Speak Turkish

Learning to speak Turkish fluently may be a little more difficult than speaking most western European languages. However, when on holiday it’s useful to know a few words and phrases. Although English is widely spoken in Side, the Turkish residents will appreciate your interest in their language and help you in any way they can.

Linguaphone Turkish PDQ

To get you started here are a few common words and phrase.

Useful Turkish Words

English	Turkish	English	Turkish
*Yes*	*Evet*	*Water*	Su
No	*Hayir*	*Milk*	Süt
*Thank you*	*Tesekkür ederim*	Coffee	Kahve
No thanks	*Sagolun*	*Tea*	*çay*
*Hello*	*Merhaba*	*Beer*	*Bira*
*Good*	*Iyi*	*Wine*	*Şarap*
*Bad*	*Kötü*	*Bread*	*Ekmek*
*Big*	*Büyük*	*Fish*	*Balik*
*Small*	*Küçük*	*Rice*	*Pirinç*
*Hot*	*Sicak*	*Orange (fruit)*	*Portakal*
*Cold*	*Soguk*	*Lemon*	*Limon*
*Left*	*Sol*	*Burger*	*Burger*
*Right*	*Sag*	*Pizza*	*Pizza*
*Who?*	*kim?*	*Sugar*	*şeker*
*When?*	*Ne zaman?*	*Butter*	*Tereyaği*
*What?*	*Ne?*	*Knife*	*Biçak*
*Where?*	*Nerede?*	*Fork*	ç*atal*
*This*	Bu	*Spoon*	*Kaşik*
*Help!*	*Imdat!*	*Plate*	*Tabak*
*Cheers*	*Şerefe!*	*Glass*	*Bardak*
*Beach*	Plaj	*White*	Beyaz
*Bus*	*Otobüs*	*Black*	Siyah
*Taxi*	*Taksi*	*Brown*	*kahverengi*
*Hotel*	*Otel*	*Grey*	Gri
*Hospital*	Hastane	*Red*	Kırmızı
*Bank*	*Banka*	*Orange*	Turuncu
*Credit card*	*Kredi karti*	*Yellow*	*Sarı*
		*Green*	Yeşil
		*Blue*	*Mavi*
		*Purple*	*Mor*
		*Pink*	*Pembe*

Numbers 1 to 50

1 - bir	11 - on bir	21 - yirmi bir	31 - otuz bir	41 - kırk bir
2 - iki	12 - on iki	22 - yirmi iki	32 - otuz iki	42 - kirk iki
3 - üç	13 - on üç	23 - yirmi üç	33 - otuz üç	43 - kirk üç
4 - dört	14 - on dört	24 - yirmi dört	34 - otuz dört	44 - kirk dört
5 - beş	15 - on beş	25 - yirmi beş	35 - otuz beş	45 - kirk beş
6 - altı	16 - on altı	26 - yirmi altı	36 - otuz altı	46 - kirk altı
7 - yedi	17 - on yedi	27 - yirmi yedi	37 - otuz yedi	47 - kirk yedi
8 - sekiz	18 - on sekiz	28 - yirmi sekiz	38 - otuz sekiz	48 - kirk sekiz
9 - dokuz	19 - on dokuz	29 - yirmi dokuz	39 - otuz dokuz	49 - kirk dokuz
10 - on	20 - yirmi	30 - otuz	40 - kırk	50 - elli

Useful Turkish Phrases

Good morning
Good afternoon
Good evening
Good night
How are you?
Very well
What's your name?
My name is
Pleased to meet you
Excuse me!
What time is it?
How much is that?
I don't understand
I don't know
Where can I hire a car?
Where can I get a taxi?
Where is the beach?
Where is the shop?
What would you like to drink?
2 beers, please
The bill please
Compliments to the chef
I'm drunk
I love you
I love you too
We'll come back tomorrow

Günaydin
Tunaydin
Iyi aksamlar
Iyi geceler
Nasilsiniz?
Çok iyiyim
Adiniz ne?
Benim adim
Memnun oldum
Afedersiniz!
Saat kaç?
Kaç para?
Anlamiyorum
Bilmiyorum
Kiralik araba nereden bulabilirim?
Nereden taksi bulabilirim>
Plaj nerede?
Mağaza nerede?
Ne içersiniz?
Iki bira, lütfen
Hesap lütfen
Asçiya tebrikler
Sarhos oldum
Seni seviyorum
Ben de seni seviyorum.
Yarin yine gelecegiz

If you are interested in learning the Turkish language, I highly recommend the Linguaphone PDQ (Pretty Darn Quick) course. This is a quick language course consisting of 4 CDs and an easy to follow illustrated course book. Aimed at beginners, it covers around 500 everyday words and phrases presented in a fun but proven method of teaching.

The most difficult part of learning a new language is taking that first step. What I liked about this course was that it made that first step easy. As well as a gentle learning curve, the CD player in the car meant there was no excuse for not having the time to learn. It was also a bonus when caught in slow moving traffic.

Perhaps less obvious but more rewarding is that with the words and phrases learned, you will be able to barter better for bargains.

There are several good websites that offer online dictionaries. However, if you want business or legal documents translated from Turkish to English or from English to Turkish you can try the one of the Turkish Translation services on the web.