With its beautiful landscape and history, Turkey is definitely on most people’s bucket lists of places to travel! If you’re one of the lucky ones that get to visit Turkey this summer, make sure to learn Turkish before you go to have an even more amazing trip!
Need help getting started? That’s exactly why we’ve put together this list of 100 basic Turkish phrases for tourists! The Turkish language is so different from other European languages, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to learn!
If you’ve already read our previous blog post on basic Turkish words, then learning these phrases will be much easier. If you haven’t read it, not to worry! You can always go back and read it, but, for now, let’s learn some of the most important Turkish phrases for your upcoming trip!
Basic Turkish Greetings
Here are the most basic Turkish greetings that you should know!
- Merhaba – Hello
- Selam – Hi
- Günaydın – Good morning
- İyi günler – Good day
- Tünaydın – Good afternoon
- İyi akşamlar – Good evening
- İyi geceler – Goodnight
- Baybay – Bye-bye
- Hoşçakal – Goodbye
- Görüşürüz – See you
- Kendinize iyi bakın – Take care of yourself
Polite Turkish Phrases
Along with greetings, you should learn some polite Turkish phrases. That way, you can respond to others as politely as possible. After all, when you’re in a new country, don’t you want to leave a good impression on people?
- Teşekkür ederim – Thank you
- Sağol – Thanks
- Bir şey değil – You’re welcome
- Rica ederim – You’re welcome
- Hoşgeldin – Welcome
- Hoşbuldum – I’m glad to be here
- Lütfen – Please
- Sorun değil – No problem
- İyi şanslar – Good luck
- Tebrik ederim – Congratulations
- Afedersiniz – Excuse me
- Çok yaşa – Bless you
- Üzgünüm – I’m sorry
- Özür dilerim – I apologize
- Geçmiş olsun – May it be in the past
- Başınız sağ olsun – I am sorry for your loss
Basic Turkish Phrases To Introduce Yourself
Before starting a conversation, it is important to introduce yourself. These phrases will help you introduce yourself in Turkish.
- Merhaba, ben ___ – Hello, I’m ___
- Memnun oldum – I’m glad to meet you
- Ben de – Me too
- Nasılsınız? – How are you?
- İyiyim, teşekkür ederim, ya siz? – I’m fine, thank you. And you?
- Nerelisiniz? – Where are you from?
- Ben ___lıyım – I’m ___
- Kaç yaşındasınız? – How old are you?
- Ben ___ yaşındayım – I’m ___ years old
Turkish Phrases For Small Talk
Your first Turkish conversation with a native will probably include a lot of these phrases, but that’s okay! Learning the language bit by bit is still better than not learning at all!
- Nasılsın? – How are you?
- İyiyim sen nasılsın? – I am doing well, how are you?
- Nasıl gidiyor? – How’s it going?
- Ne haber? – What’s up?
- Memleketiniz neresi? – Where are you from?
- Ailen nasıl? – How is your family?
- İyiler. – They are well.
- Nerelisin? – Where are you from?
- Avrupalıyım. – I am from Europe.
- Nerede yaşıyorsun? – Where do you live?
- ___da/ta/de/te yaşıyorum. – I live in ___.
- Benim adım ___. – My name is ___.
- Senin adın ne? – What is your name?
Basic Turkish Phrases For Shopping
Shopping at the grand bazaar in Istanbul should definitely be on your travel itinerary if it isn’t already. So, you have to learn these useful phrases if you plan to shop there!
- Alışverişe gitmek istiyorum. – I want to go shopping.
- Alışveriş merkezi nerede? – Where is the mall?
- Bu kaç beden? – What size is this?
- Bu ne kadar? – How much is this?
- Kredi kartı ile ödeyebilir miyim? – Can I pay by credit card?
Basic Turkish Phrases For Dining Out
Here are some phrases you may need if you eat out at a Turkish restaurant!
- Karnım acıktı. / Ben açım. – I’m hungry./
- Karnım tok. / Ben tokum. – I’m full./
- Susadım. – I’m thirsty.
- Menüyü görebilir miyim? – May I see the menu?
