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)?
Yes, -yor is the present continuous tense (like "-ing" in English). However, in conversational Turkish, it is extremely common to use -yor to describe general habits and routines as well. Depending on context, çay içiyorum can mean "I am drinking tea (right now)" or "I drink tea (in general)."
Learn İçki içmiyorum, çay içiyorum and more in Turkish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free