usseful turkish language phrases
DESCRIPTION
turkish languageTRANSCRIPT
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Turkish Language - Some Street Turkish and Daily Expressions
Invoking the Intervention of Allah..The using of the name of Deity in daily speech is not considered strong talk as it would be to call on Jesus, Christ or God in the English language. The following examples are quite ordinary usage in daily Turkish.
Some Daily Interjections.....!
Meaning Invocation New Turkish
Before beginning something nallah umarm - I hope
Just at beginning Bsmllah -
Goodbye..! Allahasmaladk..! Hoakal..! - Keep well..!
When surprised/disappointed Allah Allah..!!Hadi ya!, Vay canna! - Well now!, What the heck?
When giving up - (see note below) Eyvallah -
To get to the end, finish off Ya Allah -
Promise, swear Vallah Bllah Yemin ederim - I'm sure
Show self confidence Evallah -
Fully motivated Almallah -
Bored Fesuphanallah Of! - (a sound)
More bored Hasbnallah -
Give up llallah Bktm (verb: bkmak) - I am fed up
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Great inspiration and motivation
Allah, Allah, Allah -
Succeeded Maallah Aferin! - Well done!
"Please don't mention it.." - showing modesty
Estafurullah
Lafi bile olmaz - It is not even worth mentioning
At failure Hay Allah -
Some of the younger people do not use all these invocations, but you will hear them everywhere and read them in newspapers and novels, so to my mind they are useful to know.
Thanks to Alex Taurus and Dicle Dzgn for their contributions - May 2008
Some notes on the formulas above
Allahasmaladk - Means Goodbye. - (lit: We call on Allah..) - when leaving company or after making a visit to someone's home. This formula is only spoken by the persons who are actually leaving.- Listen to
Here our unknown friend is signifying "No" by raising his eyebrows with an uptilt of the head..Quite often one will make the sound "tut" at the same time. Note that, shaking the head from side to side does not mean - "NO". It signifies - I don't understand.This is often a mistake made by Europeans when trying to say - "No" - and is the cause of many misunderstandings - you must tilt your head backwards and raise the eyebrows when indicating negation and saying "No"If you shake your head to mean - No - you will be misunderstood and the Turk will probably repeat himself thinking that you have not understood their meaning...
Turkish Language - Some Daily Turkish Conversational Locutions
Here are a few regularly used locutions translated into Turkish. We all use these kind of sayings in our daily language to help us think and to
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emphasize our meaning. Using these locutions will make your conversational language seem more fluid and normal in daily speech.You can sort alphabetically either on English or Turkish by clicking the header (but note that the Turkish letters , , , , do not sort in series but at the end of the turkish alphabet after the letter - z.You can learn this list one by one below:
A List of Daily Conversational Locutions (192)
English Turkish
According to that ona gre
At last nihayet ; sonunda
After all nede olsa
At least en azndan
A little biraz
At most en ok ; azami
A little bit bir para
At once derhal
All day long btn gn
At random rastgele
All of a sudden birdenbire
At short notice ksa sre iinde
All of you hepiniz
All over the world btn dnyada
At the back arkada
All right peki
At the door kapda
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All set? tamam m?
At the end sonunda
Almost hemen hemen
At the same time ayn zamanda
A longtime ago oktan beri
As a matter of fact nitekim
Before long ok gemeden yaknda
As a rule usulen
As for me bana kalrsa
Besides bundan baka
As if ; as though sanki ; gya
Better daha iyi
As usual her zamanki gibi
Both of you ikiniz de
As you please nasl isterseniz
By airmail uakla
At any rate her zaman
By heart ezberden
At first ilkin
By means of aracyla
At hand elde
By no means asla
By the way sras gelmiken
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By turns sra ile
Care of eliyle
How is that? nasl olur?
Come in! buyurun ; giriniz
How many? ka tane
Consequently bundan dolay
How much. kaa? ; ne kadar?
Don't mention it bir ey deil
I am sorry! affedesiniz!; zlyorum
Don't worry merak etmeyin
Enclosed iliik olarak
I am sure eminim
Ever since o zamandan beri
I beg your pardon zr dilerim
Every day her gn
Face to face yz yze
I can't help it elimde deil
For ever sonsuzca
For God's sake! Allaha akna!
I don't care aldrmam!
For Instance rnein
If need be gerekirse
For sale satlk
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If possible kabilse
For the first time ilk kez olarak
Ill-timed zamansz
for the time being imdilik
In a hurry acele ; ivedili
Frequently sk sk
In any case ; somehow her halde ; naslsa
From end to end batan baa
In due course zamannda
From now on imdiden sonra
In due time tam zamannda
From this moment bu andan sonra
In every respect her bakmdan
From this time on bundan sonra
In fact esasen ; nitekim
Full up dolmutur
In front of nnde ; karsnda
Good for nothing ie yaramaz
In no time bir rpda
Good looking yakkl
In order to amacyla
Good luck iyi anslar
In spite of it ona ramen
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Gradually git gide
In the end sonunda
Help yourself buyurun
In the first place ilk nce
How are you? naslsnz?
In the future gelecekte
In the long run sonunda
In the meantime bu arada
In the middle ortada
No doubt phesiz
In the morning sabahleyin
No harm done zarar yok
In the open ak havada
Not at all hi de deil
In the shade glgede
Now and again ; now and then arada srada
In the very act Sust
In this case bu halde
In this manner bylelikle
Of course tabii
In time zamannda ; vaktinde
Of late geenlerde
In turns sra ile
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On and on durmadan
Isn't it? deil mi?
Once again bir daha
Is that so? sahi mi?
Once and for all kesinlikle
I suppose so galiba
Once a week haftada bir
It is all the same fark etmez
Once in a while ara sra
It is not worth while demez
Once more tekrar ; bir daha
It is of no use bouna
On condition that artyle
One by one birer birer
Just a moment bir dakika
On foot yryerek
Just in case ne olur ne olmaz
On leave izinli
Just in time tam vaktinde
On purpose bile bile ; kasten
On the contrary tersine ; aksine
Less daha az
Let me alone git iine
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On the left solda
Let's go gidelim
On the right sada
Little by little azar azar
On the other hand dier taraftan
Long ago uzun zamandan beri
Look out! dikkat et!
