Turkish Language - Some Street Turkish and Daily Expressions

Invoking the Intervention of Allah..The using of the name of Deity in daily speech is not considered strong talk as it would be to call on Jesus, Christ or God in the English language. The following examples are quite ordinary usage in daily Turkish.

Some Daily Interjections.....!

Meaning Invocation New Turkish

Before beginning something nallah umarm - I hope

Just at beginning Bsmllah -

Goodbye..! Allahasmaladk..! Hoakal..! - Keep well..!

When surprised/disappointed Allah Allah..!!Hadi ya!, Vay canna! - Well now!, What the heck?

When giving up - (see note below) Eyvallah -

To get to the end, finish off Ya Allah -

Promise, swear Vallah Bllah Yemin ederim - I'm sure

Show self confidence Evallah -

Fully motivated Almallah -

Bored Fesuphanallah Of! - (a sound)

More bored Hasbnallah -

Give up llallah Bktm (verb: bkmak) - I am fed up

Great inspiration and motivation

Allah, Allah, Allah -

Succeeded Maallah Aferin! - Well done!

"Please don't mention it.." - showing modesty

Estafurullah

Lafi bile olmaz - It is not even worth mentioning

At failure Hay Allah -

Some of the younger people do not use all these invocations, but you will hear them everywhere and read them in newspapers and novels, so to my mind they are useful to know.

Thanks to Alex Taurus and Dicle Dzgn for their contributions - May 2008

Some notes on the formulas above

Allahasmaladk - Means Goodbye. - (lit: We call on Allah..) - when leaving company or after making a visit to someone's home. This formula is only spoken by the persons who are actually leaving.- Listen to

Here our unknown friend is signifying "No" by raising his eyebrows with an uptilt of the head..Quite often one will make the sound "tut" at the same time. Note that, shaking the head from side to side does not mean - "NO". It signifies - I don't understand.This is often a mistake made by Europeans when trying to say - "No" - and is the cause of many misunderstandings - you must tilt your head backwards and raise the eyebrows when indicating negation and saying "No"If you shake your head to mean - No - you will be misunderstood and the Turk will probably repeat himself thinking that you have not understood their meaning...

Turkish Language - Some Daily Turkish Conversational Locutions

Here are a few regularly used locutions translated into Turkish. We all use these kind of sayings in our daily language to help us think and to

emphasize our meaning. Using these locutions will make your conversational language seem more fluid and normal in daily speech.You can sort alphabetically either on English or Turkish by clicking the header (but note that the Turkish letters , , , , do not sort in series but at the end of the turkish alphabet after the letter - z.You can learn this list one by one below:

A List of Daily Conversational Locutions (192)

English Turkish

According to that ona gre

At last nihayet ; sonunda

After all nede olsa

At least en azndan

A little biraz

At most en ok ; azami

A little bit bir para

At once derhal

All day long btn gn

At random rastgele

All of a sudden birdenbire

At short notice ksa sre iinde

All of you hepiniz

All over the world btn dnyada

At the back arkada

All right peki

At the door kapda

All set? tamam m?

At the end sonunda

Almost hemen hemen

At the same time ayn zamanda

A longtime ago oktan beri

As a matter of fact nitekim

Before long ok gemeden yaknda

As a rule usulen

As for me bana kalrsa

Besides bundan baka

As if ; as though sanki ; gya

Better daha iyi

As usual her zamanki gibi

Both of you ikiniz de

As you please nasl isterseniz

By airmail uakla

At any rate her zaman

By heart ezberden

At first ilkin

By means of aracyla

At hand elde

By no means asla

By the way sras gelmiken

By turns sra ile

Care of eliyle

How is that? nasl olur?

Come in! buyurun ; giriniz

How many? ka tane

Consequently bundan dolay

How much. kaa? ; ne kadar?

Don't mention it bir ey deil

I am sorry! affedesiniz!; zlyorum

Don't worry merak etmeyin

Enclosed iliik olarak

I am sure eminim

Ever since o zamandan beri

I beg your pardon zr dilerim

Every day her gn

Face to face yz yze

I can't help it elimde deil

For ever sonsuzca

For God's sake! Allaha akna!

I don't care aldrmam!

For Instance rnein

If need be gerekirse

For sale satlk

If possible kabilse

For the first time ilk kez olarak

Ill-timed zamansz

for the time being imdilik

In a hurry acele ; ivedili

Frequently sk sk

In any case ; somehow her halde ; naslsa

From end to end batan baa

In due course zamannda

From now on imdiden sonra

In due time tam zamannda

From this moment bu andan sonra

In every respect her bakmdan

From this time on bundan sonra

In fact esasen ; nitekim

Full up dolmutur

In front of nnde ; karsnda

Good for nothing ie yaramaz

In no time bir rpda

Good looking yakkl

In order to amacyla

Good luck iyi anslar

In spite of it ona ramen

Gradually git gide

In the end sonunda

Help yourself buyurun

In the first place ilk nce

How are you? naslsnz?

In the future gelecekte

In the long run sonunda

In the meantime bu arada

In the middle ortada

No doubt phesiz

In the morning sabahleyin

No harm done zarar yok

In the open ak havada

Not at all hi de deil

In the shade glgede

Now and again ; now and then arada srada

In the very act Sust

In this case bu halde

In this manner bylelikle

Of course tabii

In time zamannda ; vaktinde

Of late geenlerde

In turns sra ile

On and on durmadan

Isn't it? deil mi?

Once again bir daha

Is that so? sahi mi?

Once and for all kesinlikle

I suppose so galiba

Once a week haftada bir

It is all the same fark etmez

Once in a while ara sra

It is not worth while demez

Once more tekrar ; bir daha

It is of no use bouna

On condition that artyle

One by one birer birer

Just a moment bir dakika

On foot yryerek

Just in case ne olur ne olmaz

On leave izinli

Just in time tam vaktinde

On purpose bile bile ; kasten

On the contrary tersine ; aksine

Less daha az

Let me alone git iine

On the left solda

Let's go gidelim

On the right sada

Little by little azar azar

On the other hand dier taraftan

Long ago uzun zamandan beri

Look out! dikkat et!

