Online food orders and parcel deliveries are part of everyday life in Türkiye, from a bowl of lentil soup on a rainy evening to the parcel you ordered last week. Most deliveries come with a short phone call: an unknown number rings, and within seconds you hear something like “Abi, kapıdayım, zil çalmıyor, daire kaçtı?” (Mate, I’m at the door, the bell isn’t working, which flat was it?).
For many newcomers, these quick calls are stressful. The good news is that they always follow the same pattern and use the same handful of phrases. This guide gives you two typical dialogues, the vocabulary for describing your building, and a ready-made address note. For ordering in person, see our guides to eating out in Turkish and shopping at the bazaar.
1. Dialogue: the food delivery call
A delivery rider (Kurye) calls a customer (Tom).
Tom: Alo, buyurun?
(Hello?)
Kurye: Merhaba abi, siparişiniz geldi. Bina kapısındayım ama şifre çalışmıyor.
(Hi, your order's here. I'm at the building door, but the code isn't working.)
Tom: Merhaba. Diyafondan sekize basın, kapıyı otomatikten açıyorum.
(Hi. Press eight on the intercom, I'll buzz the door open.)
Kurye: Tamam, açıldı. Kaçıncı kattasınız? Asansör var mı?
(OK, it's open. Which floor are you on? Is there a lift?)
Tom: Var. Üçüncü kattayım, asansörden çıkınca soldaki daire.
(Yes. I'm on the third floor, the flat on the left as you come out of the lift.)
Kurye: Tamamdır. Kapının önüne bırakayım mı?
(Got it. Shall I leave it in front of the door?)
Tom: Evet, lütfen. Bırakıp zili çalın yeterli. Ödemeyi uygulamadan yaptım.
(Yes, please. Just leave it and ring the bell. I paid in the app.)
Kurye: Tamam abi, afiyet olsun!
(OK, enjoy your meal!)
Tom: Teşekkürler, kolay gelsin. Dikkatli gidin!
(Thanks, have a good shift. Ride safely!)A few things to notice:
- Abi (big brother) and abla (big sister) are friendly ways to address someone in everyday speech; you don’t have to use them back.
- Kapısındayım, kattasınız and kattayım all use the locative case -da/-de (“at, on”) plus a personal ending: “I’m at the door”, “you’re on the floor”.
- Kolay gelsin is the natural way to thank anyone who is working; see what “kolay gelsin” means.
2. Dialogue: a parcel with a delivery code
Many parcel companies send an SMS with a short delivery code (teslimat kodu) that you give to the courier at the door.
Kargocu: İyi günler, kargonuz var. Adreste misiniz?
(Good afternoon, I have a parcel for you. Are you at home?)
Clara: İyi günler, evet, evdeyim.
(Good afternoon, yes, I'm at home.)
Kargocu: Beş dakikaya kapınızdayım. Size SMS ile gelen teslimat kodunu hazırlar mısınız?
(I'll be at your door in five minutes. Could you have the delivery code from the SMS ready?)
Clara: Tabii.
[At the door]
Clara: Kodum 7429.
(My code is 7429.)
Kargocu: Teşekkürler, teslimat tamam. Güle güle kullanın!
(Thanks, delivery done. Enjoy it!)
Clara: Sağ olun, kolay gelsin!
(Thank you, have a good day!)Couriers read codes and flat numbers quickly, so practice saying numbers in Turkish out loud. The number converter spells out any number for you.
3. Describing your building
| Turkish | English |
|---|---|
| Üçüncü kattayım. | I’m on the third floor. |
| Zemin kattayım. / Giriş kattayım. | I’m on the ground floor. |
| Asansörden çıkınca sağdaki daire. | The flat on the right as you leave the lift. |
| Merdivenden çıkınca karşıdaki kapı. | The door opposite the top of the stairs. |
| B blok, 12 numara. | Block B, number 12. |
| Sitenin ana kapısındaki güvenliğe bırakın. | Leave it with security at the main gate of the complex. |
| Aşağı iniyorum. | I’m coming down. |
| İki dakikaya geliyorum. | I’ll be there in two minutes. |
Directions such as sağa, sola and aşağıya use the dative case for movement towards a place.
