Browse >
Home /
Language / The Turkish Language | The Essentials
The Turkish Language | The Essentials
Speak Turkish
Learn the essentials…
Turkish isn´t an easy language to learn, but it’s worth picking up a few words and phrases to amuse yourself and to astonish and delight Turks!
Despite oddities such as the silent ‘g’(?) and undotted i (?) , Turkish is phonetic and simple to pronounce. In a few minutes you can get the hang of the sounds, and then you’re ready to start talking. Most letters are said just as they’re written: but here’s a list of the tricky ones:
A,a short, as in ‘ant’.
E,e short as in ‘bell’.
I,i as ‘ee’ in ‘bee’.
I,i ‘uh’ like the ‘e’ in ‘open’.
Ö,ö as German ‘ö’, or ‘fur’.
U,u short as ‘oo’ in ‘moon’.
Ü,ü same as German ‘ü’, or ‘pew’.
C,c is a ‘j’, as jam.
Ç,ç ‘ch’ is in ‘chin’.
G,g always hard, as in ‘get’.
G,g: not pronounced, lengthens preceding vowel, ignore it!
H,h always pronounced, as in ‘hat’.
J,j as in French ‘j’, or ‘rouge’.
S,s always ‘ss’, never ‘z’.
Ş,ş ‘sh’ as in ‘ship’.
X,x not used, Turks use ‘ks’ instead.
Meeting PeopleHello: Merhaba
Good morning: Günaydin
Good evening: Iyi akşamlar
How are you?: Nasilsiniz?
Very well: Çok iyiyim Useful Words
Yes: Evet
No: Hayir
Please: Lütfen
Thank you: Teşekkür ederim
Excuse me: Pardon
What? Ne? How? Nasil?
How much?: Ne kadar?
Who?: Kim?
When?: Ne zaman?
What time is it?: Saat kaç?
Friend: Arkada?
Big/Small: Büyük/Küçük
Hot/Cold: Sicak/Soguk
Left/Right: Sol/Sag
Near/Far: Yakin/Uzak
Early/Late: Erken/Geç
Good/Bad: Iyi/Kötü
Beautiful: Güzel
Street: Sokak/Cadde
I don’t understand: Anlamiyorum
I don’t know: Bilmiyorum
Sun/Sea: Güneş/Deniz
Water: Su
Transport
Where is the…?: … nerede?
… bus station?: Otogar …?
… airport?: Hava alani …?
I want a map / timetable: Bir harita/bir tarife istiyorum.
turn left/right here: Buradan sola/saga dönün
Please stop!: Lütfen durun
We’re in a hurry: Acelemiz var
Please drive more carefully: Lütfen daha dikkatli sürünüz.
I want to get off (minbus): inecek var
I want a ticket to Izmir: Izmir’e bir bilet istiyorum
When does it leave? Ne zaman kalkiyor?
This is my seat: Burasi benim yerim.
I want to hire a car…: Araba kiralamak istiyorum
… for 4 days : … dört gün için
Driving license: Ehliyet
There’s a flat tire: Patlak lastik var.
Jack: Kriko
A full tank please: Tam depo lütfen
Lead free petrol: Kurşunsuz benzin
We’re lost: Kaybolduk
Our car has broken down : Arabamiz bozuldu
Shopping
Do you take credit cards? Kredi karti kabul ediyor musunuz?
I’m just looking: Yalniz bakiyorum.
That’s too expensive: Çok pahali
What’s your best price? Son fiyatiniz ne?
Can I try this on? Bunu deneyebilirmiyim?
A larger/smaller size: Daha büyük/küçük beden
It really suits you: Size çok yakişiyor
We’ll come back tomorrow: Yarin yine gelecegiz
|
At the HotelI want …: … istiyorum
… a double room : Iki kişilik oda
… a quite room: Sessiz bir oda
… soap/shampoo : sabun/şampuan …
… to change the room: odami degiştirmek…
… toilet paper: Tuvalet kagidi…
… clean towels: Temiz havlu …
The toilet is blocked: Tuvalet tikali
Please wake us at 6 am: Lütfen bizi altida uyandirinEating Out
Bon apettit: Afiyet olsun
Rare/medium (steak) : Az/orta pişmiş
Chears!: Şerefe!
White wine : Beyaz şarap
Red wine : Kirmizi şarap
Dry/sweet: sek/dömisek
2 more bottles,please: Iki şişe daha, lütfen
Ice cold bear: Buz gibi bira
Soft drink: Alkolsüz içki
Table for four: Dört kişilik masa
Hot(spicy): Aci
Meatballs: Köfte
Mixed salad: Karişik salata
Without oil: Zeytinyagsiz
Barbecue: Mangal
Typical Turkish cuisine: Tipik Türk Mutfagi
Fruit: Meyve
Unsweetened/medium/sweet (Turkish Coffee): Sade/orta/şekerli
Compliments to the chef: Aşçiya tebrikler
New Friends
What’s your name? Adiniz ne?
My name is...: Benim adim…
Where are you from? Nerelisiniz?
From London/?stanbul: Londraliyim/Istanbulluyum
Are you alone? Yalniz misiniz?
Are you married? Evli misiniz?
Where’s your hotel? Oteliniz nerede?
In town: Şehir merkezinde
What kind of music do you like? Ne tür müzik seversiniz?
What do you like doing? Nelerden hoşlanirsiniz?
Pleased to meet you: Memnun oldum
Would you like an icecream? Dondurma ister misiniz?
No thanks : Sagolun
Let’s go and swim: Yüzelim mi?
You go, I don’t want to: Siz gidin, ben istemiyorum.
Seriously?: Ciddimisin?
Where do you work?: Nerede çalişiyorsunuz?
I’m a student: Ögrenciyim
What are you studying? Ne okuyorsun?
Business studies/French : Işletme / Fransizca
I work in a bank : Bankacilik yapiyorum
In an advertising agency: Reklam ajansinda çalişiyorum
Do you make good money? Iyi para kazaniyormusun?
What’s it to you? Sana ne?
What kind of car do you have? Nasil bir arabaniz var?
What’s your house like? Eviniz nasil?
Would you like a drink? Bir içki alir misiniz?
I’m drunk: Sarhoş oldum
Let’s go and dance! Hadi, dans edelim
Your eyes are beautiful : Gözlerin çok güzel
I’m allergic to roses: Güle alerjim var
Our friends have left early: Arkadaşlarimiz erken gittiler
You dance so well: Mükemmel dans ediyorsun
I feel so close to you: Kendimi sana yakin hissediyorum
I love you: Seni seviyorum
Don’t do that: Yapma!
No, not tonight: Bu akşam olmaz
I love you too: Ben de seni seviyorum.
Good night: Iyi geceler |
You may also like...
Best of FethiyeBayA practical guide to spoken Turkish for foreign travellersAli – The Turkish Folk Musician
Comments
Feel free to leave a comment...
and oh, if you want a pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar!