not ‘no’. A Turkish person indicates ‘no’ by tilting their head up and back, and raising their eyebrows. This may be accompanied by a click of the tongue. ‘Yes’ is a forward nod of the head.
| Please | Lütfenlewt-fen |
| Thank you | Teşekkür ederimte-shek-kewr e-de-reem |
| Thanks | Teşekkürlerte-shek-kewr-ler |
| Yes | Evete-vet |
| No | Hayırha-yuhr |
| Sorry! | Pardon!par-don! |
| You’re welcome | Rica ederimree-dja eh-de-reem |
| OK | Tamamta-mam |
| Excuse me! | Afedersiniz!a-fe-der-see-neez! |
| Hello/Hi | Merhaba/Selammer-ha-ba/se-lam |
| Goodbye | Hoşçakal (if leaving)/Güle güle (if staying behind) hosh-cha-kal/gew-le-gew-le |
| Good morning | Günaydıngew-nay-duhn |
| Good afternoon | Tünaydıntew-nay-duhn |
| Good day | İyi günleree-yee gewn-ler |
| Good evening | İyi akşamlaree-yee ak-sham-lar |
| Goodnight | İyi geceleree-yee ge-dje-ler |
| I don’t understand | Anlamıyoruman-la-muh-yo-room |
| I don’t speak Turkish | Türkçe bilmiyorumtewrk-che beel-mee-yo-room |
Key phrases
| Is there…?/Are there…?/Do you have…? | …var mı? …var muh? |
| Do you have bread? | Ekmek var mı? ek-mek var muh? |
| Do you have beer? | Bira var mı? bee-ra var muh? |
| Do you have stamps? | Pul var mı? pool var muh? |
| I want/need… | …istiyorum …ees-tee-yo-room |
| I want a loaf | Bir ekmek istiyorum beer ekmek ees-tee-yo-room |
| I want this | bunu istiyorum boo-noo ees-tee-yo-room |
| I don’t want this | bunu istemiyorum boo-noo ees-te-mee-yo-room |
| How much is this? | Bu ne kadar? boo ne ka-dar? |
| How many? | Kaç tane? kach ta-ne? |
| When is…? | …ne zaman? …ne za-man? |
| When is breakfast? | Kahvaltı ne zaman? kah-val-tuh ne za-man? |
| What time is it? | Saat kaç? sa-at kach? |
| At what time…? | …saat kaçta? …sa-at kach-ta? |
| Where is…? | …nerede? …ne-re-de? |
| Where is the bank? | Banka nerede? ban-ka ne-re-de? |
| Where is the toilet? | Tuvalet nerede? too-va-let ne-re-de? |
| Which one? | Hangisi? han-gee-see? |
| Why? | Neden? ne-den? |
| Please go away! | Lütfen gidin! lewt-fen gee-deen! |
| Is … included? | …dahil mi? …da-heel mee? |
| a/an/one … please | bir … lütfen beer … lewt-fen |
| two beers please | iki bira lütfen ee-kee bee-ra lewt-fen |
| some … please | biraz … lütfen bee-raz … lewt-fen |
Signs and notices
| açık | open |
| kapalı | closed |
| bayan | ladies |
| bay | gentlemen |
| self-servis | self-service |
| itiniz | push |
| çekiniz | pull |
| kasa | cash desk |
| içme suyu | drinking water |
| tuvalet | toilets |
| boş | vacant |
| dolu | engaged |
| acil servis | emergency department |
| ilk yardim | first aid |
| dolu | full |
| dur | stop |
| bozuk | out of order |
| kiralık | for hire/rent |
| satılık | for sale |
| indirim | sales |
| bodrum | basement |
| zemin kat | ground floor |
| giriş | entrance |
| gişe | ticket office |
| karakol | police station |
| kayıp bürosu | lost property |
| kalkış | departures |
| varış | arrivals |
| yasak | prohibited |
| emanetçi | left luggage |
| özel | private |
| sıcak | hot |
| soğuk | cold |
| tehlike | danger |
| sigara içilmez | no smoking |
| dokunmayınız | do not touch |
| çıkış | exit |
| kabin | changing room |
| banyo | bathroom |
| dikkat! | caution! |
| enformasyon | information |
| danışma | enquiries |
Polite expressions
Good manners are very important to Turkish people. You may see people kissing each other on both cheeks when they meet, but this happens only if they know each other very well. To address someone formally, use bey for men or hanım for women after their first name e.g. Mehmet Bey, Fatma Hanım.
| How do you do? | Nasılsınız? na-suhl-suh-nuhz? |
| Pleased to meet you | Memnun oldum mem-noon ol-doom |
| Thank you | Teşekkür ederim te-shek-kewr e-de-reem |
| I am fine | İyiyim ee-yee-yeem |
| Welcome! | Hoşgeldiniz! hosh gel-dee-neez! |
| (reply to ‘welcome’) | Hoşbulduk! hosh bool-dook! |
| Here you are | Buyurun boo-yoo-roon |
| Pardon? | Efendim? e-fen-deem? |
| This is… | Bu… boo… |
| This is my husband/wife | Bu eşim boo e-sheem |
| Enjoy your meal! | Afiyet Olsun! a-fee-yet ol-soon! |
| The meal was delicious | Yemek çok lezzetliydi ye-mek chok lez-zet-leey-dee |
| Thank you very much | Çok teşekkürler chok te-shek-kewr-ler |
| Have a good trip! | İyi yolculuklar! ee-yee yol-djoo-look-lar! |
| Enjoy your holiday! | İyi tatiller! ee-yee ta-teel-ler! |
Celebrations
| Happy birthday! (informal) | Doğum günün kutlu olsun! do-oom gew-newn koot-loo ol-soon! |
| Congratulations! | Tebrikler! teb-reek-ler! |
| Cheers! (only when you raise your glass to say cheers!) | Şerefe! she-re-fe! |
| Happy New Year! | Mutlu yıllar! moot-loo yuhl-lar! |
| Happy Bayram! (for Muslim religious holidays only) | Mutlu Bayramlar! moot-loo bay-ram-lar! |
Making friends
FACE TO FACE
Merhaba, Benim adım … Senin adın ne? (informal)/Sizin adınız ne? (formal)
mer-ha-ba, be-neem a-duhm … se-neen a-duhn ne?/see-zeen a-duh-nuz ne?
Hello my name is … What’s your name?
Nerelisin?