- ___ alabilir miyim lütfen? – May I have ___ , please?
- Hesap lütfen! – Bill, please!
- Yemek harikaydı! – The food was great!
Turkish Phrases To Ask For Help
Turkish people are very helpful, so don’t hesitate to ask for help if you need it. Even if you come across someone that doesn’t speak English, they will always do their best to help you.
- Bana yardım eder misin? – Can you help me?
- İmdat! – Help!
- Polis nerede? – Where are the police?
- Bana yardım edin lütfen! – Please help me!
- Bana yardım edebilir misiniz? – Can you help me?
- Hastane nerede? – Where is the hospital?
- Benim ___e alerjim var. – I’m allergic to ___.
- Yangın var! – There is a fire!
- Ambulans çağırın. – Call an ambulance.
- Polisi arayın. – Call the police.
- Ben kayboldum, bana yardım edin lütfen! – I’m lost, please help me!
- Pasaportumu/cüzdanımı kaybettim. – I lost my passport/wallet.
Basic Turkish Question Words
Here is a list of basic question words in Turkish. It’s good to know these phrases in case of a misunderstanding or if you can’t follow what someone is saying.
- Kim? – Who?
- Ne? – What?
- Ne zaman? – When?
- Kaçta? – At what time?
- Nasıl? – How?
- Nerede? – Where?
- Neden? – Why?
- Niye? – Why?
- Niçin? – Why?
- Ne kadar? – How much?
- Kaç tane? – How many?
- Ne oluyor? – What’s happening?
- Neyin var? – What’s the matter?
Other Useful Turkish Phrases
Here is an additional list of Turkish phrases that might also be useful for you. Don’t worry, you don’t need to know Turkish grammar to speak perfect Turkish.
- ___ Bey – Mister ___
- ___ Hanım – Mistress/Misses ___
- ___ ile görüşebilir miyim? – May I speak to ___?
- İngilizce konuşuyor musunuz? – Do you speak English?
- Yavaş konuşabilir misiniz lütfen? – Can you speak slowly, please?
- Türkçe bilmiyorum. – I don’t speak Turkish.
- Anlamıyorum. – I don’t understand.
- Türkçe de ___ nasıl diyorsunuz? – How do you say ___ in Turkish?
- Pardon, ___’ya nasıl gidebilirim? – Excuse me, how can I get to ___?
- Unuttum. – I forgot.
- Gitmem lazım. – I have to go.
- Sıra sende. – It’s your turn.
- Sessiz ol! – Be quiet!
- Seni seviyorum. – I love you. (singular)
Easy Pronunciation Guide For The Turkish Alphabet
Even though Turkish words are written in Latin script, it still might be difficult for native English speakers to pronounce certain sounds. Hopefully the following guide can help you!
- A – sounds like ah as in ”awful”
- B – sounds like b as in ”bar”
- C – sounds like j as in ”jean”
- Ç – sounds like ch as in ”cheap”
- D – sounds like d as in ”dog”
- E – sounds like eh as in ”hey”
- F – sounds like f as in ”fur”
- G – sounds like g as in “go”
- Ğ – silent letter
- H – sounds like h as in “here”
- I – sounds like ə as in “the”
- İ – sounds like i as in ” inside”
- J – sounds like ge as in “mirage”
- K – sounds like k as in “kite”
- L – sounds like l as in ” like”
- M – sounds like m as in “man”
- N – sounds like n as in “no”
- O – sounds like o as in “oven”
- Ö – sounds like i as in “bird”
- P – sounds like p as in “pick”
- R – sounds like r as in “ramp”
- S – sounds like s as in “super”
- Ş – sounds like sh as in “she”
- T – sounds like t as in “tan”
- U – sounds like oo as in “noodles”
- Ü – sounds like ü as in “astute”
- V – sounds like v as in “vet”
- Y – sounds like y as in “yes”
- Z – sounds like z as in “zoo”
Congratulations! If you’ve read this entire post until now, then you’re surely an expert on common Turkish phrases. If you want to learn even more Turkish, we have the perfect app for you!
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2 Responses
I like it!
Great phrases.. 👍