Learn Hardcore Turkish: Ben kız arkadaşımla parkta çay içiyorum. - I am drinking tea in the park with my girlfriend.

You can drop it. The verb ending -yorum in içiyorum already shows the subject is “I.” Using Ben adds emphasis or contrast (e.g., “I’m the one drinking tea…”), but it’s not required: Kız arkadaşımla parkta çay içiyorum is perfectly natural.

What exactly does kız arkadaşımla consist of?

It’s three parts:

kız arkadaş = “girlfriend/female friend” (a compound noun)
-ım = “my” (1st person singular possessive) → kız arkadaşım
-la/-le = “with” (comitative) → kız arkadaşımla (“with my girlfriend”) After a consonant you add -la/-le directly. After a vowel it surfaces as -yla/-yle (e.g., arabayla “with the car”).

Does kız arkadaşım always mean “my girlfriend” (romantic)?

Often yes, especially for adults, it implies a romantic partner. But context matters: it can also mean “my female friend.” For unambiguous “girlfriend/boyfriend,” people commonly use sevgilim (“my beloved/partner”).

Could I write kız arkadaşım ile instead of kız arkadaşımla?

Yes. ile can be written as a separate word or as the suffix -la/-le. Both are correct; the suffix form is very common in speech. So kız arkadaşım ile = kız arkadaşımla.

What’s the difference between -la/ile (“with”) and ve (“and”) here?

…kız arkadaşımla… içiyorum = “I am drinking … with my girlfriend.” The subject is still “I,” so the verb is 1st person singular.
Ben ve kız arkadaşım … içiyoruz = “My girlfriend and I are drinking …” Now the subject is plural (“we”), so the verb must be içiyoruz.

Why is it parkta and not parka?

parkta uses the locative -da/-de/-ta/-te = “in/at the park.”
parka uses the dative -a/-e = “to the park.” Here, you’re located at the park, so parkta is correct. It’s -ta (not -da) because the word ends in a voiceless consonant (k), which triggers t by consonant assimilation.

Why is çay not çayı?

In Turkish, a direct object is unmarked when it’s indefinite or non-specific. Çay içiyorum = “I’m drinking tea (some tea).” Use the accusative -ı/-i/-u/-ü when the object is specific/definite: Çayı parkta içiyorum = “I’m drinking the tea in the park.”

How is içiyorum formed?

Verb stem: iç- (“drink”)
Present continuous: -(I)yor
Personal ending: set endings after -yor → -um, -sun, -, -uz, -sunuz, -lar So: iç + i + yor + um → içiyorum. Note that with -yor, the 1sg form is always -yorum (not harmonized to “-yürüm,” etc.).

What’s the difference between içiyorum and içerim?

içiyorum (present continuous) = happening now or around now; can also express near-future plans.
içerim (aorist/simple present) = general habit or timeless statement (“I drink [tea]”). In everyday speech, the progressive is more common for “right now.”

Can I change the word order?

Yes. Turkish is flexible, and focus typically sits right before the verb.

Neutral: Ben kız arkadaşımla parkta çay içiyorum.
Emphasizing place: Kız arkadaşımla parkta çay içiyorum.
Emphasizing companion: Parkta kız arkadaşımla çay içiyorum.
Emphasizing the drink: Parkta çay içiyorum kız arkadaşımla (more conversational). All are grammatical; choice changes emphasis.

Do I need an article like “a” before çay? Can I say bir çay içiyorum?

Turkish has no articles like “a/the.” Bare çay already works as “(some) tea.” Bir means “one/a” and emphasizes quantity: Bir çay içiyorum ≈ “I’m having a tea (one tea),” which is possible but less common unless you want to stress “one.”

How would I say “My girlfriend and I are drinking tea in the park”?

Use ve and make the verb plural: Ben ve kız arkadaşım parkta çay içiyoruz. (You can drop Ben → Kız arkadaşım ve ben … içiyoruz.)

How do I pronounce the special letters here?

ç = “ch” in “chocolate” (e.g., çay, içiyorum)
ş = “sh” in “shoe” (e.g., arkadaşımla)
ı (dotless i) = a close, central “uh” sound (e.g., kız, arkadaşımla)
ö, ü, ğ don’t appear in this sentence.

Where is the stress in içiyorum and arkadaşımla?

Turkish generally stresses the final syllable, and the progressive -yor tends to carry the stress: içiyórum. In arkadaşımla, the default stress is on the last syllable: arkadaşımlá. In connected speech, stress can shift for emphasis.

Should I say benim kız arkadaşım instead of kız arkadaşım?

You don’t need benim; the possessive -ım already shows “my.” Benim kız arkadaşım is used for emphasis or contrast (“my girlfriend [not someone else’s]”). Both are correct; the shorter form is more neutral.