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How to Say “I Don’t Speak Turkish” in Turkish

The usual way to say “I don’t speak Turkish” in Turkish is Türkçe bilmiyorum. It is neutral: safe in almost any situation. Below are 3 alternatives, how to reply, an example dialogue and the grammar behind it.

In Turkish

Türkçe bilmiyorum

Literally
“Turkish I don’t know”
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Neutralsafe in almost any situation

How Türkçe bilmiyorum is built

  1. TürkçeTurkish (language)
  2. bil-know
  3. -mi-negative
  4. -yor-present continuous
  5. -umI
Grammar guideNegation in Turkish: Verb Suffix -me/-ma, Değil, Yok and Negative Sentences →Grammar guideTurkish Ability & Possibility (-ebilmek / -abilmek): Can & Could →Grammar guideTurkish Present Continuous Tense (-iyor): Step-by-Step Conjugation Guide →Conjugate the verbbilmek (to know) →Conjugate the verbkonuşmak (to speak, to talk) →

Other ways to say “I don’t speak Turkish”

  • Türkçe konuşamıyorumNeutral

    “I can’t speak Turkish”

    Negative ability.

  • Türkçem iyi değilNeutral

    “my Turkish isn’t good”

    Modest and natural.

  • Çok az Türkçe biliyorumNeutral

    “I know very little Turkish”

    A useful middle ground.

How to reply

  • Sorun değil, İngilizce konuşabiliriz.

    No problem, we can speak English.

  • Ama çok güzel konuşuyorsun!

    But you speak very well!

Example dialogue

  1. A

    Kusura bakmayın, Türkçe bilmiyorum.

    Sorry, I don’t speak Turkish.

  2. B

    Sorun değil, İngilizce konuşabiliriz.

    No problem, we can speak English.

Related phrases

All phrases →
I speak a little TurkishBiraz Türkçe biliyorumNeutralDo you speak English?İngilizce biliyor musunuz?FormalI’m learning TurkishTürkçe öğreniyorumNeutralI don’t understandAnlamıyorumNeutral

More language help

Go deeper

GuideTurkish Survival Phrases for Travellers: 100 Phrases Grouped by Situation

“I don’t speak Turkish” in Turkish: FAQ

How do you say “I don’t speak Turkish” in Turkish?

The most common way is Türkçe bilmiyorum (literally “Turkish I don’t know”), which is neutral: safe in almost any situation. You will also hear Türkçe konuşamıyorum (“I can’t speak Turkish”): negative ability.

How do you reply to Türkçe bilmiyorum?

Typical replies are Sorun değil, İngilizce konuşabiliriz. (“No problem, we can speak English.”) and Ama çok güzel konuşuyorsun! (“But you speak very well!”).

What does each part of Türkçe bilmiyorum mean?

Türkçe = Turkish (language); bil- = know; -mi- = negative; -yor- = present continuous; -um = I. Saying this in Turkish usually earns a smile and a compliment.

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