Whether you are planning a city break to Istanbul, a summer holiday to the beautiful coast, or you are considering moving to or working in Turkey, it’s important you learn some of the local language.
Turkish is spoken mainly in Turkey, but with around 100 million speakers worldwide. Turkish is the official language of Turkey and Northern Cyprus.
Turkey is one of the best tourist destinations in Europe with around 30 million international visitors per year.
Some people in Turkey, especially in the main tourism destinations speak English, but not all, and knowing Turkish will really help make your experience here easier and more fun.
Important Basic Phrases
Impress the locals with these basic Turkish words and phrases for beginners.
Hello – Merhaba! (MARE-HA-BA)
Good evening – İyi akşamlar! (EE AK-SHAMLAR)
Good-bye – Hoşçakal! (HOSH-CHA-KAL)
How are you? – Nasılsın? (NA-SEL-SIN)
I am fine, and you? – İyiyim, sen nasılsın? (EE-IM, SEN NA-SEL-SIN)
Not very well – Çok iyi değil. (CHOK EEYI DEY-EEL)
Thank you – Teşekkür ederim. (TE-SH-QU-ERR ED-ERR-IM)
You’re welcome – Birşey değil. (in response to “Thank you”) (BEER-SHEY DEY-EEL)
Please – Lütfen (LUT-FEN)
Do you speak English? – İngilizce konuşur musunuz? (INN-GLIZ-JE CON-NUSH-OR MUS-UN-UZ)
I don’t speak Turkish – Türkçe bilmiyorum! (TURK-JEH BILL-MI-YOR-UM)
I don’t understand – Sizi anlamıyorum. (SI-ZI ANN-LA-MA-YOR-UM)
Could you please repeat – Şunu tekrar edebilir misiniz? (SHU-NU TEK-RA ED-EBB-ILL-EAR MISS-IN-IZ)
Pleased to meet you – Tanıştığımıza sevindim./Memnum oldum. (TAN-ISH-TI-IM-IZA SEV-IN-DIM/ MEM-NUM-OLL-DUM)
Where is the washroom? – Afedersiniz, tuvalet nerede? (AFF-ED-DER-SIN-IZ TOO-WA-LET NER-REY-DE)
How much does it cost? – Ne kadar? (NAY KAD-AR)
May I speak to [Name]? – [Name] ile görüşebilir miyim? … (ILL-EH GOR-EH-SHEBB-ILL-EAR ME-YIM)
Excuse me – Afedersiniz. (AFF-ED-DAR-SAN-IZ)
Can you help me? – Yardım edebilir misiniz? (YARR-DIM ED-EBB-ILL-EAR MISS-IN-IZ)
Yes – Evet. (EV-ET)
No – Hayır. (HI-EAR)
I don’t know – Bilmiyorum. (BILL-ME-YOR-UM)
Okay/Alright – Tamam (TAM-AM)
Welcome – Hoş Geldiniz (HOSH GEL-DIN-IZ)
Days of the Week
Monday – Pazartesi
Tuesday – Salı
Wednesday – Çarşamba
Thursday – Perşembe
Friday – Cuma
Saturday – Cumartesi
Sunday – Pazar
Numbers
0 – sıfır.
1 – bir.
2 – iki.
3 – üç
4 – dört.
5 – beş
6 – altı
7 – yedi.
8 – sekiz
9 – dokuz
10 – on
11 – on bir
12 – on iki
13 – on üç
14 – on dört
15 – on beş
16 – on altı
17 – on yedi
18 – on sekiz
19 – on dokuz
20 – yirmi
Turkey really is one of the top places to work in Europe with lots of amazing destinations. Hopefully our list of phrases will help you speak to the locals, and remember practise makes perfect.