If you are planning a trip to Turkiye, I highly recommend learning a few phrases of Turkish. Turks are honored when foreigners try speaking their language and you will get lots of smiles by saying a few simple words in Turkish. If you know a few phrases, they may even say “Oh, you speak Turkish!”(I find this really funny considering, to English speakers, you have to be basically fluent to be able to say that you speak a language which is absolute nonsense and a common misconception.) There are so many situations where Turkish people were absolutely blown away by me speaking their language, even in the beginning when I could only say basic things. They might even give you little gifts or treats, which has happened to me on numerous occasions. Turkish people love foreigners (especially from the west) and are overjoyed to see people coming to their beautiful country. They are even happier when you take the time to learn a few Turkish words.
In contrast to many other countries, Turks will not laugh or think you’re a “dumb tourist” if you mispronounce words or say the wrong thing. As I said before, they are honored by your interest in their country, their language, and your embracement of their culture. They welcome all attempts with open arms so don’t worry about judgment. Just as an example, I have watched videos on Youtube about the Turkish language and there were numerous Turks in the comments expressing their sincere joy at people’s curiosity of Turkish. Let's get into the must-know basic phrases before your trip to Turkiye!
Note: In Turkish, it is uncommon to say "please" when making requests. Rather, they just reply with "thank you," which is why I didn't include "please" on this list.
Turkish words can look incredibly intimidating, however it is actually very simple to read. The difficulty is the pronunciation because it involves a heck of a lot of mouth movement. Here is a quick pronunciation rundown of letters that have different sounds than in English. The rest of the alphabet is the same except there is no "W" or "X."
Pronunciation hacks: all letters in Turkish only have one sound.
A is an "ah" sound
E as in "egg"
i is a long ē
ı is an "I" without a point and makes a short "I" sound as in "igloo"
O is like "o" in "orange"
Ö is a more dramatic sound and I don't believe it shows up in English. The best way I can describe it is if you pucker and lower your lips like Maggie Smith (professor McGonagall from Harry Potter) them then make an "ooh" sound.
U Is like "oo" in "shoe"
Ü can be described similarly to the dramatic Ö. Lower and pucker your lips like Maggie Smith (professor McGonagall from Harry Potter) and make an "ooo as in shoe" sound.
Other letters:
C makes a "J" sound always
Ç makes a "ch" as in "chat" sound
Ş makes an "sh" sound
J as in draje
Ğ is silent and you just make the previous vowel longer, say it twice essentially
Some things to know about Turkish:
Turkish is not related to Arabic in any way and comes from an entirely different family. It is closer to Korean & Japanese. Religious words are the same such as "Inshallah," or "god willing."
Pronouns are not gendered, "he" "she" and "it" are the same word.
It is a suffix-based language so things like pronouns, tenses, relative pronouns, etc are added at the end of the verb which means that an entire sentence can be put into one word. Case in point:
There is no stress on certain parts of words. In English, "present" is a gift, but "pre-SENT," stressing the second syllable, is a verb.
There is no equivalent for the word "get."
Greetings
Merhaba (short “e” sound as in “egg) - Our first phrase is pretty self-explanatory and simply a way of saying “hello,” and you can respond by simply repeating this back to the person.
Selamun Aleykum - This greeting is another way of saying hello, the religious (Arabic) version, and literally means “peace be upon you.” If someone says this to you, you can respond with “Aleykum Selam,” which means “peace be upon you, too.” I have never experienced any backlash or seen someone else receive backlash for using or responding to this greeting as a non-Muslim in Turkiye, Zanzibar, or Egypt. If someone greets me this way, which happens often, I simply respond in the way I just described. Upon asking Turks if it is offensive to greet someone with this phrase as a non-Muslim, I was told no and that, generally, it is seen in a positive light and it is often received positively as a sign of your interest in their culture. This may vary from culture to culture, but I truly don’t know. Honestly, if you are not Muslim, there's no real reason to use it.
