Learn Hardcore Turkish: Sıcak çay bana iyi geliyor.

It’s an idiom. Literally “to come good,” but it means “to do someone good,” “to agree with someone,” “to help/soothe,” or “to make one feel better,” either physically or emotionally.

Bu çorba bana iyi geldi. = That soup did me good.
Soğuk hava bana iyi gelmiyor. = Cold weather doesn’t agree with me.
Bir tatil sana iyi gelir. = A vacation would do you good. You can also use the opposite: kötü gelmek = “to not agree with / to make one feel bad.”

Why is it “bana” and not some other form of “ben”?

“Bana” is the dative case of “ben” (I), used for “to/for me.” The idiom “iyi gelmek” takes the dative: something is good “to” someone.

ben (I)
bana (to me) ← dative, used here Compare other cases:
beni (me, as a direct object): Beni gör. = See me.
benim (my): Benim çayım. = My tea.
bende (on/with me): Anahtar bende. = I have the key.
benden (from me): Benden al. = Take it from me.

Why is it “bana” and not the harmony-expected “bene”?

“Bana” is an irregular dative form (so is “sana” and “ona”). The dative forms are:

ben → bana
sen → sana
o → ona
biz → bize
siz → size
onlar → onlara “Bene” is not used in standard Turkish.

Why “geliyor” (present continuous) and not “gelir” (aorist)?

Both are possible but differ in nuance:

Sıcak çay bana iyi geliyor. = It’s doing me good now/these days; a current, ongoing situation.
Sıcak çay bana iyi gelir. = It generally does me good; a habitual truth, suggestion, or general statement. If you want a timeless, general claim, prefer “iyi gelir.” For a present, experiential feel, use “iyi geliyor.”

How would other tenses change the meaning?

İyi geldi. = It did me good (past, completed).
İyi geliyordu. = It was doing me good (past continuous).
İyi gelecek. = It will do me good (future).
İyi gelmiş. = Apparently it did me good (reported/inferential past).

Can I move the words around? Is “Bana sıcak çay iyi geliyor” okay?

Yes. Turkish word order is flexible; the default is Subject–(indirect object)–Verb, but you can front elements for emphasis:

Sıcak çay bana iyi geliyor. (neutral)
Bana sıcak çay iyi geliyor. (emphasizes “to me”)
Sıcak çay iyi geliyor bana. (post-verbal “bana” adds focus or a conversational tone) The finite verb usually stays at/near the end in neutral statements.

Why is there no article like “a/the” before “sıcak çay”?

Turkish has no definite article (“the”). “Bir” can act like “a,” but you don’t use it for general statements like this. “Bir sıcak çay” would mean “a/one hot tea” (e.g., when ordering): Bir sıcak çay alabilir miyim? In your sentence, “Sıcak çay” is generic.

What’s the difference between “Sıcak çay” and “Çay sıcak”?

Sıcak çay = “hot tea” (adjective + noun), a noun phrase.
Çay sıcak. = “The tea is hot.” (full sentence: subject + predicate adjective) Your sentence uses “sıcak” as an adjective modifying “çay.”

How do I pronounce “Sıcak çay”?

ı = the dotless i, a back unrounded vowel [ɯ] (like a relaxed “uh,” but further back).
c = “j” in “jam.”
ç = “ch” in “church.” Approximation: Sıcak ≈ “suh-JAHK”; çay ≈ “chai.” Full phrase: “suh-JAHK chai.” Note the Turkish capital letters: İ (dotted capital I) vs I (dotless capital ı).

How do I say it in the negative, like “Hot tea doesn’t agree with me”?

Use the negative of the verb:

Sıcak çay bana iyi gelmiyor. = Hot tea doesn’t do me good / doesn’t agree with me. Other options:
Sıcak çay bana yaramıyor. (common alternative)
Sıcak çay bana kötü geliyor. (it makes me feel bad)

Could I leave out “bana”?

Usually no, because “iyi gelmek” semantically expects a recipient in the dative. You can drop it only if the context already makes the recipient very clear; otherwise “Sıcak çay iyi geliyor” sounds incomplete or impersonal (“Hot tea feels good,” to people in general).

What’s the difference between “bana” and “benim için” (“for me”) here?

Bana iyi geliyor = It has a beneficial effect on me (my body/mood).
Benim için iyi = It is good for me (suitable/convenient/advantageous), an evaluative “for me.” For physical/mental relief, use the dative: bana/sana/ona… iyi geliyor.

Why use “iyi,” not “güzel”? Can I say “güzel geliyor”?

İyi (good/beneficial) is standard with “gelmek” for health/well-being: “iyi gelmek.”
Güzel (beautiful/pleasant) is about aesthetic/pleasantness. “Bana güzel geliyor” means “it sounds/feels nice to me” (e.g., an idea, a melody), not “it benefits me.” So for physical relief, stick with “iyi geliyor.”

Are there synonyms for “iyi gelmek”?

Yes, with slightly different tones:

yaramak (to do good, to suit one’s body): Sıcak çay bana yarıyor / yaramıyor.
faydalı olmak (to be beneficial): Sıcak çay bana faydalı (oluyor). (more formal/clinical) “Iyi gelmek” is the most idiomatic and colloquial for “agree with/soothe.”

Should “çay” be plural here? When would I say “sıcak çaylar”?

Keep it singular for the beverage in general. “Sıcak çaylar” (“hot teas”) is used for types or multiple servings (e.g., on a menu or when contrasting varieties): Sıcak çaylar arkada, soğuk çaylar önde. For your sentence about a general effect, singular is natural.