How to Say It in Turkish

Start with merhaba (hello), teşekkür ederim (thank you), lütfen (please), pardon or affedersiniz (excuse me), anlamadım (I didn’t understand), ne kadar? (how much?) and tuvalet nerede? (where is the toilet?). With these and a few numbers you can get through most everyday situations as a visitor.

Turkish has two forms of “you”: sen for one friend, child or family member, and siz for strangers, elders, customers and groups. Many phrases change with it: nasılsın / nasılsınız (how are you), kendine iyi bak / kendinize iyi bakın (take care). Each phrase on this page shows a register label so you can pick the right one.

Many feelings and states are expressed with the past tense because they describe a change that has just happened: acıktım (I’m hungry), susadım (I’m thirsty), yoruldum (I’m tired), anladım (I understand), özledim (I miss you). Using the present tense for these sounds unnatural.

Every Turkish line has a speaker button that reads it aloud with your device’s Turkish text-to-speech voice. If you hear an English accent, install a Turkish voice in your phone or computer’s speech settings. Turkish spelling is phonetic, so once you know the alphabet you can read any phrase correctly.

Yes. The main answers use standard modern Turkish with official (TDK) spelling, as spoken in Istanbul and across the country. Slang and very casual forms such as naber, aynen or kanka are marked as colloquial, and traditional or religious expressions are labelled so you know when they fit.