On top of tepesinde
Over again tekrar
Made to order smarlama
Over there orada
Maybe belki ; olabilir
Please ltfen ; rica ederim
More or less aa yukar
Providing that artyle
Ready made hazr konfeksiyon
Till morning sabaha kadar
Return ticket gidi-dn bileti
To be sure tabii
To let ; to rent kiralk
Right here ite burada
Too many pek ok
Right there ite orada
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Too much pek fazla
Rough and ready yarm yamalak
Under age yaa kk
Up side down darmadan
Safe and sound sa salim
Up to date modern
See you later gene greli
Up to now imdiye kadar
Side by side yan yana
Since a long time uzun zamandan beri
Welcome! ho geldiniz
Well done! bravo!
Since then ozamandan beri
What happened? ne oldu?
So long eyvallah
What's happening? ; What's up? ne oluyor?
Sooner or later er ge
So-so yle byle
What's wrong with you? neniz var?
So to say szde ; sanki
So that yle ki
What's the matter? ne kar?
What next? ya sonra?
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Thanks a lot teekkrler
Why not? neden olmasn?
Agreed ; OK! anlatk
Willy nilly ister istemez
That right doru ; tamam
With a view to amacyle
That is to say yani
With no exceptions ayrksz
That maybe olabilir
With one accord oy birlii ile
Then o zaman ; yleyse
The soonest possible bir an nce
With your leave izninizle
You're welcome bir ey deil
Turkish Language - All about - buyurun - "Please be so kind..."
buyurun - or the more formal - buyurunuz - is a widely used word in Turkish. There are many translations in English according to context. It is the second person Singular or Plural of the Simple Present tense of the verb - buyurmak - which basically means: Would you be so kind as to... - [Literally: Would you deign to.. to command.. to decree.. to make an order..]
All or any of these meanings can be applied according to context - and in fact this word has become a sort of universal polite request, pleasant command, and is in constant daily use in all areas of Turkish life. A sort of catch-all word for most situations. - It is a very important word to learn.
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Let us consider how it is used:
When calling on someone's house and they say - buyurun it means - Please come in...
When they point to a chair - buyurun - Please sit down...
When they serve tea - buyurun - Please drink and enjoy...
On entering a shop the shopkeeper may say - buyurun efendim - meaning - Can I help you, sir?..
In a restaurant or cafe when the waiter or bar man says - buyurun -it means - What would you like?..
In many busy places markets, souvenir shops, cafes etc. there is often a professional "barker" who will be saying to all passers by - buyurun - Come and buy...
If in a cafe you ask to see what food is being prepared in the kitchen (normal in Turkey) then the answer would be - buyurun - meaning in this case - Of course you may...!
When answering the telephone you say - buyurun meaning - I'm listening to your call... - Turkish speakers also say - efendim - on answering telephone phone to say - Hello..- in a polite manner.
When passing people in narrow places or entering lifts etc. - buyurun - means - After you..!
Turkish language - The Time, Seasons, Months, Days, Weather, Numbers
A Time Vocabulary
saniye - secondan - momentdakika - minutesaat (plural: saatler - hours) - hourgn - dayhafta - weekay - month [also - moon]
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yl or sene (arab.) - year - (you will hear both of these words in general use)zaman - timevakit (vakti..) - time as a particular occasiondefa - time (as an event or occasion)kere - time (as an event, occasion or point in time)kez - a point in time
The word "time..."
zaman - time - this word is the main one in use for - "time, occasion.." ne zaman? - what time?, when?ka zaman - how long?, how much time?zamandan zamana [zaman-dan zaman-a] - from time to time..her zaman - all the time, every time, alwaysher ne zaman - whenever.. vakit (vakti)- point in time, occasion- Note: vakit - loses final vowel when suffixed with a vowel. See Nouns losing internal vowel
Some examples
vakit (vakti)- point in time, occasionBo, vaktimiz var m? - Have we got time to spare?vaktim yok, vaktim kalmad - I haven't got time...
kere - time, point in timedrt kere - four timesOnu, be kere yaptm - I did it five times..
kez - time, point in time - This is a provincialism, but is also used regularly in modern daily speech. kez - three timesher kez - alwaysbu kez - this time
Thanks to Nurcan Akaltun ifti for additions to the above section - JG - June 2008.
What time is it..?
All about the - to the o'clock.., past the o'clock.. - and - at the o'clock.. -
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usages in Turkish to tell the time. Turkish requires or demands different/alternative forms when you want to tell the time.There there are basically four different forms to tell the time.
Sentence structure
Clause structure
Short analog form
Digital Form
Now let us classify the suffixes for each structure
Structure: It is # min. to # o'clock.. -e varSaat iki'ye on (dakika) var - It is ten (minutes) to two
Structure: It is # min. past # o'clock -i geiyorSaat iki'yi on (dakika) geiyor. - It is ten (minutes) past two.
Structure: At the time that..At # min. to # o'clock.. -e kalaSaat iki'ye on (dakika) kala. - At ten to two.
Structure: At the time that..At #min. past # o'clock.. -i geeSaat iki'yi on (dakika) gee. - At ten past two.
The Sentence Structure can only be used with the suffix - -ken - while.. - inside another sentence as the examples below show... Saat ka acaba? - What time is it please? - Saat Yedi'yi eyrek geiyor.
Some examples
Ne zaman gelirsin? - When (at what time) will you come?Saat yedi'yi eyrek geiyor'da gelirim - (WRONG!)Saat yedi'yi eyrek geiyorken gelirim - (TRUE with -ken)Saat yedi'yi eyrek gee gelirim - (CLAUSE form)or -Saat alt'ya be var'da gelirim - (WRONG!)Saat alt'ya be varken gelirim - (TRUE with -ken)Saat alt'ya be kala gelirim - (CLAUSE form)
Any of the 3 forms (except for the sentence structure) can be used within a sentence. Let us see some examples...
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Saat 7'yi eyrek gee gelirim - (Clause)Saat 7 eyrekte gelirim - (Analog)Saat 7:15 (yedi onbe)te gelirim - (Digital)
When you use the sentence structure, then it is used like this...Saat 7'yi eyrek geerken gelirim. - I will arrive at a quarter past seven. [Lit: I will arrive (come) as (while) a quarter is passing 7 o'clock.]
Some times of day..
Turkish English
afak dawn
kahvalt breakfast
sabah morning
sabahleyin at morning, in the morning
gn day
btn gn all day long
her gn every day
gndz daytime, daylight
le noon
leden sonra afternoon
le yemei lunch
akam evening
akamleyin in the evening, at eventide
akam st teatime, early evening
akam yemei dinner, evening meal
dn yesterday
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dn sabah yesterday morning
dn akam yesterday evening
dn gece last night
evvelki gn the day before yesterday
alacakaranlk [alaca-karanlk] twilight
gece night
geceleyin in the night, at night
gece yars Lit: night its-half midnight
geen gn the day past, the other day, yesterday
geen ay last month
geen sene/yil last year
geen hafta last week
geenlerde recently (in the past), lately
erken early
ge late
ne zaman when (what time, the time that..)
ay month
cumartesi gecesi saturday night
ertesi gn the following day
ertesi hafta the following week
evvelki/evvelsi gn the day before yesterday
geceleri at nights
gelecek hafta next week
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hafta week
br gn the day after tomorrow
br hafta the week after next
leleri at noon times
leyin at noon
pazar sabah sunday morning
sabahlar in the mornings
son gnlerde in the last few days
son zamanlarda recently
yarn tomorrow
yl/sene year
Saying - "How long for.. ?"
Ne i yaparsnz? - What is your job? - [In general, so uses the Simple Present Tense]retmenim. - I am a teacher.Drt yldr retmenim. - I have been a teacher for 4 years. - [ You explain how many years you have been a teacher.]ki bin ten beri retmenim. - I have been a teacher since 2003. - [You explain how long since you became a teacher.]Dnden beri hastaym. - I have been ill since yesterday.Pazar Gnnden /Pazardan beri evdeyim. - I have been at home since Sunday.
Saying - "since..."
-meyeli/-mayal oldu/oluyor. - It is/ It was a period time since..Ben, sinemaya gitmeyeli 3 ay oldu/oluyor. - It was/is three months since I have been to the cinema.Birbirimizi grmeyeli be yl oldu/oluyor. - It is five years since we have seen/are seeing each other.Onlar evleneli sadece/yalnzca 2 ay oldu/oluyor. - It is just two
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months since they were/are married.
Some ways that state the time of an event
oktan, bile, zaten - already, besides
Hl le yemeini yedin mi? - Have you eaten your lunch yet?Ooo,oktan yedim. - Oooh,I have already eaten.Yedim bile. - I have already eaten.Sanrm bir eyler yemek istiyor musun?. - Do you want something to eat.?Bana bir ey getirme. - Do not bring me anything.Ben yedim zaten. - Besides, I have already eaten.
Yeni/imdi/henz - just
Hasan,ltfen banyoya girme. - Hasan,please don't go into the bathroom.Yeni/imdi/henz temizledim. - I have just cleaned (it).Kurumas gerek/lazm. Tamam m? - It needs to dry. OK?Bana 100 lira dn verir misin Aye? - Can you lend me 100 Tl Aye?zgnm.. - [or Kusura bakma..] - veremem. - I am sorry.. I can't (give).Daha yeni/imdi faturalar dedim. - I have just paid the bills.
Daha/henz/hl - yet
Daha/henz devini bitirmedin mi? - Haven't/have you finished your homework yet?Hayr, daha bitirmedim. Henz deil.. - No, I haven't finished yet. Not yet..Daha gelmediler. - They haven't come yet.
imdiye kadar /u ana kadar - So far../up to now../until now..
Bu k imdiye kadar/u ana kadar kar yamad. - It has not snowed so far this winter.Bugn imdiye kadar/ u ana kadar hibir ey yemedik. - We have not eaten anything so far today.
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ilk - the (very) first..
Bu ilk kez araba srm/lk kez araba srdm. - This is the first time I have driven a car.Bu, son iki saatte itiin beinci kahve. - This is the fifth cup of coffee you have drunk in the last two hours. Son be saatte iki fincan kahve itin. - You have drunk two cups of coffee in the last five hours.
ilk - means - the very first one.., whereas - birinci - means - the first if a series:Dnyann ilk insan Adam adl'd - The world's first man was called AdamBirinci yar balamak zeredir. - The first race is about to begin.
hayatmda - "ever in my life"
hayatnda/hayatnzda - ever in your life.. (familiar = hayat-n-da /formal = hayat-nz-da)onun hayatnda - ever.. in his life.. [hayat--n-da = in his life]hayatmzda - ever.. in our lifehayatlarnda - ever.. in their lifeBu hayatmda okuduum en skc kitap. - This is the most boring book I have ever read.Bu hayatmda iinde bulunduum en zor durum. - This is the most difficult situation I have ever been in.Hayatmda tantm en konukan/geveze insan. - He is the most talkative person I have met in my life.
"Have you ever been to ..?"
There are two methods to translate this in Turkish - (1) The Formal Method - and - (2) The Familiar/Informal method.(1) Formal: -de / -da / -te / -ta bulunmak - to be (found) in/on at a place- Hi Ankara' da bulundun mu? - Have you ever been to Ankara? - [Literature - formal](2) Informal: -a/ -ya, -e/-ye gitmek - to go to a place- Hi Ankara' ya gittin mi? - Have you ever been to Ankara [Colloquial Speech - informal)
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once, twice several times..
bir kez, bir defa, bir kere - onceiki kez, iki defa, iki kere - twicebirok kez/defa/kere - several timeshi - ever [in positive sentences]hi - never [in negative sentences]
Neredeydin? - [or colloquial - Nerdeydin?] - Where have you been? / Where were you?Have you ever been to Antalya? - Hi Antalya'da bulundun mu?Have you ever been to Antalya? - Hi Antalya'ya gittin mi?Yes,I have been there once/twice. - Evet, bir defa/iki defa/ orada bulundum.Yes,I have been there many times. - Evet, bir ok kere (bir ok kez/ bir ok defa) oraya gittim.No, I have not been/never been there. - Yo, Antalya'ya hi gitmedim.No, I have not been/never been there. - Yo, Antalya'da hi bulunmadm.Yo.. - is a gentle conversational way of saying - "No..". It is not so strong as using Hayr - No... It nay be a contraction of - "yok" - "there is not.."
Thanks to Nurcan Akaltun ifti for contributing the sections above.. - JG - June 2008.
Seasons and the Weather
Names of the Months
January - ocak July - temmuz
February - ubat August - austos
March - mart September - eyll
April - nisan October - ekim
May - mays November - kasm
June - haziran December - aralk
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Names of the Months (and Days of the Week) are usually written without a capital letter in Turkish- Thanks to Emiel V. - 17 Nov. 2009
The Weekday Names
Sunday - pazar - (Lit: market)
Monday - pazartesi - (Lit: after Sunday)
Tuesday - sal - (undefined)
Wednesday - aramba - (Lit: 4 days after Sabbath - from Persian)
Thursday - perembe - (Lit: 5 days after Sabbath - from Persian)
Friday - cuma - (Lit: reunion - related to Persian/Arabic)
Saturday - cumartesi - (Lit: after Friday)
A Turkish IdiomBu i, aramba pazar gibi - This job is a complete mess up.. - [lit: This job is like a Wednesday Market.]
The Seasons of the Year Yl Mevsimi
ilkbahar - [also bahar is sometimes used] spring
yaz summer
sonbahar - (also - gz) autumn or fall (American usage)
k winter
When saying "in the summer" Turkish says yazin or "in the winter" then the word kn is used. This ending -in is an old Instrumental Case which is no longer used much in day to day speaking other than these examples. For "in the spring" and "in the autumn", the Static Condition (Locative) Suffix is used - sonbaharda and ilkbaharda. Very often the simple word bahar can supplant either ilkbahar or sonbahar - it depends on the choice of the speaker..
The Cardinal Points Drt Yn
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Kuzey North
Gney South
Dou East
Bati West
About the Weather - A Weather Vocabulary
berbat - awful frtna - storm
souk - cold gne - sun (n.)
scak - hot gneli - sunny (adj.)
gzel - good, nice hava scakl - temperature
harika - marvellous scaklk - heat
yamur - rain (noun.) derece - degree(s)
yamur yamak - rain (verb.) emsiye - umbrella
yamurlu, yal - rainy (adj.) lk - warm
kar - snow (n.) hava - weather
kar yamak - snow (v.) hava tahmini - weather forecast
kar yal, karl - snowy (adj.) hava durumu - weather condition
dolu - hail rzgar - wind (n.)
hafif - light yel - wind
sert - heavy poyraz - breeze
durmak - stop (v.) rzgar esmek - to blow wind (v.)
yldrm - lightning (n.) rzgarl - windy (adj.)
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Some daily expressions about the weather
Ne gzel bir gn! - What a lovely day!Hava yarn nasl olacak? - What will the weather be like tomorrow?Yine gneli, fakat biraz rzgarl. - It's sunny again, but a little windy.Ka derece? - What is the temperature? Hava ok scak. . - The weather is very hot.Neredeyse 31 derece. - Nearly 31C (degree Celsius).Erzurumda kar yaacan dnyor musun? - Do you think it will snow in Erzurum? Sanmyorum. Kar iin erken. - I don't think so. It is early to snow.Frtna olacan dnyor musun? - Do you think there will be a storm?Sanmyorum. - I don't think so.Ama Ar'da kar yayor. - But it is snowing in Ar.Orada kar ya ne zaman durur? - When will it stop snowing up there?Yaknda durur. - It will stop soon.Yamur mu balayacak? - Will it start to rain?Evet, birazdan yamur balayacak gibi. - Yes, looks like rain soon.emsiyeye ihtiyacm olur mu? - Do I need an umbrella?Sana emsiyeni yanna alman neririm. - I suggest you to get your umbrella with you.Ne berbat hava! Saat ba deiiyor. - What an awful weather! It changes hourly.Yamur mu yayor? - Is it raining?Evet, yayor. - Yes, it is (raining).
Cardinal Numbers - one,two
Cardinal
Numbers 0 - 49
sfr 0 on 10 yirmi 20 otuz 30 krk 40
bir 1 on bir 11 yirmi bir 21 otuz bir 31 krk bir 41
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iki 2 on iki 12 yirmi iki 22 otuz iki 32 krk iki 42
3 on u 13 yirmi u 23 otuz u 33 krk u 43
drt 4 on drt 14 yirmi drt 24 otuz drt 34 krk drt 44
be 5 on be 15 yirmi be 25 otuz be 35 krk be 45
alt 6 on alt 16 yirmi alt 26 otuz alt 36 krk alt 46
yedi 7 on yedi 17 yirmi yedi 27 otuz yedi 37 krk yedi 47
sekiz 8 on sekiz 18 yirmi sekiz 28 otuz sekiz 38 krk sekiz 48
dokuz 9 on dokuz 19 yirmi dokuz 29 otuz dokuz 39 krk dokuz 49
FPRIVATE "TYPE=PICT;ALT=speaker icon" Cardinal Numbers 1 to 10 - (Listen to mp3)
Cardinal Numbers 50
- 99
elli 50 altm 60 yetmi 70 seksen 80 doksan 90
elli bir 51 altm bir 61 yetmi bir 71 seksen bir 81 doksan bir 91
elli iki 52 altm iki 62 yetmi iki 72 seksen iki 82 doksan iki 92
elli u 53 altm u 63 yetmi u 73 seksen u 83 doksan u 93
elli drt 54 altm drt 64 yetmi drt 74 seksen drt 84 doksan drt 94
elli be 55 altm be 65 yetmi be 75 seksen be 85 doksan be 95
elli alt 56 altm alt 66 yetmi alt 76 seksen alt 86 doksan alt 96
elli yedi 57 altm yedi 67 yetmi yedi 77 seksen yedi 87 doksan yedi 97
elli sekiz 58 altm sekiz 68 yetmi sekiz 78seksen sekiz 88
doksan sekiz 98
elli dokuz 59 altm dokuz yetmi dokuz seksen dokuz doksan dokuz
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69 79 89 99
Cardinal Numbers 100
- 1,000,000
yz 100 iki bin 2000 oniki bin 12000 yirmi iki bin 22000
iki yz 200 u bin 3000 onu bin 13000 yirmi u bin 23000
u yz 300 drt bin 4000 ondrt bin 14000 yirmi drt bin 24000
drt yz 400 be bin 5000 onbe bin 15000 yirm be bin 25000
be yz 500 alt bin 6000 onalt bin 16000 yirmi alt bin 26000
alt yz 600 yedi bin 7000 onyedi bin 17000 yirmi yedi bin 27000
yedi yz 700 sekiz bin 8000 onsekiz bin 18000 yirmi sekiz bin 28000
sekiz yz 800 dokuz bin 9000 ondokuz bin 19000 otuz bin 30000
dokuz yz 900 on bn 10000 yirmi bim 20000 elli bin 50000
bin 1000 onbir bin 11000 yirmi bir bin 21000 bir milyon 1000000
Some Notes on Numbers
* yz (yz also means - face or reason)
* Cardinal numbers are followed by singular nouns. iki ev - two houses, be yz araba - five-hundred cars, krk aa - forty trees
* be yz yirmi bin yedi yz elli sekiz - 523,758 - Which may also be written in official papers and banks without any spaces - as: beyzyirmibinyediyzellisekiz - 523,758
* When we in English stste a small general numerical amount we will say (for instance) - "Two or three eggs". However Turkish will say - bes yurmurta - three or five eggs
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* In Turkish the number krk - forty is used to signify an uncountable amount.- krk ylda bir - once in forty years - is equivalent to - "Once in a blue moon" in English.
