Questions & Answers about Ben çalışmıyorum, dinleniyorum.
Where exactly is the negative part in çalışmıyorum?
The negative part is the -mı- inserted right before -yor. The root verb is çalış (to work). To make it negative in this tense, we add the negative suffix -mı, then the present continuous suffix -yor, and finally the personal ending -um (for "I").
Why is the negative suffix -mı- here instead of -mi-?
It follows 4-way vowel harmony. Look at the last vowel in the verb root, which is the ı in çalış. Because ı is an undotted vowel, the negative suffix must match it, becoming -mı-.
In dinleniyorum, there is an -i- before -yor. Is that also a negative suffix?
No, dinleniyorum is positive ("I am resting"). The -i- here is just a linking vowel. The verb root is dinlen (to rest). Because it ends in a consonant, we need a linking vowel (i, ı, u, or ü) to connect it to -yor. Be careful not to confuse this positive linking vowel with the negative suffixes (-mi, -mı, -mu, or -mü)!
If both verbs already end in -um meaning "I", do we really need the word Ben at the start?
Grammatically, no. You could safely drop it and just say Çalışmıyorum, dinleniyorum. Including Ben (I) simply adds a little extra emphasis to the sentence, setting up a contrast about what you are currently doing.
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