Learn Hardcore Turkish: Ben kitapçıya gidiyorum.

to emphasize the subject: I (as opposed to someone else) am going.
in contrastive contexts: Ben kitapçıya gidiyorum, sen nereye gidiyorsun? – I’m going to the bookstore, where are you going?

In neutral, everyday speech, people very often drop Ben and just say Kitapçıya gidiyorum.

What does the -ya in kitapçıya mean?

The -ya is the dative case ending, meaning to / toward.

kitapçı = bookstore / bookseller
kitapçı + (y)a → kitapçıya = to the bookstore

In general:

dative suffix: -(y)a / -(y)e (to, toward)
it attaches to nouns to show direction or goal:
- okul (school) → okula (to school)
- ev (house) → eve (to home)
- arkadaş (friend) → arkadaşa (to the friend)

The y is a buffer consonant used when the noun ends in a vowel (like kitapçı).

Why is it kitapçıya and not kitapçiye? How does that vowel choice work?

This is vowel harmony.

The dative ending has two main forms: -a and -e (with a possible y in front after a vowel: -(y)a / -(y)e).

Rule (simplified):

If the last vowel of the word is a back vowel (a, ı, o, u) → use -a
If the last vowel is a front vowel (e, i, ö, ü) → use -e

In kitapçı:

vowels are i – a – ı; the last vowel is ı (a back vowel)
so we choose -a, not -e
kitapçı + y + a → kitapçıya

What exactly is the difference between kitap, kitapçı, and kütüphane?

These three are easy to mix up:

kitap = book
- kitaplar = books
kitapçı = literally book-person → in practice:
- bookseller (the person), or
- bookstore / bookshop (the shop)
kütüphane = library (a place where you borrow or read books, not buy them)

So:

Ben kitapçıya gidiyorum. = I am going to the bookstore.
Ben kütüphaneye gidiyorum. = I am going to the library.

Why is the word order Ben kitapçıya gidiyorum? Could I say Ben gidiyorum kitapçıya?

The normal, neutral order in Turkish is Subject – (time) – place – object – verb:

Ben kitapçıya gidiyorum.
- Ben (subject)
- kitapçıya (place, direction)
- gidiyorum (verb)

However, Turkish word order is flexible for emphasis. You can say:

Kitapçıya gidiyorum ben. → emphasizes ben (I)
Ben gidiyorum kitapçıya. → sounds marked/emphatic; it suggests a contrast or some special focus (e.g. answering “Where exactly are you going?”)

For a simple, neutral statement, Ben kitapçıya gidiyorum (or just Kitapçıya gidiyorum) is the most natural.

Why is it gidiyorum and not something like gitiyorum or gitiyorumum?

The verb is gitmek = to go, but its stem behaves a bit irregularly in some forms.

Consonant change (t → d)
The underlying stem is historically gid-. In some forms, the t appears, in others the d:
- gitmek (infinitive)
- gidiyorum (I am going)
- gidiyor (he/she/it is going)
- giderim (I go / I will go)
So:
- git- + -iyor + -um → gidiyorum (with t → d)
No extra personal ending
The present continuous is formed as:
- stem + -iyor + personal ending
For I:
- gidiyor + um → gidiyorum
You do not add another “I” ending after that; -um already marks the subject:
- gidiyorum = correct
- × gidiyorumum = wrong

Full present continuous of gitmek:

gidiyorum – I am going
gidiyorsun – you are going
gidiyor – he/she/it is going
gidiyoruz – we are going
gidiyorsunuz – you (pl./formal) are going
gidiyorlar – they are going

Does gidiyorum mean only “I am going right now”, or can it also mean a future plan like “I am going (later)”?

Gidiyorum primarily corresponds to the English present continuous (I am going), but in Turkish it is also widely used for near-future plans, just like in English.

Examples:

Şimdi kitapçıya gidiyorum.
I am going to the bookstore now. (right now)
Yarın kitapçıya gidiyorum.
I am going to the bookstore tomorrow. (planned future action)

So Ben kitapçıya gidiyorum can mean:

“I am (in the process of) going to the bookstore now.”
or, with appropriate context/time word,
“I’m going to the bookstore (later / tomorrow / this afternoon).”

Why is there no word for “the” or “a” in kitapçıya? How do I know if it’s “to the bookstore” or “to a bookstore”?

Turkish does not have separate words for “a/an” and “the” like English does.

kitapçıya gidiyorum can translate as:
- I’m going to the bookstore
- I’m going to a bookstore

Context usually tells you whether it’s specific or not.

If you want to make “a bookstore” explicit (indefinite), you can add bir:

Bir kitapçıya gidiyorum.
I’m going to a (some) bookstore.

If you want to stress that it’s a known/particular bookstore (like that bookstore), you can show it via context, or with a demonstrative:

Şu kitapçıya gidiyorum. – I’m going to that bookstore.
O kitapçıya gidiyorum. – I’m going to that/the bookstore (over there/known one).

Can I just say Kitapçıya gidiyorum without Ben? Is that still a complete sentence?

Yes, Kitapçıya gidiyorum is a perfectly complete and very natural sentence.

The personal ending -um in gidiyorum already encodes I.
Dropping subject pronouns is normal and frequent in Turkish.

So:

Ben kitapçıya gidiyorum. – more explicit, can be emphatic.
Kitapçıya gidiyorum. – neutral, what you’d often say in everyday conversation.

Does gitmek / gidiyorum specifically mean “to walk”, or is it more general like English “to go”?

Gitmek is a general verb meaning “to go”, not specifically “to walk”.

Ben kitapçıya gidiyorum.
I’m going to the bookstore. (by any means: walking, driving, taking the bus, etc.)

If you want to specify walking, you can add a manner expression:

Kitapçıya yürüyerek gidiyorum.
I am going to the bookstore on foot / by walking.

So gitmek focuses on the idea of going / moving from one place to another, not the mode of transport.