Ordinal Numbers - "first"
Ordinal Numbers
birinci - also - ilk - first ; 1st yirmi nc twenty-third ; 23rd
ikinci second ; 2nd otuz drdnc thirty-fourth ; 34th
nc third ; 3rd elli beinci fifty-fifth ; 55th
drdnc fourth ; 4th krk altnc forty-sixth ; 46th
beinci fifth ; 5th altm yedinci sixty-seventh ; 67th
altnc sixth ; 6th on sekizinci eighteenth ; 18th
yedinci seventh ; 7th doksan dokuzuncu ninety-ninth ; 99th
sekizinci eighth ; 8th yznc hundredth ; 100th
dokuzuncu ninth ; 9th bininci thousandth ; 1000th
onuncu tenth ; 10th sfr zero ; 0
Fractions and percentage
yarm (noun) - halfyarm elma - a half an appleyar (adj.) - half yar elma - a half appleelmann yars - the apple halfbuuk - half - [an hour, a kilo, a serving]eyrek - quarter of - [an hour, a kilo, a serving]bir - one, #1 - [And is also the indefinite article - a or an]te iki [-te iki] - two-thirds - [lit:two in-three]yzde yirmibe - twenty-five percent - [Lit: 25 in a hundred]
Distributive Numbers - "One each, two each, three each.."
Distributive Numbers
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yarmar half each
birer one each
ikier two each
er three each
drder four each
beer five each
altar six each
yedier seven each
sekizer eight each
dokuzar nine each
onar ten each
on birer eleven each
yirmier twenty each
yirmi beer twenty-five each
otuzar thirty each
krkar forty each
ellier fifty each
yzer a hundred each
ikier yz - (NOT iki yzer) two hundred each
biner a thousand each
ikier bin - (NOT iki biner) two thousand each
birer milyon- (NOT milyonar NOR bir milyonar) a million each
Kzlara ikier elma verin Give the girls two apple each.
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Trk Renkleri - Turkish Colours
The Farsi Word - siyah - black - is mainly used for siyah zeytin - black olives, otherwise the word - kara - black - is used for the colour "black".
The word - kara - also has another meaning - land, shore, as in: karayollar - land roads (network), main roads, karakuvetleri - land forces, kara sular - territorial waters
The Old Turkish Words for - Red - Al and - White - Ak are mostly used in place names and family names. Alsancak - Red Banner (an area of zmir) - Akhisar - Whitefort, Bay Alkan - Mr. Redblood. Otherwise the words - beyaz, kirmizi - are used
Words in italics are the intensified form of the colour. Siyah (Farsi.) - Simsiyah Black - Pitch Black Kara - Kapkara Black - Pitch Black Beyaz - Bembeyaz White - Snow White Krmz - Kpkrmz Red - Bright Red Mavi - Masmavi Blue - Bright Blue Turuncu Orange Yeil - Yemyeil Green - Bright Green Mor - Mosmor Purple - Deep Purple Pembe - Pespembe Pink - Shocking Pink Kahverengi Brown (Lit: coffee coloured) Sar - Sapsar Yellow - Bright Yellow Gri Grey Renk/Rengi Color Ak Renkli Light Coloured Ak yeil Light green Koyu Renkli Dark Coloured Koyu gri Dark grey Turkuaz Turquiose Lacivert Navy Blue Gm Renkli Silver Coloured Eflatun Lilac Macenta Magenta Bej Beige Bordo Claret Altn Renkli Gold Coloured Ak (Old Turkish.) White Al (Old Turkish.) Red
Turkish Language - How to say - "Thanks.."
Here we point out the difference in usage of - teekkr ederim - thank you.. - and the more sincere - sa olun - stay healthy..
What are the services being rendered to us..?
(1) sa olun - be healthy, be strong - is used as - thank you.. - for a service which:
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(A) Was not necessarily needed to be performed..(B) for someone who has gone out of his way to help you...
(2) While - teekkr ederim - thank you.. - [Lit: a thanking perform I - from Arabic] - is used:In normal circumstances and receiving presents.
Scenario (1)The waiter puts a nice meal in front of you. Your - thank you - is - teekkr ederim - it is his job...The waiter puts a bottle of wine in front of you. Your - thank you - is - teekkr ederim - it is his job...Then the waiter uncorks the bottle of wine and pours it in your glass. Your - thank you - is - sa olun - he need not have performed this service.The recipient of your gratitude will often answer your - sa olun - with the rejoinder - siz de sa olun - health to you (too).. - [the Polite Version said to to stranger].Other forms are - sen de sa ol - or quite short - siz de - or - sen de - you too..
Scenario (2)You ask someone the time. He looks at his watch and says - Half past three.Your answer is - sa olun - [You have caused him to perform a service to you]
Scenario (3)You drop your handkerchief - a stranger picks it up and hand it to you.Your answer is - sa olun - [He need not have done it..]
Scenario (4)
Here is a comment one of our readers has made about Manisa Turkish. He has used sa olun correctly. Thanking us for providing something unasked...
Very nice website......Very descriptive and helpful .. Manisa Turkish has helped me in communicating with my Turkish friends. I just wanted to give
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you a very big sa olun for producing such a useful website...!Dan R. - March 2008
See all accolades for the Manisa Turkish website Our accolades
Many tourists use - sa olun - wrongly instead of using - teekkr ederim - as they copy the boy waiter's way of thanking - as the waiters often use - sa olun - for misguided effect. The rule is, if in doubt then use - teekkr ederim...
How to answer a "thank you.."
