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Questions & Answers about Mercimek çorbası içiyorum.
Why is there an -sı at the end of çorbası?
This is an indefinite noun compound, which is how Turkish links two nouns to form a single concept. The first noun (mercimek) stays bare, and the second noun (çorba) takes a possessive suffix. Because çorba ends in a vowel, we use the buffer letter s, resulting in çorbası.
Why do we use the verb içiyorum (drinking) instead of eating?
In Turkish, you always "drink" soup (çorba içmek) rather than "eat" it. Even if the soup is thick or has chunks in it, you will always use the verb içmek.
If lentil soup is the object of the verb, why doesn't it have the accusative (specific direct object) case ending?
Because you are referring to lentil soup in general, not a specific, known bowl of soup. If you wanted to say "I am drinking the lentil soup" (a specific one), you would need the accusative case. Since çorbası already ends with a possessive suffix, you would add the buffer n and the accusative suffix -ı, making it mercimek çorbasını.