On top of tepesinde

Over again tekrar

Made to order smarlama

Over there orada

Maybe belki ; olabilir

Please ltfen ; rica ederim

More or less aa yukar

Providing that artyle

Ready made hazr konfeksiyon

Till morning sabaha kadar

Return ticket gidi-dn bileti

To be sure tabii

To let ; to rent kiralk

Right here ite burada

Too many pek ok

Right there ite orada

Too much pek fazla

Rough and ready yarm yamalak

Under age yaa kk

Up side down darmadan

Safe and sound sa salim

Up to date modern

See you later gene greli

Up to now imdiye kadar

Side by side yan yana

Since a long time uzun zamandan beri

Welcome! ho geldiniz

Well done! bravo!

Since then ozamandan beri

What happened? ne oldu?

So long eyvallah

What's happening? ; What's up? ne oluyor?

Sooner or later er ge

So-so yle byle

What's wrong with you? neniz var?

So to say szde ; sanki

So that yle ki

What's the matter? ne kar?

What next? ya sonra?

Thanks a lot teekkrler

Why not? neden olmasn?

Agreed ; OK! anlatk

Willy nilly ister istemez

That right doru ; tamam

With a view to amacyle

That is to say yani

With no exceptions ayrksz

That maybe olabilir

With one accord oy birlii ile

Then o zaman ; yleyse

The soonest possible bir an nce

With your leave izninizle

You're welcome bir ey deil

Turkish Language - All about - buyurun - "Please be so kind..."

buyurun - or the more formal - buyurunuz - is a widely used word in Turkish. There are many translations in English according to context. It is the second person Singular or Plural of the Simple Present tense of the verb - buyurmak - which basically means: Would you be so kind as to... - [Literally: Would you deign to.. to command.. to decree.. to make an order..]

All or any of these meanings can be applied according to context - and in fact this word has become a sort of universal polite request, pleasant command, and is in constant daily use in all areas of Turkish life. A sort of catch-all word for most situations. - It is a very important word to learn.

Let us consider how it is used:

When calling on someone's house and they say - buyurun it means - Please come in...

When they point to a chair - buyurun - Please sit down...

When they serve tea - buyurun - Please drink and enjoy...

On entering a shop the shopkeeper may say - buyurun efendim - meaning - Can I help you, sir?..

In a restaurant or cafe when the waiter or bar man says - buyurun -it means - What would you like?..

In many busy places markets, souvenir shops, cafes etc. there is often a professional "barker" who will be saying to all passers by - buyurun - Come and buy...

If in a cafe you ask to see what food is being prepared in the kitchen (normal in Turkey) then the answer would be - buyurun - meaning in this case - Of course you may...!

When answering the telephone you say - buyurun meaning - I'm listening to your call... - Turkish speakers also say - efendim - on answering telephone phone to say - Hello..- in a polite manner.

When passing people in narrow places or entering lifts etc. - buyurun - means - After you..!

Turkish language - The Time, Seasons, Months, Days, Weather, Numbers

A Time Vocabulary

saniye - secondan - momentdakika - minutesaat (plural: saatler - hours) - hourgn - dayhafta - weekay - month [also - moon]

yl or sene (arab.) - year - (you will hear both of these words in general use)zaman - timevakit (vakti..) - time as a particular occasiondefa - time (as an event or occasion)kere - time (as an event, occasion or point in time)kez - a point in time

The word "time..."

zaman - time - this word is the main one in use for - "time, occasion.." ne zaman? - what time?, when?ka zaman - how long?, how much time?zamandan zamana [zaman-dan zaman-a] - from time to time..her zaman - all the time, every time, alwaysher ne zaman - whenever.. vakit (vakti)- point in time, occasion- Note: vakit - loses final vowel when suffixed with a vowel. See Nouns losing internal vowel

Some examples

vakit (vakti)- point in time, occasionBo, vaktimiz var m? - Have we got time to spare?vaktim yok, vaktim kalmad - I haven't got time...

kere - time, point in timedrt kere - four timesOnu, be kere yaptm - I did it five times..

kez - time, point in time - This is a provincialism, but is also used regularly in modern daily speech. kez - three timesher kez - alwaysbu kez - this time

Thanks to Nurcan Akaltun ifti for additions to the above section - JG - June 2008.

What time is it..?

All about the - to the o'clock.., past the o'clock.. - and - at the o'clock.. -

usages in Turkish to tell the time. Turkish requires or demands different/alternative forms when you want to tell the time.There there are basically four different forms to tell the time.

Sentence structure

Clause structure

Short analog form

Digital Form

Now let us classify the suffixes for each structure

Structure: It is # min. to # o'clock.. -e varSaat iki'ye on (dakika) var - It is ten (minutes) to two

Structure: It is # min. past # o'clock -i geiyorSaat iki'yi on (dakika) geiyor. - It is ten (minutes) past two.

Structure: At the time that..At # min. to # o'clock.. -e kalaSaat iki'ye on (dakika) kala. - At ten to two.

Structure: At the time that..At #min. past # o'clock.. -i geeSaat iki'yi on (dakika) gee. - At ten past two.

The Sentence Structure can only be used with the suffix - -ken - while.. - inside another sentence as the examples below show... Saat ka acaba? - What time is it please? - Saat Yedi'yi eyrek geiyor.

Some examples

Ne zaman gelirsin? - When (at what time) will you come?Saat yedi'yi eyrek geiyor'da gelirim - (WRONG!)Saat yedi'yi eyrek geiyorken gelirim - (TRUE with -ken)Saat yedi'yi eyrek gee gelirim - (CLAUSE form)or -Saat alt'ya be var'da gelirim - (WRONG!)Saat alt'ya be varken gelirim - (TRUE with -ken)Saat alt'ya be kala gelirim - (CLAUSE form)

Any of the 3 forms (except for the sentence structure) can be used within a sentence. Let us see some examples...

Saat 7'yi eyrek gee gelirim - (Clause)Saat 7 eyrekte gelirim - (Analog)Saat 7:15 (yedi onbe)te gelirim - (Digital)

When you use the sentence structure, then it is used like this...Saat 7'yi eyrek geerken gelirim. - I will arrive at a quarter past seven. [Lit: I will arrive (come) as (while) a quarter is passing 7 o'clock.]

Some times of day..