The answer to teekkr ederim... is - bir ey deil - It is not a thing - or - rica ederim - I request..! - [same as "bitte schn" in German]Also used is - ne demek? - what does it mean?. This expression - ne demek? - sounds quite comical in English. But it actually means something like: - It doesn't matter at all..The answer - Rica ederim - is the politest one.The recipient of your gratitude will often answer your - sa olun - with the rejoinder - sana sa olun - health to you (too).. Other Versions are:sa ol - familiarsa olunuz - public and pluralA simple - teekkrler.. also means a very informal - thanks.. and is used in shops and for small duties performed.
A little "caveat" - or - "take care.."
Many people when first learning Turkish are tempted to use the Present Continuous Tense form - teekkr ediyorum... - we would advise you that this form sounds quite comical to the Turkish ear and can also be construed as being sarcastic, so one should always use the Present Simple form - teekkr ederim... - and you will not go wrong or be misunderstood.
Expressing need
The usual verbs used to say - Do you like something..? I like something.. I don't like something.. are as follows:
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Positive Negative
sevmek to love, to like sevmemek not to love, not to like
beenmek to like beenmemek not to like
rica etmek to request rica etmemek to not request
The word - rica - is of Arabic Origin and the pronunciation of the last letter -A is very open - pronounced ricAAA ederim - being Arabic, this word does not follow Turkish Pronunciation Rules.Listen to the long "aaa.." in FPRIVATE "TYPE=PICT;ALT=Speaker
Icon" Rica ederim
When a Turkish person asks if you like something, they normally ask in the Past Tense - Did you like the apple? - These type of questions are also answered in the Past Tense - Yes I liked the apple?We can see from the examples below that Turkish usually uses the Past Tense in its questions and answers of Preferences. It is different in English as we use both Present and Past Tenses in these situations.
Asking Formally - with the -iniz form for the polite - youYemeinizi sevdiniz mi? - Did/Do you like your meal?Yemeinizi beendiniz mi? - Did/Do you like your meal?Yemei sevdim. - I like/liked the meal.Yemei beendim - I like/liked the meal.
Or the familiar form using the -in less formal form for - youTrkiye'yi sevdin mi? or Trkiye'yi beendin mi? - Did you like Turkey?Yolculuu sevdin mi? - Did you enjoy the journey?
Or you may not have liked it!Trkiye'yi sevdiniz mi? - Do/Did you like Turkey?Trkiye'yi beendiniz mi? - Do/Did you like Turkey?unu sevmedim. - I don't like/ didn't like that.unu beemedim - I don't like/ didn't like that.This shows the use of unu - that one - in its disparaging meaning.
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A little "Formula Speak" - one might say... seni seviyorum! - [Lit: I am loving you!] - I love you..!Turkish uses the Continuous Tense to say - I love you.. as it is more vivid than the Simple Tense which we use in English.
How to say that you do not like something..
We have learned how to say that - we like something .. using the verbs - sevmek - and - beenmek..To say that - we do not like something.. we must use the negative verbs - sevmemek - and beenmemek.
Some Examples of the NegativeYolculuunuzu sevdiniz mi? - Did you like your journey?Hayr, yolculuumu sevmedim - No, I didn't like my journey.Hayr, onu beenmedim - No, I didn't like it.Bamyay sevmiyor musunuz? - Don't you like okra?Yoo, bamyay sevmem - No, I don't like okra (at all).Ankara,y beendiniz mi? - Did you like Ankara?Ankara'y beenmedim. - No, I didn't like Ankara.
Using the Present Continuous Tense in Turkish in this situation conveys vividness.Evet, onu ok seviyorum.. - Yes, I like it a lot..Yoo, onu sevmiyorum. - No, I am not liking it (at the moment).- Note the use - of - Yoo.. for No... This is a polite conversational way of saying No... It actually comes from - yok - There isn't.. - but it is gentler than - hayr - the real No! which conveys a real negative feeling - and is used a lot in conversation.
Some other ways of Expressing Need
istemek - to want - Note: This word is a verb.Need can be expressed with various verbs - the main one being - istemek - to want..This can be answered with the verb rica etmek - to (would) like ... to request .. - very much like the - "bitte schn" - of German.stediiniz bir ey var m? - Is there anything that you want?Bir havlu rica ederim - I would like (I request) a towel
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ihtiya - necessity/need/requirement - Note: this word is a noun.Another word which is used quite often is - ihtiya - necessity/need/requirementBir ihtiyanz var m? - Is there anything that you require? - [lit: Have you a requirement?]Evet, bir bardak su, rica ederim. - Yes, I would like (I request) a glass of water
arzu - wish, desire - Note: this word is also a noun.Also there is the use of the noun - arzu - wish, desireBaka arzunuz var m? - Is there any thing else (that you desire)?This word is often used by shop keepers - grocers and the like - Anything else madam...? - when daily purchases are being made.
A note about the very important word - "Ho - agreeable, joyful"
This word is used in many idioms and daily speech, and has many related meanings. Ho - joy - is used with the auxiliary verb - gitmek - to go: Houma gitti - [Ho-um-a] - I enjoyed it - [lit: It went to my joy..] - this formula is used a lot in daily Turkish conversation.
Some of the
many meanings of -
ho
ho agreeable ho amiable ho amusing
ho bonny ho charming ho congenial
ho cosy ho cozy ho cuddly
ho darling ho debonair ho delicious
ho enchanting ho engaging ho entertaining
ho fine ho genial ho good
ho graceful ho grateful ho tolerant
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ho pleasant ho nice ho quaint
ho used with bir - strange, odd, peculiarO arky duyunca Durmu'un yz bir ho oldu. - When he heard that song Durmu got an odd look on his face.Midem bir ho. - My stomach feels funny.Sami'nin sylediklerine hi aldrma, kafas bir hotur. - Don't pay any attention to what Sami says, his head has gone.
even if.. - Ho, param da olsa almazdm. - Even if I had the money I wouldnt buy it.
anyway, anyhow.. - Ho, bunu biliyordum. - I knew this anyway.
Ho bulduk! [lit: we found goodness] - Thank you! (said in reply to a welcoming greeting).
Ho geinmek /la/ - to get on well (with).Mehmet'le ho geiniyoruz. - We are getting on on well with Mehmet.
Ho geldiniz! - Welcome! (said to an arriving guest).
