Turkish isnt 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!
This may even come in handy when you are bargaining for your Turkish property. Although our Turkey Property consultants helping you with your Turkish property dealings will help you with negotiations with developers and furniture stores, it does not hurt to pretend that you understand what's going on!
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'. S,s 'sh' as in 'ship'. X,x not used, Turks use 'ks' instead.
Meeting People
| Hello: | Merhaba |
| Good morning: | Günaydin |
| Good evening: | Iyi aksamlar |
| How are you?: | Nasilsiniz? |
| Very well: | Çok iyiyim |
Useful Words
| Yes: | Evet |
| No: | Hayir |
| Please: | Lütfen |
| Thank you: | Tesekkür ederim |
| Excuse me: | Pardon |
| What? Ne? | Nasil? |
| How much?: | Ne kadar? |
| Who?: | Kim? |
| When?: | Ne zaman? |
| What time is it?: | Saat kaç? |
| Friend: | Arkadas |
| 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: | Günes/Deniz |
| Water: | Su |
Transport
| Where is the...?: | ... nerede? |
| ... bus station?: | Otogar ...? |
| ... airport?: | Hava alani ...? |
| I want a map: | Bir harita 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: | Kursunsuz 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 bü yük/küçük beden |
| It really suits you: | Size çok yakisiyor |
| We'll come back tomorrow: | Yarin yine gelecegiz |
At the Hotel
| I want ...: ... | istiyorum |
| ... a double room : | Iki kisilik oda |
| ... a quite room: | Sessiz bir oda |
| ... soap/shampoo : | sabun/sampuan ... |
| ... to change the room: | odami degistirmek... |
| ... toilet paper: | Tuvalet kagidi... |
| ... clean towels: | Temiz havlu ... |
| The toilet is blocked: | Tuvalet tikali |
| Please wake us at 6 am: | Lütfen bizi altida uyandirin |
Eating Out
| Bon apettit: | Afiyet olsun |
| Rare/medium (steak) : | Az/orta pismis |
| Chears!: | Serefe! |
| White wine : | Beyaz sarap |
| Red wine : | Kirmizi sarap |
| Dry/sweet: | sek/dömisek |
| 2 more bottles,please: | Iki sise daha, lütfen |
| Ice cold bear: | Buz gibi bira |
| Soft drink: | Alkolsüz içki |
| Table for four: | Dört kisilik masa |
| Hot(spicy): | Aci |
| Meatballs: | Köfte |
| Mixed salad: | Karisik salata |
| Without oil: | Zeytinyagsiz |
| Barbecue: | Mangal |
| Typical Turkish cuisine: | Tipik Türk Mutfagi |
| Fruit: | Meyve |
| Unsweetened/medium/sweet (Turkish Coffee): | Sade/orta/sekerli |
| Compliments to the chef: | Asçiya 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: | Sehir merkezinde |
| What kind of music do you like? | Ne tür müzik seversiniz? |
| What do you like doing? | Nelerden hoslanirsiniz? |
| 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 çalisiyorsunuz? |
| I'm a student: | Ögrenciyim |
| What are you studying? | Ne okuyorsun? |
| Business studies/French : | Isletme / Fransizca |
| I work in a bank : | Bankacilik yapiyorum |
| In an advertising agency: | Reklam ajansinda çalisiyorum |
| 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: | Sarhos 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: | Arkadaslarimiz 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 aksam olmaz |
| I love you too: | Ben de seni seviyorum. |
| Good night: | Iyi geceler |
I guess the bitter taste of rejection requires no translation as above!!!!!