Turkish English

afak dawn

kahvalt breakfast

sabah morning

sabahleyin at morning, in the morning

gn day

btn gn all day long

her gn every day

gndz daytime, daylight

le noon

leden sonra afternoon

le yemei lunch

akam evening

akamleyin in the evening, at eventide

akam st teatime, early evening

akam yemei dinner, evening meal

dn yesterday

dn sabah yesterday morning

dn akam yesterday evening

dn gece last night

evvelki gn the day before yesterday

alacakaranlk [alaca-karanlk] twilight

gece night

geceleyin in the night, at night

gece yars Lit: night its-half midnight

geen gn the day past, the other day, yesterday

geen ay last month

geen sene/yil last year

geen hafta last week

geenlerde recently (in the past), lately

erken early

ge late

ne zaman when (what time, the time that..)

ay month

cumartesi gecesi saturday night

ertesi gn the following day

ertesi hafta the following week

evvelki/evvelsi gn the day before yesterday

geceleri at nights

gelecek hafta next week

hafta week

br gn the day after tomorrow

br hafta the week after next

leleri at noon times

leyin at noon

pazar sabah sunday morning

sabahlar in the mornings

son gnlerde in the last few days

son zamanlarda recently

yarn tomorrow

yl/sene year

Saying - "How long for.. ?"

Ne i yaparsnz? - What is your job? - [In general, so uses the Simple Present Tense]retmenim. - I am a teacher.Drt yldr retmenim. - I have been a teacher for 4 years. - [ You explain how many years you have been a teacher.]ki bin ten beri retmenim. - I have been a teacher since 2003. - [You explain how long since you became a teacher.]Dnden beri hastaym. - I have been ill since yesterday.Pazar Gnnden /Pazardan beri evdeyim. - I have been at home since Sunday.

Saying - "since..."

-meyeli/-mayal oldu/oluyor. - It is/ It was a period time since..Ben, sinemaya gitmeyeli 3 ay oldu/oluyor. - It was/is three months since I have been to the cinema.Birbirimizi grmeyeli be yl oldu/oluyor. - It is five years since we have seen/are seeing each other.Onlar evleneli sadece/yalnzca 2 ay oldu/oluyor. - It is just two

months since they were/are married.

Some ways that state the time of an event

oktan, bile, zaten - already, besides

Hl le yemeini yedin mi? - Have you eaten your lunch yet?Ooo,oktan yedim. - Oooh,I have already eaten.Yedim bile. - I have already eaten.Sanrm bir eyler yemek istiyor musun?. - Do you want something to eat.?Bana bir ey getirme. - Do not bring me anything.Ben yedim zaten. - Besides, I have already eaten.

Yeni/imdi/henz - just

Hasan,ltfen banyoya girme. - Hasan,please don't go into the bathroom.Yeni/imdi/henz temizledim. - I have just cleaned (it).Kurumas gerek/lazm. Tamam m? - It needs to dry. OK?Bana 100 lira dn verir misin Aye? - Can you lend me 100 Tl Aye?zgnm.. - [or Kusura bakma..] - veremem. - I am sorry.. I can't (give).Daha yeni/imdi faturalar dedim. - I have just paid the bills.

Daha/henz/hl - yet

Daha/henz devini bitirmedin mi? - Haven't/have you finished your homework yet?Hayr, daha bitirmedim. Henz deil.. - No, I haven't finished yet. Not yet..Daha gelmediler. - They haven't come yet.

imdiye kadar /u ana kadar - So far../up to now../until now..

Bu k imdiye kadar/u ana kadar kar yamad. - It has not snowed so far this winter.Bugn imdiye kadar/ u ana kadar hibir ey yemedik. - We have not eaten anything so far today.

ilk - the (very) first..

Bu ilk kez araba srm/lk kez araba srdm. - This is the first time I have driven a car.Bu, son iki saatte itiin beinci kahve. - This is the fifth cup of coffee you have drunk in the last two hours. Son be saatte iki fincan kahve itin. - You have drunk two cups of coffee in the last five hours.

ilk - means - the very first one.., whereas - birinci - means - the first if a series:Dnyann ilk insan Adam adl'd - The world's first man was called AdamBirinci yar balamak zeredir. - The first race is about to begin.

hayatmda - "ever in my life"

hayatnda/hayatnzda - ever in your life.. (familiar = hayat-n-da /formal = hayat-nz-da)onun hayatnda - ever.. in his life.. [hayat--n-da = in his life]hayatmzda - ever.. in our lifehayatlarnda - ever.. in their lifeBu hayatmda okuduum en skc kitap. - This is the most boring book I have ever read.Bu hayatmda iinde bulunduum en zor durum. - This is the most difficult situation I have ever been in.Hayatmda tantm en konukan/geveze insan. - He is the most talkative person I have met in my life.

"Have you ever been to ..?"

There are two methods to translate this in Turkish - (1) The Formal Method - and - (2) The Familiar/Informal method.(1) Formal: -de / -da / -te / -ta bulunmak - to be (found) in/on at a place- Hi Ankara' da bulundun mu? - Have you ever been to Ankara? - [Literature - formal](2) Informal: -a/ -ya, -e/-ye gitmek - to go to a place- Hi Ankara' ya gittin mi? - Have you ever been to Ankara [Colloquial Speech - informal)

once, twice several times..

bir kez, bir defa, bir kere - onceiki kez, iki defa, iki kere - twicebirok kez/defa/kere - several timeshi - ever [in positive sentences]hi - never [in negative sentences]

Neredeydin? - [or colloquial - Nerdeydin?] - Where have you been? / Where were you?Have you ever been to Antalya? - Hi Antalya'da bulundun mu?Have you ever been to Antalya? - Hi Antalya'ya gittin mi?Yes,I have been there once/twice. - Evet, bir defa/iki defa/ orada bulundum.Yes,I have been there many times. - Evet, bir ok kere (bir ok kez/ bir ok defa) oraya gittim.No, I have not been/never been there. - Yo, Antalya'ya hi gitmedim.No, I have not been/never been there. - Yo, Antalya'da hi bulunmadm.Yo.. - is a gentle conversational way of saying - "No..". It is not so strong as using Hayr - No... It nay be a contraction of - "yok" - "there is not.."

Thanks to Nurcan Akaltun ifti for contributing the sections above.. - JG - June 2008.