Hoa gitmek - to be pleasingHouma gitti - I enjoyed it. [Ho-um-a]John'un houna gitmi [ho-u-n-a ] - It seems that John enjoyed it.
Houna gitmek /n/ - to pleaseMehmet'in houna gitti. [ho-u-n-a ] - Mehmet enjoyed it.John'un houna gitmi [ho-u-n-a ] - It seem that John enjoyed it.
Ho grmek // - to be tolerant of, overlook, condonePolis, onu ho grd. - The policeman tolerated it.Bu kan problemi ho grdk. - We tolerated the problem that happened.
Ho karlamak // - to assent to, give one's assent toBelediye, yeni ev planlarm ho karlayacak. - The Town Corporation will give assent to my new house plans.
Ho tutmak // - to be nice to, make (someone) feel welcomeLtfen yeni gelen turistleri ho tutunuz. - Please be nice to the newly
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arrived tourists
Very often you are adding suffixes to the important noun - ho - goodness, joy (basically)ho = goodnessho-um = my goodnessho-um-a = to my goodnessho-um-a gitti = I enjoyed it [It went to my goodness] - This is a Turkish idiom and much used in daily conversation.
Turkish Language -Turkish Modes of Address
"Who are you...?"
The usual method of address when you do not know the person's name or title is as follows:- For males: Beyefendi - Sir - Daily pronunciation is truncated to: - Beyfendi- For females: Hanmefendi - Miss or Madam - Daily pronunciation is truncated to: - Hanfendi - These are used in formal situations and to strangers.
Personal Addressing - Formal and Informal
As stated, the above are used in formal situations. Once names are known then bey and hanm are used after the first name, this usage is still formal and semi-formal. These titles follow the given-name (Christian name) and are written without a Capital Letter: Mustafa bey - Mr. MustafaAye hanm - Miss or Mrs. AyeThese are used in formal situations when you know the person's first name but also in informal situations to acquaintances, friends and even to you own family members.Surnames are not usually used in Conversational Turkish, so the Mustafa bey can mean - Mr. Mustafa and Aye hanm can mean Mrs. OR Miss Aye (in a formal situation) or it can mean just a friendly Mustafa or Aye (without the title) between acquaintances.
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All About Names
Turkish has two words for the first name of a person - isim or ad - and they can both be used at any time as they are interchangeable. The Turkish word for surname is soyad - there is no corresponding word for surname based in the word isimsminiz ne? - What is your first name?smim Aye. - My name is Aye.
isim - name - becomes - ism-iniz - your name and ism-im - my name. This is one of the nouns that "apocopate" (ie: loses an internal vowel)isim - name - is one of the nouns in Turkish which lose an internal vowel when adding a suffix which begins with a vowel itself.Click Me - to toggle the list of nouns which lose a vowel
Basic Noun Direct Object Form Basic Meaning
Aciz Aczi - (NOT - acizi) Impotence
Az Az Mouth
Ahit Ahdi Injunction
Akl Akl Intelligence
Akt Akt Treaty
Akis Aksi Reflection
Aln Aln Forehead
Asl Asl Origin
Asr Asr Century
Azim Azmi Determination
Bar Bar Bosom
Beyin Beyni Brain
Boyun Boynu Neck
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Burun Burnu Nose
Cisim Cismi Substance, matter, object
Crm Crm Crime
Defin Defni Burial
Devir Devri Period
Ecir Ecri Reward/Wage
Emir Emri Order ; Command
Fasil Fasli Part, chapter
Fetih Fethi Conquest
Fikir Fikri Idea
Filim Filmi Film(Cinema)
Geniz Genzi Nostril
Gs Gs Breast
Gnl Gnl Heart/Desire
Hacm Hacm Volume
Haciz Haczi Distraint, confiscation,
- Haciz - Haczi - seizure
Hapis Hapsi Prison
Hasim Hasmi Enemy, foe, rival
Hazm Hazm Digestion
Hm Hm Rage/Anger
HilktHilkt garibesi
HilktiIdiomatic use
(a) creationmonstrosity, freak
Hzn Hzn Grief
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lim lmi Science
sim smi Name
zin zni Leave/Time off
Kadir Kadri Worth/Value
Kahr Kahr Anxiety
Karn Karn Stomach
Kast Kast Intention, purpose,
- Kast - Kast - deliberateness
Kayn Kayn Brother-in-law
Kayp Kayb Loss
Kesir Kesri Fraction (in maths)
Keif Kefi Discovery
Keyif Keyfi Pleasure
Ksm Ksm Part (of)
Metin Metni Text
Nabz Nabz Pulse
Nakil Nakli Transport
Nakit Nakdi Cash
Nazm Nazm Verse, poetry
Nefis Nefsi Self, personality
Nesir Nesri Prose
Neir Neri Publication, edition
- Neir - Neri - broadcasting
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Nutuk Nutku Speech, oration
Oul Olu Son
Resim Resmi Picture
Sabr Sabr Patience
Sath Sath Superficie, plane
Seyir Seyri Motion
Skt Skt Miscarriage
ekil ekli Form/Shape
kr kr Gratitude
Tavr Tavr Mode/Manner
Ufuk Ufku Horizon
Usul Usl Mode/Manner
Vakit Vakti Time, occasion
Vasf Vasf Characteristic, qualification
- Vasf - Vasf - quality
Zehir Zehri Poison
Zihin Zihni Intellect
Zulm Zulm Tyranny, cruelty
Adnz ne? - What is your first name?Adm Ali - My name is Ali.Soyadnz ne? - What is your surname?Soyadm Karaca - My surname is Karaca.
Finding out about a Third Person
The third person suffix is -i or - meaning - his, her, itsOnun ismi ne? - What is his name?
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Onun ismi Mehmet - His name is Mehmet.Onun ad ne? - What is her name?Onun ad Deren - Her name is Deren.Onun soyad ne? - What is his surname?Onun soyad Grses - His surname is Grses.
If we are talking about a third person remote from us we may ask the question: What is that man's name?. In this case we must translate the words "man's name" correctly by using the Possessive Relationship to show that the two words belong to each other.adamn ismi - the man's name - [Lit: the name of the man..]adamn ad - the man's nameadamn soyad - the man's surnameO Beyefendinin soyad ne? - What is that gentleman's surname? - [Lit: the surname of the man..]O Beyefendinin ismi ne? - What is that gentleman's name?