Kolay Gelsin - This is a casual greeting you can use to greet employees working any job such as in offices, answering the phone, servers, grocery store workers, etc. The closest meaning in English would be “take it easy.” However, it is used when you greet someone who is working or say goodbye to them. Upon entering, you might say “Kolay gelsin,” or you can say it as you are leaving. My neighbor always says this to me when she sees me hanging the laundry or washing the windows.
Hoş geldin ( pronounced “hosh” - the “o” sounds like the “o” in “orange) - This phrase is how people are welcomed into restaurants, airplanes, homes, stores, etc and literally means “you came well.” You should respond with “Hos Bulduk,” which literally means “we found it well.”
Thanking people
Teşekkür ederim (te-shek-koor e-derr-ihm) - This one is a bit of a mouthful, I know and it means "I thank you." Those working in touristic areas will most likely teach you to say it with the phrase "tea sugar dream," which is super helpful. It is the most proper way of saying "thank you" and can be used with anyone at any time.
Teşekkürler - A little bit shorter than the last one, this translates to "thank you" or "thanks." It is not necessarily less formal, but it is more common among the younger generations. Again, you can use it with anyone at any time.
Sağol - This word is the informal version of "thanks" and can be quite rude, or slang, I suppose if used in the wrong context. I had no idea that it was only used with friends and no one ever corrected me - I found out myself 3 years later. However, to make it formal, all you have to do is add -un to the end, making it 'sağolun' and it becomes perfectly acceptable.
Phrases around food & drink
Afiyet olsun - You will hear this all the time upon your visit. It is a phrase that is the Turkish version of “bon appetit.” Turks say this to one another when they see them eating or drinking anything. I remember drinking a bottle of water when I first came to Turkiye and a server said “Enjoy your drink.” I thought this was strange, but figured it was because of his English level. Later on I realized that it wasn’t the case and is typically said anytime you see a person consuming something. If the person made the food or served it to you, you should reply with “Elinizi sağılık” which means literally “thank you for your hand.” In essence, it's thanking them for the effort of their hands.
Çay - Since Turks consume more tea than anyone else in the world, its important to know the word "çay." Tea is often offered throughout the day, after meals, and is always served with breakfast. It is an extremely important part of the culture and has to be offered to guests when they come into homes.
Şerefe - Quite simple, this is how you can say "cheers" in Turkish. Turkish people will often cheers you quite a few times throughout the night. If you want to try a traditional Turkish alcoholic beverage, I highly recommend trying Raki.
Saying goodbye
Görüşürüz (goo-roo-shoo-rooz) ("oo" like "shoe") - Fear not, it's not as intimidating as it looks. Commonly used, it directly translates to "see you." Similarly to English, you say this to friends or people you are likely to see again in the future.
Iyi Günler (pronounce "iyi" as one long ē) - This phrase simply means "good day" or "have a good day" and is used during parting in the daytime. Generally, you say hello as "Merhaba" or "Kolay Gelsin" (if the person is working) and you can use Iyi günler when you leave.
İyi akşamlar - Exactly like the previous example, this is used when parting and means "good evening." The only difference is the time of day it is used.
Iyi geceler - As you can guess, this phrase is also the same, however, it translates to "good night" and is used after about 10 or 11pm.
Key Takeaways
The Turkish language can be very intimidating, namely the long words and difficult pronunciation. However, do not let this stop you from giving it a go. No one will think less of you for making a mistake or saying the wrong thing. Instead, they will celebrate the fact that you are trying and have taken an interest in Turkish. Many times I think that we are afraid of looking like the dumb tourist. However, in Turkey, that kind of idea doesn’t really exist, unless you are completely, blatantly oblivious and do things like complain about the prayer calls. Believe it or not, I’ve seen it before. Even if you try some sort of food or attend a show that you thought was traditional, Turkish people won’t judge you for not knowing. Just give it your best shot and you will receive nothing but smiles from the other person.
Thank you for the pronunciation tips 😂