Seasons and the Weather

Names of the Months

January - ocak July - temmuz

February - ubat August - austos

March - mart September - eyll

April - nisan October - ekim

May - mays November - kasm

June - haziran December - aralk

Names of the Months (and Days of the Week) are usually written without a capital letter in Turkish- Thanks to Emiel V. - 17 Nov. 2009

The Weekday Names

Sunday - pazar - (Lit: market)

Monday - pazartesi - (Lit: after Sunday)

Tuesday - sal - (undefined)

Wednesday - aramba - (Lit: 4 days after Sabbath - from Persian)

Thursday - perembe - (Lit: 5 days after Sabbath - from Persian)

Friday - cuma - (Lit: reunion - related to Persian/Arabic)

Saturday - cumartesi - (Lit: after Friday)

A Turkish IdiomBu i, aramba pazar gibi - This job is a complete mess up.. - [lit: This job is like a Wednesday Market.]

The Seasons of the Year Yl Mevsimi

ilkbahar - [also bahar is sometimes used] spring

yaz summer

sonbahar - (also - gz) autumn or fall (American usage)

k winter

When saying "in the summer" Turkish says yazin or "in the winter" then the word kn is used. This ending -in is an old Instrumental Case which is no longer used much in day to day speaking other than these examples. For "in the spring" and "in the autumn", the Static Condition (Locative) Suffix is used - sonbaharda and ilkbaharda. Very often the simple word bahar can supplant either ilkbahar or sonbahar - it depends on the choice of the speaker..

The Cardinal Points Drt Yn

Kuzey North

Gney South

Dou East

Bati West

About the Weather - A Weather Vocabulary

berbat - awful frtna - storm

souk - cold gne - sun (n.)

scak - hot gneli - sunny (adj.)

gzel - good, nice hava scakl - temperature

harika - marvellous scaklk - heat

yamur - rain (noun.) derece - degree(s)

yamur yamak - rain (verb.) emsiye - umbrella

yamurlu, yal - rainy (adj.) lk - warm

kar - snow (n.) hava - weather

kar yamak - snow (v.) hava tahmini - weather forecast

kar yal, karl - snowy (adj.) hava durumu - weather condition

dolu - hail rzgar - wind (n.)

hafif - light yel - wind

sert - heavy poyraz - breeze

durmak - stop (v.) rzgar esmek - to blow wind (v.)

yldrm - lightning (n.) rzgarl - windy (adj.)

Some daily expressions about the weather

Ne gzel bir gn! - What a lovely day!Hava yarn nasl olacak? - What will the weather be like tomorrow?Yine gneli, fakat biraz rzgarl. - It's sunny again, but a little windy.Ka derece? - What is the temperature? Hava ok scak. . - The weather is very hot.Neredeyse 31 derece. - Nearly 31C (degree Celsius).Erzurumda kar yaacan dnyor musun? - Do you think it will snow in Erzurum? Sanmyorum. Kar iin erken. - I don't think so. It is early to snow.Frtna olacan dnyor musun? - Do you think there will be a storm?Sanmyorum. - I don't think so.Ama Ar'da kar yayor. - But it is snowing in Ar.Orada kar ya ne zaman durur? - When will it stop snowing up there?Yaknda durur. - It will stop soon.Yamur mu balayacak? - Will it start to rain?Evet, birazdan yamur balayacak gibi. - Yes, looks like rain soon.emsiyeye ihtiyacm olur mu? - Do I need an umbrella?Sana emsiyeni yanna alman neririm. - I suggest you to get your umbrella with you.Ne berbat hava! Saat ba deiiyor. - What an awful weather! It changes hourly.Yamur mu yayor? - Is it raining?Evet, yayor. - Yes, it is (raining).

Cardinal Numbers - one,two

Cardinal

Numbers 0 - 49

sfr 0 on 10 yirmi 20 otuz 30 krk 40

bir 1 on bir 11 yirmi bir 21 otuz bir 31 krk bir 41

iki 2 on iki 12 yirmi iki 22 otuz iki 32 krk iki 42

3 on u 13 yirmi u 23 otuz u 33 krk u 43

drt 4 on drt 14 yirmi drt 24 otuz drt 34 krk drt 44

be 5 on be 15 yirmi be 25 otuz be 35 krk be 45

alt 6 on alt 16 yirmi alt 26 otuz alt 36 krk alt 46

yedi 7 on yedi 17 yirmi yedi 27 otuz yedi 37 krk yedi 47

sekiz 8 on sekiz 18 yirmi sekiz 28 otuz sekiz 38 krk sekiz 48

dokuz 9 on dokuz 19 yirmi dokuz 29 otuz dokuz 39 krk dokuz 49

FPRIVATE "TYPE=PICT;ALT=speaker icon" Cardinal Numbers 1 to 10 - (Listen to mp3)

Cardinal Numbers 50

- 99

elli 50 altm 60 yetmi 70 seksen 80 doksan 90

elli bir 51 altm bir 61 yetmi bir 71 seksen bir 81 doksan bir 91

elli iki 52 altm iki 62 yetmi iki 72 seksen iki 82 doksan iki 92

elli u 53 altm u 63 yetmi u 73 seksen u 83 doksan u 93

elli drt 54 altm drt 64 yetmi drt 74 seksen drt 84 doksan drt 94

elli be 55 altm be 65 yetmi be 75 seksen be 85 doksan be 95

elli alt 56 altm alt 66 yetmi alt 76 seksen alt 86 doksan alt 96

elli yedi 57 altm yedi 67 yetmi yedi 77 seksen yedi 87 doksan yedi 97

elli sekiz 58 altm sekiz 68 yetmi sekiz 78seksen sekiz 88

doksan sekiz 98

elli dokuz 59 altm dokuz yetmi dokuz seksen dokuz doksan dokuz

69 79 89 99

Cardinal Numbers 100

- 1,000,000

yz 100 iki bin 2000 oniki bin 12000 yirmi iki bin 22000

iki yz 200 u bin 3000 onu bin 13000 yirmi u bin 23000

u yz 300 drt bin 4000 ondrt bin 14000 yirmi drt bin 24000

drt yz 400 be bin 5000 onbe bin 15000 yirm be bin 25000

be yz 500 alt bin 6000 onalt bin 16000 yirmi alt bin 26000

alt yz 600 yedi bin 7000 onyedi bin 17000 yirmi yedi bin 27000

yedi yz 700 sekiz bin 8000 onsekiz bin 18000 yirmi sekiz bin 28000

sekiz yz 800 dokuz bin 9000 ondokuz bin 19000 otuz bin 30000

dokuz yz 900 on bn 10000 yirmi bim 20000 elli bin 50000

bin 1000 onbir bin 11000 yirmi bir bin 21000 bir milyon 1000000

Some Notes on Numbers

* yz (yz also means - face or reason)

* Cardinal numbers are followed by singular nouns. iki ev - two houses, be yz araba - five-hundred cars, krk aa - forty trees

* be yz yirmi bin yedi yz elli sekiz - 523,758 - Which may also be written in official papers and banks without any spaces - as: beyzyirmibinyediyzellisekiz - 523,758

* When we in English stste a small general numerical amount we will say (for instance) - "Two or three eggs". However Turkish will say - bes yurmurta - three or five eggs

* In Turkish the number krk - forty is used to signify an uncountable amount.- krk ylda bir - once in forty years - is equivalent to - "Once in a blue moon" in English.

