içmek
/it͡ʃˈmɛc/
To say drink in Turkish, meaning to take liquid into the mouth, use the verb içmek.
içmek is the everyday verb for drinking water, tea, coffee or any other drink. Turkish speakers also use it for smoking a cigarette and for eating soup.
Meaning: consume liquid through the mouth (verb)
What does it mean word for word?
içmek is made of the stem iç and the infinitive ending mek.
Which one should you use?
For the noun drink, meaning an alcoholic beverage, Turkish uses içki or the longer alkollü içecek.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To conjugate içmek, drop mek and add endings to the stem iç. The thing drunk usually takes no ending when it is general, as in su içmek, "to drink water".
How do you pronounce it?
The IPA is /itʃˈmɛc/. The i is like ee in creek, the ç is like ch in change and the k at the end is like the k in skew. The stress is on the last syllable.
When do people say it?
Tea is drunk all day in Turkey, and offering a guest something to drink is a basic part of hospitality.
Did you know?
- The expression içini dökmek, which literally means 'to pour out one's inside', is used to describe the act of venting or confessing one's feelings to someone.
- The stem of the verb içmek is iç, which is also the Turkish word for 'inside' or 'within'.
- In Turkey, it is a common social faux pas to refuse a drink offered by a host, even if you are not thirsty, as it can be seen as rejecting their hospitality.
Examples in context
- O su içmek zorunda.She has to drink water.O su içmek zorunda uses zorunda after the verb to express "has to".Tatoeba #4806703 by deyta, translation #2896413 by abburns
- En iyisi ölçülü içmek.It's best to drink in moderation.ölçülü içmek means "drinking in moderation".Tatoeba #7916390 by soliloquist, translation #266111 by CM
- İçki içmek ister misin?Do you want to drink?İçki içmek means "to drink alcohol", combining the noun İçki with the verb.Tatoeba #3859628 by duran, translation #3825058 by CK
- 240 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Merve and Emre are at a cafe during a break.
- MerveEmre, biraz soğuk bir şey içmek ister misin?Emre, do you want to drink something cold?
- EmreEvet, soğuk bir limonata içmek harika olur.Yes, it would be great to drink a cold lemonade.
- MerveBen de buzlu bir çay içeceğim.I will drink an iced tea too.
- EmreTamam, o zaman hemen sipariş verelim.Okay, let's order immediately then.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “drink” translations and entries içmek, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
