”)
  Keep the verb at the end in neutral statements.

How do I make this a yes/no question? And how do I say “Shall we drink tea soon?”

• Yes/no about the future: Birazdan çay içecek miyiz?
  The question particle mi is separate, follows vowel harmony (mi/mı/mü/mu), and carries the person ending: miyiz.
• Suggestion (“Shall we…?”): Birazdan çay içelim mi? (optative mood -elim/-alım).
  The statement içeceğiz = “we will,” while içelim = “let’s.”

How do I say the negative: “We won’t drink tea soon”?

Birazdan çay içmeyeceğiz.
Formation: iç- (drink) + -me- (negation) + buffer -y- + -ecek (future) + -iz (we) → içmeyeceğiz.

Could I use the present continuous for a near-future plan?

Yes, Turkish often uses -iyor for arranged/scheduled near-future actions:

• Birazdan çay içiyoruz. = “We’re having tea in a bit (it’s on the plan).”
• Birazdan çay içeceğiz. = “We will drink tea soon” (a simple future or intention).
  Both are natural; -iyor hints at a set plan; -ecek is neutral future/intention.

Can I say “a tea” in Turkish, like bir çay?

You can say bir çay when ordering (“one tea”), but to talk about drinking a cup of tea more generally, it’s more natural to specify the measure:

• Bir bardak çay içeceğiz. = “We’ll drink a glass of tea.”
  If you mean one each: Birer çay içeceğiz.

Is there a casual/colloquial way people actually say içeceğiz?

In casual speech, many drop/merge sounds: you may hear içicez or içcez. This is common in conversation/texts, but the standard written form is içeceğiz.

How do I say “We’ll also drink tea soon”?

Add the clitic de/da (“also, too”) right after what is being added:

• Birazdan çay da içeceğiz. = “We’ll drink tea as well soon.”
  Remember vowel harmony and separate spelling: de/da is written separately.