4. Delivery vocabulary
| Turkish | Pronunciation hint | English | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| kurye | koor-YEH | delivery rider, courier | Kurye yolda. (The rider is on the way.) |
| kargo | kar-GO | parcel, shipping | Kargom bugün geliyor. (My parcel arrives today.) |
| dağıtıma çıktı | dah-uh-tuh-MAH chuhk-TUH | out for delivery | Kargonuz dağıtıma çıktı. (Your parcel is out for delivery.) |
| sipariş | see-pah-REESH | order | Siparişim nerede kaldı? (Where has my order got to?) |
| diyafon | dee-yah-FON | intercom | Diyafon çalışmıyor. (The intercom isn’t working.) |
| otomatik | o-to-mah-TEEK | door release (buzzer) | Otomatiğe bastım, açıldı mı? (I pressed the buzzer, did it open?) |
| bina şifresi | bee-NAH sheef-reh-SEE | building door code | Bina şifresi 1234. (The building code is 1234.) |
| daire | dah-ee-REH | flat, apartment | Daire numaram 14. (My flat number is 14.) |
| kat | kaht | floor | Kaçıncı kattasınız? (Which floor are you on?) |
| zemin kat | zeh-MEEN kaht | ground floor | Zemin kattayız. (We’re on the ground floor.) |
| ara kat | ah-RAH kaht | mezzanine | Ara kattaki ofis. (The office on the mezzanine.) |
| çatı katı | chah-TUH kah-TUH | top-floor / attic flat | Çatı katında oturuyoruz. (We live in the attic flat.) |
| asansör | ah-sahn-SUR | lift, elevator | Asansör bozuk. (The lift is out of order.) |
| merdiven | mer-dee-VEN | stairs | Merdivenden çıkın. (Take the stairs.) |
| kapının önü | kah-puh-NUHN ur-NEW | in front of the door | Kapının önüne bırakın. (Leave it in front of the door.) |
| zili çalmayın | zee-LEE chal-MAH-yuhn | don’t ring the bell | Bebek uyuyor, zili çalmayın lütfen. (The baby’s asleep, please don’t ring.) |
| güvenlik | gew-ven-LEEK | security (desk) | Güvenliğe bırakabilirsiniz. (You can leave it with security.) |
| komşu | kom-SHOO | neighbour | Karşı komşuma bırakın. (Leave it with my neighbour opposite.) |
| teslimat kodu | tes-lee-MAHT ko-DOO | delivery code | Teslimat kodunuzu söyler misiniz? (Could you tell me your delivery code?) |
| temassız teslimat | teh-mahs-SUHZ tes-lee-MAHT | contactless delivery | Temassız teslimat istiyorum. (I’d like contactless delivery.) |
| canlı takip | jahn-LUH tah-KEEP | live tracking | Kuryeyi canlı takipten izliyorum. (I’m following the rider on live tracking.) |
| yanlış adres | yahn-LUHSH ad-RES | wrong address | Kurye yanlış adrese gitmiş. (The rider went to the wrong address.) |
| tarif etmek | tah-REEF et-MEK | to give directions | Adresi telefonda tarif ettim. (I explained the address over the phone.) |
| eksik | ek-SEEK | missing | Siparişte bir ürün eksik. (One item is missing from the order.) |
5. Tips for stress-free deliveries
Write a clear address note. Most apps have a field for address directions (adres tarifi). Write it once in Turkish and you’ll get far fewer calls:
Bina şifresi: 1234. 3. kat, asansörden çıkınca soldaki daire, no: 8. Lütfen kapıya bırakıp zili çalın. (Building code: 1234. 3rd floor, the flat on the left as you leave the lift, no. 8. Please leave it at the door and ring the bell.)
The instructions use the polite imperative (bırakın, çalın), which is the normal form for requests like this.
If you don’t catch what they say, don’t hang up. Slow things down politely:
Kusura bakmayın, Türkçem iyi değil. Daha yavaş konuşur musunuz? (Sorry, my Turkish isn’t very good. Could you speak more slowly?)
Daire numaram 5. Kapıya bırakabilirsiniz. (My flat number is 5. You can leave it at the door.)
Most couriers are used to foreign customers and will happily keep it short and simple.
Practice this
Write your own address note in Turkish and read it aloud until you can say it without looking. Then practice the floor and flat numbers for your building with the number converter.
