Ben günde üç bardak su içiyorum.

I drink three glasses of water per day.

Breakdown of Ben günde üç bardak su içiyorum.

• su: the water
• içmek: to drink
• ben: I
• üç: three
• bardak: the glass
• günde: per day

Questions & Answers about Ben günde üç bardak su içiyorum.

Is ben necessary here, or can I just say Günde üç bardak su içiyorum?

In everyday Turkish, ben is usually optional because the verb ending already shows the subject.

• Ben günde üç bardak su içiyorum.
• Günde üç bardak su içiyorum.

Both mean “I drink three glasses of water a day.”

You include ben when you want to:

• Emphasize who is doing the action:
  Ben günde üç bardak su içiyorum, o içmiyor.
  “I drink three glasses a day, (but) he/she doesn’t.”
• Contrast with another person:
  Ben içiyorum, sen içmiyorsun.

If there’s no contrast or emphasis, dropping ben is more natural.

What does günde literally mean, and how is it formed?

Günde comes from:

• gün = day
• -de = locative suffix (“in / at / on”)

So günde literally means “in a day” or “per day”, and in this sentence it’s understood as “a day / per day / daily.”

The suffix is -de (not -da) because of vowel harmony:

• The root gün has the front vowel ü, so it takes front-vowel version -de (not -da).

What is the difference between günde and her gün?

Both can express a daily habit, but there’s a nuance:

• Her gün üç bardak su içiyorum.
  “I drink three glasses of water every day.”
  → Focuses on the repetition each day.

• Günde üç bardak su içiyorum.
  “I drink three glasses a day.”
  → Focuses on the amount per day (a rate).

Often they are interchangeable, especially in casual speech.
But if you’re talking about a quantity or a rate (pills, water, steps, etc.), günde often sounds more natural:

• Günde iki hap alıyorum. – “I take two pills a day.”

Why is it üç bardak su, not üç su bardağı?

Both are possible, but they’re slightly different structures.

1. Üç bardak su

   • üç = three (number)
   • bardak = glass (measure word)
   • su = water (what is being measured)

   This is the most common everyday pattern:
   [number] + [measure word] + [thing]
   → “three glasses of water” (as a plain quantity).

2. Üç su bardağı

   • su bardağı = water glass / glass for water (literally “glass of water,” as a type of glass)
   • üç su bardağı = three glasses used for water

This second version is more likely to refer to the physical glasses (e.g. when washing, buying, or carrying them), not how much you drink.

For “I drink three glasses of water a day,” üç bardak su is the natural choice.

Why is bardak in the singular after üç? Shouldn’t it be plural like bardaklar?

In Turkish, after a number, the noun normally stays singular:

• bir bardak (one glass)
• iki bardak (two glass)
• üç bardak (three glass)
• on kitap (ten book)

You usually do not add the plural suffix -lar / -ler after a number.

You only see plural after a number in some special emphatic or stylistic uses, but for normal counting, use the singular form:

• üç bardak su ✅
• üç bardaklar su ❌

Why does su not take any case ending like suyu? Isn’t it the object of the verb?

Su is the object, but in Turkish, objects only get the accusative suffix (‑ı, ‑i, ‑u, ‑ü) when they are definite/specific.

Compare:

• Günde üç bardak su içiyorum.
  “I drink three glasses of water a day.”
  → The water is non-specific, general. No accusative: su.

• Günde üç bardak suyu içiyorum.
  “I drink the three glasses of water (that we mentioned / that are there) a day.”
  → suyu (with -yu) makes it specific/definite:

  • that particular water,
  • the water you already know about.

In your sentence, you’re talking about a habitual, general amount of water, not some specific glasses sitting on the table. So bare su (no suffix) is correct and natural.

Why is the verb içiyorum (present continuous) used for a habitual action?

Turkish uses the present continuous form -iyor much more broadly than English.

• İçiyorum literally behaves like “I am drinking,”
  but it is also used for regular / habitual actions, especially in spoken language.

So:

• Günde üç bardak su içiyorum.
  can mean
  
  • “I drink three glasses of water a day” (habit)
  • or “I am drinking three glasses of water a day (these days)” (current routine).

Context usually makes it clear.

In many habitual sentences, içiyorum sounds more natural and conversational than the “simple present” form içerim.

What is the difference between içiyorum and içerim here?

Both are grammatically correct, but they feel different:

• Günde üç bardak su içiyorum.
  → Very common in everyday speech.
  → Sounds like your current habit / lifestyle. quite neutral.

• Günde üç bardak su içerim.
  → More formal, general, sometimes a bit “bookish” in modern spoken Turkish.
  → Often used to state general truths, strong habits, or rules:
  Genelde çok su içerim. – “I generally drink a lot of water.”

In casual conversation, people usually say içiyorum when talking about their habits. İçerim is not wrong; it’s just less colloquial and more “stated as a fact.”

Can the word order change? For example, can I say Üç bardak su günde içiyorum?

Turkish word order is flexible, but not every possible order sounds natural.

Most natural options:

1. Ben günde üç bardak su içiyorum.
2. Günde üç bardak su içiyorum. (very common)
3. Üç bardak su içiyorum günde. (possible, stresses “per day” at the end)

However, Üç bardak su günde içiyorum sounds a bit awkward. Native speakers would prefer to keep günde close to the beginning or the end:

• Günde üç bardak su içiyorum. ✅ (default)
• Üç bardak su içiyorum günde. ✅ (emphasis on “per day”)

The main rule: the verb typically comes at the end, and adverbials like günde can move around for emphasis, but not randomly.

How is içiyorum formed morphologically?

İçiyorum breaks down as:

• iç- = the verb root “to drink”
• -iyor- = present continuous marker
• -um = 1st person singular ending (“I”)

So:

• iç + iyor + um → içiyorum
  “I am drinking / I (habitually) drink”

This pattern is very common:

• gel-iyor-um → geliyorum – I am coming
• yaz-ıyor-um → yazıyorum – I am writing
• bak-ıyor-um → bakıyorum – I am looking

Could I say bir günde üç bardak su içiyorum? What is the difference?

You can say bir günde, but it changes the feel slightly.

• Günde üç bardak su içiyorum.
  → Neutral “three glasses a day”, habitual rate.

• Bir günde üç bardak su içiyorum.
  → Literally “In one day I drink three glasses of water.”
  → Sounds more like focusing on one day as a time frame (for example, in contrast to some other period), or answering a very specific question about quantity.

In normal “per day” statements, günde (without bir) is most natural.

Why is it günde and not something like güne or günde with a different ending?

The suffix on günde is the locative suffix -de / -da, which generally corresponds to English “in / at / on.”

• gün = day
• gün + de = günde → “in a day / per day”

Not:

• güne → that would be dative (“to the day”), which would not mean “per day” here.
• günden → that would be ablative (“from the day”).

For expressions like per day, per month, per hour, Turkish commonly uses the locative:

• Günde üç bardak su içiyorum. – three glasses a day
• Ayda bir kez gidiyorum. – I go once a month
• Saatte 90 kilometre hızla gidiyor. – It goes at 90 km per hour.