Ordinal Numbers - "first"

Ordinal Numbers

birinci - also - ilk - first ; 1st yirmi nc twenty-third ; 23rd

ikinci second ; 2nd otuz drdnc thirty-fourth ; 34th

nc third ; 3rd elli beinci fifty-fifth ; 55th

drdnc fourth ; 4th krk altnc forty-sixth ; 46th

beinci fifth ; 5th altm yedinci sixty-seventh ; 67th

altnc sixth ; 6th on sekizinci eighteenth ; 18th

yedinci seventh ; 7th doksan dokuzuncu ninety-ninth ; 99th

sekizinci eighth ; 8th yznc hundredth ; 100th

dokuzuncu ninth ; 9th bininci thousandth ; 1000th

onuncu tenth ; 10th sfr zero ; 0

Fractions and percentage

yarm (noun) - halfyarm elma - a half an appleyar (adj.) - half yar elma - a half appleelmann yars - the apple halfbuuk - half - [an hour, a kilo, a serving]eyrek - quarter of - [an hour, a kilo, a serving]bir - one, #1 - [And is also the indefinite article - a or an]te iki [-te iki] - two-thirds - [lit:two in-three]yzde yirmibe - twenty-five percent - [Lit: 25 in a hundred]

Distributive Numbers - "One each, two each, three each.."

Distributive Numbers

yarmar half each

birer one each

ikier two each

er three each

drder four each

beer five each

altar six each

yedier seven each

sekizer eight each

dokuzar nine each

onar ten each

on birer eleven each

yirmier twenty each

yirmi beer twenty-five each

otuzar thirty each

krkar forty each

ellier fifty each

yzer a hundred each

ikier yz - (NOT iki yzer) two hundred each

biner a thousand each

ikier bin - (NOT iki biner) two thousand each

birer milyon- (NOT milyonar NOR bir milyonar) a million each

Kzlara ikier elma verin Give the girls two apple each.

Trk Renkleri - Turkish Colours

The Farsi Word - siyah - black - is mainly used for siyah zeytin - black olives, otherwise the word - kara - black - is used for the colour "black".

The word - kara - also has another meaning - land, shore, as in: karayollar - land roads (network), main roads, karakuvetleri - land forces, kara sular - territorial waters

The Old Turkish Words for - Red - Al and - White - Ak are mostly used in place names and family names. Alsancak - Red Banner (an area of zmir) - Akhisar - Whitefort, Bay Alkan - Mr. Redblood. Otherwise the words - beyaz, kirmizi - are used

Words in italics are the intensified form of the colour. Siyah (Farsi.) - Simsiyah Black - Pitch Black Kara - Kapkara Black - Pitch Black Beyaz - Bembeyaz White - Snow White Krmz - Kpkrmz Red - Bright Red Mavi - Masmavi Blue - Bright Blue Turuncu Orange Yeil - Yemyeil Green - Bright Green Mor - Mosmor Purple - Deep Purple Pembe - Pespembe Pink - Shocking Pink Kahverengi Brown (Lit: coffee coloured) Sar - Sapsar Yellow - Bright Yellow Gri Grey Renk/Rengi Color Ak Renkli Light Coloured Ak yeil Light green Koyu Renkli Dark Coloured Koyu gri Dark grey Turkuaz Turquiose Lacivert Navy Blue Gm Renkli Silver Coloured Eflatun Lilac Macenta Magenta Bej Beige Bordo Claret Altn Renkli Gold Coloured Ak (Old Turkish.) White Al (Old Turkish.) Red

Turkish Language - How to say - "Thanks.."

Here we point out the difference in usage of - teekkr ederim - thank you.. - and the more sincere - sa olun - stay healthy..

What are the services being rendered to us..?

(1) sa olun - be healthy, be strong - is used as - thank you.. - for a service which:

(A) Was not necessarily needed to be performed..(B) for someone who has gone out of his way to help you...

(2) While - teekkr ederim - thank you.. - [Lit: a thanking perform I - from Arabic] - is used:In normal circumstances and receiving presents.

Scenario (1)The waiter puts a nice meal in front of you. Your - thank you - is - teekkr ederim - it is his job...The waiter puts a bottle of wine in front of you. Your - thank you - is - teekkr ederim - it is his job...Then the waiter uncorks the bottle of wine and pours it in your glass. Your - thank you - is - sa olun - he need not have performed this service.The recipient of your gratitude will often answer your - sa olun - with the rejoinder - siz de sa olun - health to you (too).. - [the Polite Version said to to stranger].Other forms are - sen de sa ol - or quite short - siz de - or - sen de - you too..

Scenario (2)You ask someone the time. He looks at his watch and says - Half past three.Your answer is - sa olun - [You have caused him to perform a service to you]

Scenario (3)You drop your handkerchief - a stranger picks it up and hand it to you.Your answer is - sa olun - [He need not have done it..]

Scenario (4)

Here is a comment one of our readers has made about Manisa Turkish. He has used sa olun correctly. Thanking us for providing something unasked...

Very nice website......Very descriptive and helpful .. Manisa Turkish has helped me in communicating with my Turkish friends. I just wanted to give

you a very big sa olun for producing such a useful website...!Dan R. - March 2008

See all accolades for the Manisa Turkish website Our accolades

Many tourists use - sa olun - wrongly instead of using - teekkr ederim - as they copy the boy waiter's way of thanking - as the waiters often use - sa olun - for misguided effect. The rule is, if in doubt then use - teekkr ederim...

How to answer a "thank you.."

