Learn Hardcore Turkish: Bugün bankta oturup kahve içelim. - Let’s sit on the bench and drink coffee today.

It’s the 1st‑person plural optative/imperative: “let’s drink.” It proposes an action to do together. Morphology: iç- (drink) + -e- (optative vowel) + -lim (we) → içelim.

Why is it “oturup” and not “otur ve”?

-ip (here as -up) is a converb that links same‑subject actions smoothly: “sit (and) drink.” It’s more natural than using ve (“and”) for step‑by‑step actions. Oturup kahve içelim sounds more fluent than oturalım ve kahve içelim.

Does “oturup” imply a sequence (sit first, then drink)?

Usually yes: it suggests the sitting happens first, then the drinking. It can also just bundle them as a single plan. If you want to emphasize simultaneity/manner, use -arak: oturarak kahve içelim (“let’s drink coffee while sitting”).

What exactly is the “-up” in “oturup”?

It’s the converb -ıp/-ip/-up/-üp chosen by vowel harmony. Since the last vowel of otur- is u (a back rounded vowel), it becomes -up: oturup.

What’s going on with “bankta”? Why “-ta” and not “-da”?

The locative suffix has four forms: -da/-de/-ta/-te. Two rules:

Vowel harmony: last vowel back → -a, front → -e.
Consonant devoicing: after a voiceless consonant (like k, p, t, ç) use t; otherwise d. “bank” ends in voiceless k and has back vowel a, so → bankta (“on/at the bench”).

Is “bankta” the bench or the bank (financial institution)?

It’s the bench. The financial institution is banka; its locative is bankada (“at the bank”).

bankta = on the bench
bankada = at the bank

Do I need an article before “kahve”? Why isn’t it “bir kahve”?

Turkish has no articles like “a/the.” A bare object can be generic/indefinite:

kahve içelim = “let’s have coffee” (some coffee, in general)
bir kahve içelim = “let’s have a coffee (one cup)”
kahveyi içelim = “let’s drink the coffee” (specific coffee)

Why is “biz” (we) omitted?

Subjects are encoded on the verb, so biz is optional. İçelim already means “let’s (we) drink.” Use Biz içelim only for emphasis/contrast.

Can I make it into a softer suggestion like “Shall we …?”

Yes. Add the question particle:

Bugün bankta oturup kahve içelim mi? = “Shall we sit on the bench today and have coffee?” An even softer, very common form uses the conditional:
Bugün bankta oturup kahve içsek mi?

What’s the difference between “oturup kahve içelim” and “oturalım ve kahve içelim”?

Oturup kahve içelim: smooth, natural chaining; sitting is the lead‑in to drinking.
Oturalım ve kahve içelim: two separate suggestions; a bit heavier and more formal in tone.

How do I negate it? For example, “Let’s not drink coffee.”

Use negative + optative:

Kahve içmeyelim = “Let’s not drink coffee.”
Bugün bankta oturmayalım = “Let’s not sit on the bench today.”
“Without sitting” is oturmadan: Oturmadan kahve içelim (“Let’s drink coffee without sitting.”)

Does “bugün” modify both actions?

Yes. Bugün sets the time frame for the whole sentence. Word order is flexible, but Bugün naturally goes first for emphasis on “today.”

Could I drop “oturup” and just say “Bugün bankta kahve içelim”?

Yes. That means “Let’s have coffee at the bench today.” It implies being at the bench (likely sitting) but does not explicitly mention the sitting step.

How would I say “Let’s meet at the bench and have coffee”?

Use buluşmak for “to meet”: Bugün bankta buluşup kahve içelim. (Here buluşup is the same -up converb.)

Is punctuation (a comma) needed before “kahve içelim”?

No. Oturup already links the actions; no comma is required.

Any quick pronunciation tips?

ü in Bugün is a front rounded vowel (like German “ü”).
u in oturup is like “oo” in “food.”
ç in içelim is “ch” as in “church.”
Primary stress in everyday speech typically falls near the end: bu-GÜN bank-TA o-tu-RUP kah-ve i-ÇE-LİM.