Turkish Language
Useful tips and phrases to help you get by
Many of the Turkish people that you will come across in tourist areas will have a reasonable understanding of English, particularly in shops and restaurants, but an attempt to use Turkish is very much appreciated and considered good manners.
Useful phrases
| English | Turkish | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Hello | Merhaba | Mur-Ha-Bah |
| Good Morning | Günaydın | Guh-Ny-Dun |
| Good Evening | İyi akşamlar | EE-Ak-Sham-Lar |
| How are you? | Nasılsınız? | Nah-suhl-suh-nuhz |
| Goodbye (Person leaving) | Hoşçakalın | Hosh-cha-kaluhn |
| Goodbye (Person staying) | Güle güle | Guele guele |
| Yes | Evet | Eh-vet |
| No | Hayır | Ha-yur |
| What? | Ne? | Neh |
| How? | Nasıl? | Nah-suhl |
| Who? | Kim? | Keem |
| Please | Lütfen | Loot-fen |
| I'm sorry | Pardon | Par-don |
| Thank you | Teşekkürler | Tesh-eh-kur-Ler |
| You're welcome | Bir şey değil | Beer shey deh-yeel |
| Bill Please | Hesap lütfen | Heh-sap Loot-fen |
| One Beer Please | Bir bira lütfen | Beer beera Loot-fen |
| Tea | Çay | Chai |
| Apple Tea | Elma çayı | Elma Chai |
| Orange | Portakal | Poor-ta-kal |
| Lemon | Limon | Lee-mon |
| Water | Su | Soo |
| Bus | Dolmuş | Dol-moosh |
| Taxi | Taksi | Tak-see |
Menu words
| English | Turkish | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken | Tavuk | Tah-vook |
| Fish | Balık | Bal-uhk |
| Lamb | Kuzu | Koo-zoo |
| Beef steak | Biftek | Biff-tek |
| Minced meat balls | Köfte | Kerf-teh |
| Mixed starters | Meze | Meh-zeh |
| Turkish pizza | Pide | Pee-deh |
| Casserole | Güveç | Goo-vetch |
| Sugar | Şeker | Sheh-ker |
| Salt | Tuz | Tooz |
| Wine | Şarap | Shah-rap |
| Bread | Ekmek | Eck-mek |
| Soup | Çorba | Chor-bah |
| Hot | Sıcak | Suh-jack |
| Cold | Soğuk | So-ook |
| Ice cream | Dondurma | Don-door-ma |
| Baklava | Baklava | Back-lah-vah |
Numbers 1-10
| 1 | Bir | Beer |
| 2 | İki | Ee-kee |
| 3 | Üç | Ooch |
| 4 | Dört | Dort |
| 5 | Beş | Besh |
| 6 | Altı | Al-tuh |
| 7 | Yedi | Yeh-dee |
| 8 | Sekiz | Seh-kiz |
| 9 | Dokuz | Do-kuz |
| 10 | On | On |
Turkish alphabet
Vowels
A - "ah"
E - "eh"
İ - "ee"
O - "oh" (as in "order")
Ö - rounded "ooh"
U - short as in "put"
Ü - rounded "ee" (say "ee" with rounded lips)
Consonants
B - as in "bat"
C - like "j" in "jam"
Ç - "ch"
D - as in "drum"
F - as in "farm"
G - as in "give"
Ğ - silent, lengthens previous vowel
H - as in "help"
J - like French "Jean"
K - as in "kin"
L - as in "lost"
M - as in "men"
N - as in "now"
P - as in "pet"
R - lightly rolled
S - as in "snake"
Ş - "sh"
T - as in "team"
V - between "v" and "w"
Y - as in "yes"
Z - "zuh"
Useful information for your holiday to Turkey
Holiday Accommodation Inspiration
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