The answer to teekkr ederim... is - bir ey deil - It is not a thing - or - rica ederim - I request..! - [same as "bitte schn" in German]Also used is - ne demek? - what does it mean?. This expression - ne demek? - sounds quite comical in English. But it actually means something like: - It doesn't matter at all..The answer - Rica ederim - is the politest one.The recipient of your gratitude will often answer your - sa olun - with the rejoinder - sana sa olun - health to you (too).. Other Versions are:sa ol - familiarsa olunuz - public and pluralA simple - teekkrler.. also means a very informal - thanks.. and is used in shops and for small duties performed.

A little "caveat" - or - "take care.."

Many people when first learning Turkish are tempted to use the Present Continuous Tense form - teekkr ediyorum... - we would advise you that this form sounds quite comical to the Turkish ear and can also be construed as being sarcastic, so one should always use the Present Simple form - teekkr ederim... - and you will not go wrong or be misunderstood.

Expressing need

The usual verbs used to say - Do you like something..? I like something.. I don't like something.. are as follows:

Positive Negative

sevmek to love, to like sevmemek not to love, not to like

beenmek to like beenmemek not to like

rica etmek to request rica etmemek to not request

The word - rica - is of Arabic Origin and the pronunciation of the last letter -A is very open - pronounced ricAAA ederim - being Arabic, this word does not follow Turkish Pronunciation Rules.Listen to the long "aaa.." in FPRIVATE "TYPE=PICT;ALT=Speaker

Icon" Rica ederim

When a Turkish person asks if you like something, they normally ask in the Past Tense - Did you like the apple? - These type of questions are also answered in the Past Tense - Yes I liked the apple?We can see from the examples below that Turkish usually uses the Past Tense in its questions and answers of Preferences. It is different in English as we use both Present and Past Tenses in these situations.

Asking Formally - with the -iniz form for the polite - youYemeinizi sevdiniz mi? - Did/Do you like your meal?Yemeinizi beendiniz mi? - Did/Do you like your meal?Yemei sevdim. - I like/liked the meal.Yemei beendim - I like/liked the meal.

Or the familiar form using the -in less formal form for - youTrkiye'yi sevdin mi? or Trkiye'yi beendin mi? - Did you like Turkey?Yolculuu sevdin mi? - Did you enjoy the journey?

Or you may not have liked it!Trkiye'yi sevdiniz mi? - Do/Did you like Turkey?Trkiye'yi beendiniz mi? - Do/Did you like Turkey?unu sevmedim. - I don't like/ didn't like that.unu beemedim - I don't like/ didn't like that.This shows the use of unu - that one - in its disparaging meaning.

A little "Formula Speak" - one might say... seni seviyorum! - [Lit: I am loving you!] - I love you..!Turkish uses the Continuous Tense to say - I love you.. as it is more vivid than the Simple Tense which we use in English.

How to say that you do not like something..

We have learned how to say that - we like something .. using the verbs - sevmek - and - beenmek..To say that - we do not like something.. we must use the negative verbs - sevmemek - and beenmemek.

Some Examples of the NegativeYolculuunuzu sevdiniz mi? - Did you like your journey?Hayr, yolculuumu sevmedim - No, I didn't like my journey.Hayr, onu beenmedim - No, I didn't like it.Bamyay sevmiyor musunuz? - Don't you like okra?Yoo, bamyay sevmem - No, I don't like okra (at all).Ankara,y beendiniz mi? - Did you like Ankara?Ankara'y beenmedim. - No, I didn't like Ankara.

Using the Present Continuous Tense in Turkish in this situation conveys vividness.Evet, onu ok seviyorum.. - Yes, I like it a lot..Yoo, onu sevmiyorum. - No, I am not liking it (at the moment).- Note the use - of - Yoo.. for No... This is a polite conversational way of saying No... It actually comes from - yok - There isn't.. - but it is gentler than - hayr - the real No! which conveys a real negative feeling - and is used a lot in conversation.

Some other ways of Expressing Need

istemek - to want - Note: This word is a verb.Need can be expressed with various verbs - the main one being - istemek - to want..This can be answered with the verb rica etmek - to (would) like ... to request .. - very much like the - "bitte schn" - of German.stediiniz bir ey var m? - Is there anything that you want?Bir havlu rica ederim - I would like (I request) a towel

ihtiya - necessity/need/requirement - Note: this word is a noun.Another word which is used quite often is - ihtiya - necessity/need/requirementBir ihtiyanz var m? - Is there anything that you require? - [lit: Have you a requirement?]Evet, bir bardak su, rica ederim. - Yes, I would like (I request) a glass of water

arzu - wish, desire - Note: this word is also a noun.Also there is the use of the noun - arzu - wish, desireBaka arzunuz var m? - Is there any thing else (that you desire)?This word is often used by shop keepers - grocers and the like - Anything else madam...? - when daily purchases are being made.

A note about the very important word - "Ho - agreeable, joyful"

This word is used in many idioms and daily speech, and has many related meanings. Ho - joy - is used with the auxiliary verb - gitmek - to go: Houma gitti - [Ho-um-a] - I enjoyed it - [lit: It went to my joy..] - this formula is used a lot in daily Turkish conversation.

Some of the

many meanings of -

ho

ho agreeable ho amiable ho amusing

ho bonny ho charming ho congenial

ho cosy ho cozy ho cuddly

ho darling ho debonair ho delicious

ho enchanting ho engaging ho entertaining

ho fine ho genial ho good

ho graceful ho grateful ho tolerant

ho pleasant ho nice ho quaint

ho used with bir - strange, odd, peculiarO arky duyunca Durmu'un yz bir ho oldu. - When he heard that song Durmu got an odd look on his face.Midem bir ho. - My stomach feels funny.Sami'nin sylediklerine hi aldrma, kafas bir hotur. - Don't pay any attention to what Sami says, his head has gone.

even if.. - Ho, param da olsa almazdm. - Even if I had the money I wouldnt buy it.

anyway, anyhow.. - Ho, bunu biliyordum. - I knew this anyway.

Ho bulduk! [lit: we found goodness] - Thank you! (said in reply to a welcoming greeting).

Ho geinmek /la/ - to get on well (with).Mehmet'le ho geiniyoruz. - We are getting on on well with Mehmet.

Ho geldiniz! - Welcome! (said to an arriving guest).