If we want to make the sentence more conversational we would normally say : I wonder what that lady's name is?. I wonder.... is simply translated by adding the word - acaba - at the beginning or end of the Turkish question.O Hanmefendinin ad ne, acaba? - I wonder what that lady's name is?Acaba, Mehmed'in soyad ne? - I wonder what Mehmet's surname is?Kz kardeinizin ismi ne, acaba? - What is your sister's name, I wonder?
Addressing Letters and Envelopes
There is an increasing use of addressing people by their surname - especially used on television in interviews etc.This method uses the word - Sayn - esteemed - before the surname directly. If the interviewee's name is Musafa Kurt, then he may be addressed as Mustafa bey - (formal and informal) or directly by his surname as Sayn Kurt - Esteemed Kurt - (formal and public) or Bay Kurt - Mr. Kurt - (polite and official). Bay - Mr. - and - Sayn - Esteemed - are usually spelt with capital letters, but they can be found without capital letters.
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Addressing Envelopes
Letter Addressed in Turkish Analysis of this Address
Sayn Mustafa Kurtekmece Mah.Uzunyol Sok. Nolu:24 D:6Baaras Ky02332 ZMR - TRKYE
Esteemed Mustafa Kurtekmece DistrictUzunyol Street No.24 Apt No. 6Baaras VillagePost Code. Postal County. Country
Some Abbreviations used in addresses
Sok. (Sokak) - StreetCad. (Cadde or Caddesi) - RoadBul. (Bulvar or Bulvar) - AvenueYol. (Yol) - Way, RouteMah. (Mahalle or Mahallesi) - Local District
D. (Daire) - Apartment, SuiteApt. (Apartman) - ApartmentK. (Kat) - FloorNo. (Numara) - NumberNolu. (Numarala) - Numbered
Greetings
In semi formal situations there is a four stage greeting procedure:
The Welcome: - ho geldiniz or less formal ho geldin - Welcome!. - This is answered by ho bulduk - We found it well!
The Greeting: - This is an exchange of merhaba - Hello
The Asking after Health Stage: - naslsnz? (formal) or naslsn? (informal) - How are you?
The Response: - This is is answered by yiyim, teekkr ederim - I am well, thank you. This then followed by a question about the other's health: siz naslsnz? - You, how are you?
gnaydn - good morning, good day, good afternooniyi gnler - good dayiyi akamlar - good evening - (said in arrival..)iyi geceler - good night - (said on leaving company..)
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grmek zere - see you soonhoa kal - so long - [Lit: stay joyful]Note that the plural is used in - "Good day, Good evening, Good night" - similar to the Spanish - "Buenos Das"
Listen to: FPRIVATE "TYPE=PICT;ALT=Speaker Icon" Hosa kal.. - Saying - "Cheerio.. Goodbye.."
Some Daily Informal Greetings
For an informal greeting like - Hi! - in English Turkish uses - Selam..! - to which the answer is the same - selam..!Also one can use - What's up..? - Na'ber..? Na'ber..? - is commonly used in everyday language. It is actually - Ne haber..? - What news..? [Lit: - It's good. ..and from you.?]. The answer is generally - iyidir, senden..?Another informal greeting is - ne var? ne yok..? - What is happening..? [Lit: What is there..(going on..?) What isn't there.. (going on..?)] - The answer to this one is - iyilik..! - Goodness..! Wellness..!
A Long Goodbye..
There is a "Formula Speak" that is used quite lot and is very common for saying your "Goodbyes". This is often used when leaving company or on going away to somewhere. The person(s) who are leaving will say - Allaha smalardk..! - goodbye..! - [a quasi religious-type formula].The answer said by those staying behind is - gle gle..! - Cheerio..! - [Lit: Go with a smile!].If you use this formula after visiting your Turkish friends they will be suitably impressed..
The Muslim Peace Greeting
selmnaleykm, (a Muslim peace greeting), answered by - aleykmselm This greeting is mainly used between passing strangers - normally both male - during travel or on entry to a crowded room, such as a tea house, when one cannot address everybody personally.
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Turkish Language - How to say - Too much.. Too many..
The translation of - too.., too much.. is a common difficulty for the student of Turkish. The dictionary equivalent is - fazla - in excess or lzumdan fazla - in excess of its necessity.
(1) Too .. meaning - "very..."However in daily conversational Turkish - ok - very - is used to convey the meaning too much.., too many...- In such a sentence as - I didn't buy it, it was too expensive. - the - "too" - should simply be translated by ok - very.- Onu almadm, ok pahalyd - I didn't buy it, it was too expensive.
(2) Too .. meaning - "overly.., excessively.."fazla - in excess - should be used where the context does not make sense by using ok - very- Baban, seninle fazla sabrldr - Your father is too patient with you.
(3) Too.. as "ability to.." or "inability to.."For the type of sentence - He was too tired to undress (himself) - where neither ok - very or fazla - in excess - is not suitable - Turkish uses a special comparative type construction.- Soyunamyacak kadar yorgundu - [Lit: He was tired the amount pertaining-to-his-future inability-to-undress.] - He was too tired to get undressed. This third form is explained in detail below..
Verb Forms - Basic Infinitive - -mek/-maksoymak - to undress somebody else
Reflexive Infinitivesoyunmak - to undress oneself
Negative Reflexive Infinitivesoyunmamak - not to undress oneself
Negative Potential Reflexive Infinitivesoyunamamak - not to be able to undress oneself
Future Relative Reflexive Participle - -ecek/-acak soyunacak - a future undressing of oneself
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Negative Future Relative Reflexive Participlesoyunmayacak - a future not undressing oneself
Negative Future Potential Relative Reflexive Participlesoyunamayacak - a future not being able to undress oneself
A further example of this type
The verb is basically gitmek - to go - which in this sentence takes the form of the Negative Potential - gidememek - not to be able to goSinemaya gidemeyecek kadar megulum - I am too busy to go to the cinemaThe construction for - too.. - therefore is - Future Potential Relative Participle + kadar + comparison verb + person
Aye, bu yl tatil yapamayacak o kadar hastaydAye, this year her-future-inability-to-make-a- holiday that-amount ill she was- Aye was too ill to go on holiday this year.
Araba gzel zaman iinde duramayacak kadar abuk sryorduThe car in-good-time its-future-inability-to-stop that-amount quickly was-going- The car was going too fast to be able to stop in time.