Learn Hardcore Turkish: Ben cuma sinemaya gitmek istiyorum. - On Friday I want to go to the cinema.

Using Ben adds a bit of emphasis, like saying I (myself) want to go…, especially if you are contrasting with someone else (e.g. Ben gitmek istiyorum, o istemiyor. – I want to go, he/she doesn’t.).

Why is there no word for on before cuma? How do you say on Friday in Turkish?

Turkish usually doesn’t use a separate preposition like on for days of the week. The bare day word itself (e.g. cuma) acts like on Friday.

So:

Cuma sinemaya gitmek istiyorum. ≈ I want to go to the cinema on Friday.

You can also say cuma günü, which literally means Friday day, and also corresponds to on Friday:

Cuma günü sinemaya gitmek istiyorum.

Both are correct and common.

What is the difference between cuma and cuma günü?

In everyday speech, they are very close in meaning:

Cuma sinemaya gideceğim.
Cuma günü sinemaya gideceğim.

Both can mean I will go to the cinema on Friday.

Subtle points:

cuma alone is slightly shorter and more casual.
cuma günü can sound a bit more explicit or careful, and is often used when you are listing or contrasting days:
- Perşembe toplantı var, cuma günü yok. – There is a meeting on Thursday; there isn’t on Friday.

But in most simple sentences you can treat them as interchangeable.

Why is it sinemaya and not just sinema?

Turkish uses case endings instead of prepositions like to.

sinema = cinema (basic form)
sinemaya = to the cinema

The ending -a / -e (here realized as -ya) is the dative case, which often corresponds to to / towards in English.

So sinemaya gitmek literally means to go to the cinema:

sinema (cinema)
sinemaya gitmek (to go to the cinema)

Where does the -ya in sinemaya come from? I thought the dative ending was -e or -a.

You’re right: the basic dative ending is -e / -a, chosen by vowel harmony.

With nouns that end in a vowel (like sinema), Turkish usually inserts a buffer consonant y before the ending to avoid two vowels crashing together.

sinema + a → sinemaa (awkward) → insert y → sinemaya
okul + a (school) → okula (no buffer needed, because okul ends in a consonant)

So the pattern is:

If the word ends in a consonant: add -e / -a
- ev → eve (to the house)
- okul → okula (to the school)
If the word ends in a vowel: add -ye / -ya
- sinema → sinemaya (to the cinema)
- oda → odaya (to the room)

Could I change the word order and say Ben sinemaya cuma gitmek istiyorum or Ben sinemaya gitmek istiyorum cuma?

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

Most natural versions here:

Ben cuma sinemaya gitmek istiyorum.
Cuma sinemaya gitmek istiyorum.
Ben cuma sinemaya gitmek istiyorum. (subject–time–place–verb-cluster)

Placing cuma between sinemaya and gitmek (…sinemaya cuma gitmek…) is unusual and sounds awkward in this simple sentence.

Putting cuma at the very end (…gitmek istiyorum cuma) is possible only in certain spoken, emphatic contexts, and even then it can feel marked or stylistic. For a learner, it’s better to keep the time expression before the place:

Time → Place → Verb
- Yarın okula gideceğim.
- Cuma sinemaya gitmek istiyorum.

Why do we use gitmek instead of a conjugated form like gidiyorum in this sentence?

Because gitmek is the infinitive (to go), and after istemek (to want) Turkish uses the infinitive, not a conjugated verb.

Structure:

[infinitive] + istemek = to want to [verb]

Examples:

gitmek istiyorum – I want to go
yemek istiyorum – I want to eat
uyumak istiyorum – I want to sleep

So gidiyorum istiyorum is incorrect in this meaning. You need the infinitive gitmek, not gidiyorum.

How does gitmek istiyorum work grammatically? Is it like I want that I go?

Grammatically, gitmek acts like the object (the thing you want), and istiyorum is the main verb:

gitmek – to go (infinitive, verbal noun)
istiyorum – I want

Literally: I want going / I want to go.

So the structure is closer to English I want to go, not I want that I go.

Pattern:

[verb-mek / -mak] + istiyorum = I want to [verb]
- gitmek istiyorum – I want to go
- okumak istiyorum – I want to read
- konuşmak istiyorum – I want to speak

İstiyorum looks like a present continuous form (I am wanting). Why is that used for a simple I want?

Yes, istiyorum is the present continuous of istemek:

istiyorum = I am wanting
- istemek (root)
- iste-iyor-um (want + prog. + 1st sg.)

In Turkish, the present continuous often covers what English expresses with simple present when talking about current feelings, plans, and intentions. So:

İstiyorum. = I want.
Seviyorum. = I love / I like.
Bekliyorum. = I’m waiting / I wait (now).

There is also a simple present form isterim, but it is more generic, less common in everyday speech, and can sound formal or like a statement of general tendency:

Çok isterim. – I would really like that.
For your sentence, istiyorum is the natural choice.

How would I say I don’t want to go to the cinema on Friday?

You make istemek negative: istemiyorum.

Pattern:

[verb-mek/mak] istemiyorum = I don’t want to [verb]

So:

Ben cuma sinemaya gitmek istemiyorum.
= I don’t want to go to the cinema on Friday.

You can drop Ben if it’s clear:

Cuma sinemaya gitmek istemiyorum.

Can I leave out cuma if it’s clear from context? Does that change the verb form?

Yes, you can leave it out:

Sinemaya gitmek istiyorum. – I want to go to the cinema.

Leaving out cuma does not change the verb form. Time expressions in Turkish are separate; they don’t affect verb endings in the way they might in some other languages. The verb only changes with things like person, tense, aspect, and negation, not with the time adverb being present or absent.

How can I emphasize that it’s specifically this Friday that I want to go?

You can use bu cuma (this Friday):

Ben bu cuma sinemaya gitmek istiyorum.
Bu cuma sinemaya gitmek istiyorum.

Bu adds the idea of this (coming) Friday, distinguishing it from other Fridays.
Similarly:

geçen cuma – last Friday
önümüzdeki cuma – the coming/next Friday (very explicit)
- Önümüzdeki cuma sinemaya gitmek istiyorum.