Hoa gitmek - to be pleasingHouma gitti - I enjoyed it. [Ho-um-a]John'un houna gitmi [ho-u-n-a ] - It seems that John enjoyed it.

Houna gitmek /n/ - to pleaseMehmet'in houna gitti. [ho-u-n-a ] - Mehmet enjoyed it.John'un houna gitmi [ho-u-n-a ] - It seem that John enjoyed it.

Ho grmek // - to be tolerant of, overlook, condonePolis, onu ho grd. - The policeman tolerated it.Bu kan problemi ho grdk. - We tolerated the problem that happened.

Ho karlamak // - to assent to, give one's assent toBelediye, yeni ev planlarm ho karlayacak. - The Town Corporation will give assent to my new house plans.

Ho tutmak // - to be nice to, make (someone) feel welcomeLtfen yeni gelen turistleri ho tutunuz. - Please be nice to the newly

arrived tourists

Very often you are adding suffixes to the important noun - ho - goodness, joy (basically)ho = goodnessho-um = my goodnessho-um-a = to my goodnessho-um-a gitti = I enjoyed it [It went to my goodness] - This is a Turkish idiom and much used in daily conversation.

Turkish Language -Turkish Modes of Address

"Who are you...?"

The usual method of address when you do not know the person's name or title is as follows:- For males: Beyefendi - Sir - Daily pronunciation is truncated to: - Beyfendi- For females: Hanmefendi - Miss or Madam - Daily pronunciation is truncated to: - Hanfendi - These are used in formal situations and to strangers.

Personal Addressing - Formal and Informal

As stated, the above are used in formal situations. Once names are known then bey and hanm are used after the first name, this usage is still formal and semi-formal. These titles follow the given-name (Christian name) and are written without a Capital Letter: Mustafa bey - Mr. MustafaAye hanm - Miss or Mrs. AyeThese are used in formal situations when you know the person's first name but also in informal situations to acquaintances, friends and even to you own family members.Surnames are not usually used in Conversational Turkish, so the Mustafa bey can mean - Mr. Mustafa and Aye hanm can mean Mrs. OR Miss Aye (in a formal situation) or it can mean just a friendly Mustafa or Aye (without the title) between acquaintances.

All About Names

Turkish has two words for the first name of a person - isim or ad - and they can both be used at any time as they are interchangeable. The Turkish word for surname is soyad - there is no corresponding word for surname based in the word isimsminiz ne? - What is your first name?smim Aye. - My name is Aye.

isim - name - becomes - ism-iniz - your name and ism-im - my name. This is one of the nouns that "apocopate" (ie: loses an internal vowel)isim - name - is one of the nouns in Turkish which lose an internal vowel when adding a suffix which begins with a vowel itself.Click Me - to toggle the list of nouns which lose a vowel

Basic Noun Direct Object Form Basic Meaning

Aciz Aczi - (NOT - acizi) Impotence

Az Az Mouth

Ahit Ahdi Injunction

Akl Akl Intelligence

Akt Akt Treaty

Akis Aksi Reflection

Aln Aln Forehead

Asl Asl Origin

Asr Asr Century

Azim Azmi Determination

Bar Bar Bosom

Beyin Beyni Brain

Boyun Boynu Neck

Burun Burnu Nose

Cisim Cismi Substance, matter, object

Crm Crm Crime

Defin Defni Burial

Devir Devri Period

Ecir Ecri Reward/Wage

Emir Emri Order ; Command

Fasil Fasli Part, chapter

Fetih Fethi Conquest

Fikir Fikri Idea

Filim Filmi Film(Cinema)

Geniz Genzi Nostril

Gs Gs Breast

Gnl Gnl Heart/Desire

Hacm Hacm Volume

Haciz Haczi Distraint, confiscation,

- Haciz - Haczi - seizure

Hapis Hapsi Prison

Hasim Hasmi Enemy, foe, rival

Hazm Hazm Digestion

Hm Hm Rage/Anger

HilktHilkt garibesi

HilktiIdiomatic use

(a) creationmonstrosity, freak

Hzn Hzn Grief

lim lmi Science

sim smi Name

zin zni Leave/Time off

Kadir Kadri Worth/Value

Kahr Kahr Anxiety

Karn Karn Stomach

Kast Kast Intention, purpose,

- Kast - Kast - deliberateness

Kayn Kayn Brother-in-law

Kayp Kayb Loss

Kesir Kesri Fraction (in maths)

Keif Kefi Discovery

Keyif Keyfi Pleasure

Ksm Ksm Part (of)

Metin Metni Text

Nabz Nabz Pulse

Nakil Nakli Transport

Nakit Nakdi Cash

Nazm Nazm Verse, poetry

Nefis Nefsi Self, personality

Nesir Nesri Prose

Neir Neri Publication, edition

- Neir - Neri - broadcasting

Nutuk Nutku Speech, oration

Oul Olu Son

Resim Resmi Picture

Sabr Sabr Patience

Sath Sath Superficie, plane

Seyir Seyri Motion

Skt Skt Miscarriage

ekil ekli Form/Shape

kr kr Gratitude

Tavr Tavr Mode/Manner

Ufuk Ufku Horizon

Usul Usl Mode/Manner

Vakit Vakti Time, occasion

Vasf Vasf Characteristic, qualification

- Vasf - Vasf - quality

Zehir Zehri Poison

Zihin Zihni Intellect

Zulm Zulm Tyranny, cruelty

Adnz ne? - What is your first name?Adm Ali - My name is Ali.Soyadnz ne? - What is your surname?Soyadm Karaca - My surname is Karaca.

Finding out about a Third Person

The third person suffix is -i or - meaning - his, her, itsOnun ismi ne? - What is his name?

Onun ismi Mehmet - His name is Mehmet.Onun ad ne? - What is her name?Onun ad Deren - Her name is Deren.Onun soyad ne? - What is his surname?Onun soyad Grses - His surname is Grses.

If we are talking about a third person remote from us we may ask the question: What is that man's name?. In this case we must translate the words "man's name" correctly by using the Possessive Relationship to show that the two words belong to each other.adamn ismi - the man's name - [Lit: the name of the man..]adamn ad - the man's nameadamn soyad - the man's surnameO Beyefendinin soyad ne? - What is that gentleman's surname? - [Lit: the surname of the man..]O Beyefendinin ismi ne? - What is that gentleman's name?

