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

The usual way to say “I don’t understand” in Turkish is Anlamıyorum. It is neutral: safe in almost any situation. Below are 4 alternatives (formal), how to reply, an example dialogue and the grammar behind it.

In Turkish

Anlamıyorum

Literally
“I am not understanding”
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Neutralsafe in almost any situation

How Anlamıyorum is built

  1. anla-understand
  2. -mı-negative -ma, raised to -mı before -yor
  3. -yor-present continuous
  4. -umI
Grammar guideNegation in Turkish: Verb Suffix -me/-ma, Değil, Yok and Negative Sentences →Grammar guideTurkish Present Continuous Tense (-iyor): Step-by-Step Conjugation Guide →Grammar guideTurkish Past Simple Tense (-di / -dı / -du / -dü): Definite Past Explained →Conjugate the verbanlamak (to understand) →

Other ways to say “I don’t understand”

  • AnlamadımNeutral

    “I didn’t understand”

    More natural right after hearing something.

  • AnlayamadımNeutral

    “I couldn’t understand”

    Softer; suggests it was hard to follow.

  • Tam anlamadımNeutral

    “I didn’t quite understand”

    Polite and partial.

  • Ne dediniz?Formal

    “what did you say?”

    Asks for repetition.

How to reply

  • Tekrar edeyim.

    Let me repeat.

  • Daha yavaş söyleyeyim.

    Let me say it more slowly.

Example dialogue

  1. A

    Pardon, anlamadım. Tekrar eder misiniz?

    Sorry, I didn’t understand. Could you repeat that?

  2. B

    Tabii. Kartınızı buraya okutun.

    Of course. Tap your card here.

Related phrases

All phrases →
Can you repeat that?Tekrar eder misiniz?FormalCan you speak slowly?Daha yavaş konuşabilir misiniz?FormalI understandAnladımNeutralDo you speak English?İngilizce biliyor musunuz?Formal

More language help

Go deeper

GuideTurkish Survival Phrases for Travellers: 100 Phrases Grouped by Situation

“I don’t understand” in Turkish: FAQ

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

The most common way is Anlamıyorum (literally “I am not understanding”), which is neutral: safe in almost any situation. You will also hear Anlamadım (“I didn’t understand”): more natural right after hearing something.

How do you reply to Anlamıyorum?

Typical replies are Tekrar edeyim. (“Let me repeat.”) and Daha yavaş söyleyeyim. (“Let me say it more slowly.”).

What does each part of Anlamıyorum mean?

anla- = understand; -mı- = negative -ma, raised to -mı before -yor; -yor- = present continuous; -um = I. Right after someone speaks, Turks say anlamadım (I didn’t get that).

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