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Questions & Answers about İçki içmiyorum, çay içiyorum.
The word for alcohol (içki) looks a lot like the verb for drinking (iç-). Are they related?
Yes! The root iç- means "to drink." By adding the suffix -ki, it becomes the noun içki, which is used specifically to mean "alcoholic drink" or "liquor."
Why is the negative part of "içmiyorum" spelled with "-mi-" instead of the usual "-me-"?
Usually, the negative suffix for verbs with front vowels is -me. However, the present continuous suffix -yor is very strong and "narrows" the vowel right before it. So, instead of iç-me-yor-um, the e turns into an i, giving us içmiyorum.
In "içiyorum", where does the "-i-" before "-yor" come from?
The suffix -yor needs to attach to a vowel. Since the verb root iç- ends in a consonant (ç), we must add a helping vowel to bridge them together. According to vowel harmony rules, the i in iç- dictates that the helping vowel should also be i, making it içiyorum.
The English translation is "I drink tea" (a habit), but doesn't the "-yor" suffix mean "I am drinking" (right now)?