If we want to make the sentence more conversational we would normally say : I wonder what that lady's name is?. I wonder.... is simply translated by adding the word - acaba - at the beginning or end of the Turkish question.O Hanmefendinin ad ne, acaba? - I wonder what that lady's name is?Acaba, Mehmed'in soyad ne? - I wonder what Mehmet's surname is?Kz kardeinizin ismi ne, acaba? - What is your sister's name, I wonder?

Addressing Letters and Envelopes

There is an increasing use of addressing people by their surname - especially used on television in interviews etc.This method uses the word - Sayn - esteemed - before the surname directly. If the interviewee's name is Musafa Kurt, then he may be addressed as Mustafa bey - (formal and informal) or directly by his surname as Sayn Kurt - Esteemed Kurt - (formal and public) or Bay Kurt - Mr. Kurt - (polite and official). Bay - Mr. - and - Sayn - Esteemed - are usually spelt with capital letters, but they can be found without capital letters.

Addressing Envelopes

Letter Addressed in Turkish Analysis of this Address

Sayn Mustafa Kurtekmece Mah.Uzunyol Sok. Nolu:24 D:6Baaras Ky02332 ZMR - TRKYE

Esteemed Mustafa Kurtekmece DistrictUzunyol Street No.24 Apt No. 6Baaras VillagePost Code. Postal County. Country

Some Abbreviations used in addresses

Sok. (Sokak) - StreetCad. (Cadde or Caddesi) - RoadBul. (Bulvar or Bulvar) - AvenueYol. (Yol) - Way, RouteMah. (Mahalle or Mahallesi) - Local District

D. (Daire) - Apartment, SuiteApt. (Apartman) - ApartmentK. (Kat) - FloorNo. (Numara) - NumberNolu. (Numarala) - Numbered

Greetings

In semi formal situations there is a four stage greeting procedure:

The Welcome: - ho geldiniz or less formal ho geldin - Welcome!. - This is answered by ho bulduk - We found it well!

The Greeting: - This is an exchange of merhaba - Hello

The Asking after Health Stage: - naslsnz? (formal) or naslsn? (informal) - How are you?

The Response: - This is is answered by yiyim, teekkr ederim - I am well, thank you. This then followed by a question about the other's health: siz naslsnz? - You, how are you?

gnaydn - good morning, good day, good afternooniyi gnler - good dayiyi akamlar - good evening - (said in arrival..)iyi geceler - good night - (said on leaving company..)

grmek zere - see you soonhoa kal - so long - [Lit: stay joyful]Note that the plural is used in - "Good day, Good evening, Good night" - similar to the Spanish - "Buenos Das"

Listen to: FPRIVATE "TYPE=PICT;ALT=Speaker Icon" Hosa kal.. - Saying - "Cheerio.. Goodbye.."

Some Daily Informal Greetings

For an informal greeting like - Hi! - in English Turkish uses - Selam..! - to which the answer is the same - selam..!Also one can use - What's up..? - Na'ber..? Na'ber..? - is commonly used in everyday language. It is actually - Ne haber..? - What news..? [Lit: - It's good. ..and from you.?]. The answer is generally - iyidir, senden..?Another informal greeting is - ne var? ne yok..? - What is happening..? [Lit: What is there..(going on..?) What isn't there.. (going on..?)] - The answer to this one is - iyilik..! - Goodness..! Wellness..!

A Long Goodbye..

There is a "Formula Speak" that is used quite lot and is very common for saying your "Goodbyes". This is often used when leaving company or on going away to somewhere. The person(s) who are leaving will say - Allaha smalardk..! - goodbye..! - [a quasi religious-type formula].The answer said by those staying behind is - gle gle..! - Cheerio..! - [Lit: Go with a smile!].If you use this formula after visiting your Turkish friends they will be suitably impressed..

The Muslim Peace Greeting

selmnaleykm, (a Muslim peace greeting), answered by - aleykmselm This greeting is mainly used between passing strangers - normally both male - during travel or on entry to a crowded room, such as a tea house, when one cannot address everybody personally.

Turkish Language - How to say - Too much.. Too many..

The translation of - too.., too much.. is a common difficulty for the student of Turkish. The dictionary equivalent is - fazla - in excess or lzumdan fazla - in excess of its necessity.

(1) Too .. meaning - "very..."However in daily conversational Turkish - ok - very - is used to convey the meaning too much.., too many...- In such a sentence as - I didn't buy it, it was too expensive. - the - "too" - should simply be translated by ok - very.- Onu almadm, ok pahalyd - I didn't buy it, it was too expensive.

(2) Too .. meaning - "overly.., excessively.."fazla - in excess - should be used where the context does not make sense by using ok - very- Baban, seninle fazla sabrldr - Your father is too patient with you.

(3) Too.. as "ability to.." or "inability to.."For the type of sentence - He was too tired to undress (himself) - where neither ok - very or fazla - in excess - is not suitable - Turkish uses a special comparative type construction.- Soyunamyacak kadar yorgundu - [Lit: He was tired the amount pertaining-to-his-future inability-to-undress.] - He was too tired to get undressed. This third form is explained in detail below..

Verb Forms - Basic Infinitive - -mek/-maksoymak - to undress somebody else

Reflexive Infinitivesoyunmak - to undress oneself

Negative Reflexive Infinitivesoyunmamak - not to undress oneself

Negative Potential Reflexive Infinitivesoyunamamak - not to be able to undress oneself

Future Relative Reflexive Participle - -ecek/-acak soyunacak - a future undressing of oneself

Negative Future Relative Reflexive Participlesoyunmayacak - a future not undressing oneself

Negative Future Potential Relative Reflexive Participlesoyunamayacak - a future not being able to undress oneself

A further example of this type

The verb is basically gitmek - to go - which in this sentence takes the form of the Negative Potential - gidememek - not to be able to goSinemaya gidemeyecek kadar megulum - I am too busy to go to the cinemaThe construction for - too.. - therefore is - Future Potential Relative Participle + kadar + comparison verb + person

Aye, bu yl tatil yapamayacak o kadar hastaydAye, this year her-future-inability-to-make-a- holiday that-amount ill she was- Aye was too ill to go on holiday this year.

Araba gzel zaman iinde duramayacak kadar abuk sryorduThe car in-good-time its-future-inability-to-stop that-amount quickly was-going- The car was going too fast to be able to stop in time.