How to Say “Please” in Turkish
The usual way to say “Please” in Turkish is Lütfen. It is neutral: safe in almost any situation. Below are 3 alternatives (formal, informal), how to reply, an example dialogue and the grammar behind it.
In Turkish
Lütfen
- Literally
- “please (from Arabic lutf, kindness)”
- Register
- Neutralsafe in almost any situation
How Lütfen is built
- lütfenplease; a fixed adverb
Other ways to say “Please”
- Rica etsemFormal
“if I may ask”
Very polite opener: Rica etsem, kapıyı kapatır mısınız?
- … alabilir miyim?Neutral
“may I have …?”
Polite requests usually use a question instead of lütfen.
- Ne olurInformal
“what would it matter”
Pleading “please!”, often pronounced n’olur: Ne olur, gel!
How to reply
Tabii, buyurun.
Of course, here you are.
Example dialogue
- A
Bir çay, lütfen.
A tea, please.
- B
Hemen geliyor.
Coming right up.
Related phrases
All phrases →More politeness & courtesy
Go deeper
“Please” in Turkish: FAQ
How do you say “Please” in Turkish?
The most common way is Lütfen (literally “please (from Arabic lutf, kindness)”), which is neutral: safe in almost any situation. You will also hear Rica etsem (“if I may ask”): very polite opener: Rica etsem, kapıyı kapatır mısınız?
How do you reply to Lütfen?
Typical replies are Tabii, buyurun. (“Of course, here you are.”).
When do Turks say Lütfen?
Lütfen sounds natural with short requests (Bir su, lütfen), but Turks soften most requests with a question such as alabilir miyim? or verir misiniz? A bare command plus lütfen can sound bossy.
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