Dialogue

Vocabulary

Learn New Words FAST with this Lesson’s Vocab Review List

Get this lesson’s key vocab, their translations and pronunciations. Sign up for your Free Lifetime Account Now and get 7 Days of Premium Access including this feature.

Or sign up using Facebook
Already a Member?

Lesson Notes

Unlock In-Depth Explanations & Exclusive Takeaways with Printable Lesson Notes

Unlock Lesson Notes and Transcripts for every single lesson. Sign Up for a Free Lifetime Account and Get 7 Days of Premium Access.

Or sign up using Facebook
Already a Member?

Lesson Transcript

Introduction
Merhaba! Hello and welcome to Turkey Survival Phrases brought to you by TurkishClass101.com. This course is designed to equip you with the language skills and knowledge to enable you to get the most out of your visit to Turkey. You will be surprised at how far a little Turkish will go.
Now, before we jump in, remember to stop by TurkishClass101.com, and there you will find the accompanying PDF and additional info in the post. If you stop by, be sure to leave us a comment.
Turkish Survival Phrases, Lesson 14: Turkish restaurants. Placing an order.

Lesson focus

Finally, you've got a seat at a table. Now, it's time to order!
In this lesson, we'll cover how to ask for a menu, and then order your food and drinks.
Normally, you have to catch the waiter's attention, perhaps by raising your right hand a bit. Then, you'll ask for a menu. Menüyü alabilir miyim, lütfen? Me-nü-yü a-la-bi-lir m-iyim, lüt-fen? Once more, Menüyü alabilir miyim, lütfen?
Menü, unsurprisingly, means "menu." Me-nü. Menü. Alabilir means "can take." A-la-bi-lir. Alabilir. Miyim makes the sentence a question. Mi-yim. Miyim. And, I'm sure you remember that Lütfen means "please." Lüt-fen. Lütfen.
Here's the whole question again: Menüyü alabilir miyim, lütfen?
Because Turkish meals are so unique and diverse, you might have a hard time choosing something from the menu. Some restaurants offer one main dish and small side dishes, while others offer many small dishes.
On the menu, you'll generally find Başlangıç, "starters," a large variety of dishes. Corbalar ve salatalar, "soups and salads," and Ana yemekler, "main courses." Followed by Tatlılar, "desserts," and Içecekler, "drinks."
In 99% of the cases, the waiter or waitress will begin by asking what you'd like to drink. Ne içmek istersiniz? Let's break it down. Ne iç-mek is-ter-si-niz? Once more, Ne içmek istersiniz?
Ne means "what." Ne. Ne. İçmek, you may recall, means "drink." İç-mek. İçmek. İstersiniz means "would you like." İs-ter-si-niz. İstersiniz.
Again, the whole question is: Ne içmek istersiniz?
Now, let's look at some typical beverages Turks might have with dinner:
Beyaz şarap, "white wine." Be-yaz şa-rap. Beyaz şarap.
Kırmızı şarap, "red wine." Kır-mı-zı şa-rap. Kırmızı şarap.
Bira, "beer." Bi-ra. Bira.
Kola, "cola." Ko-la. Kola.
Su, "water." Su. Su.
Once you have looked at the menu, you can finally call the waiter for the order.
When you order in Turkey, you can just say the name of the dish you want and add Lütfen, which means "please." However, to be more polite, you should say the dish's name and then Istiyorum, lütfen. If you want to order more than one item, you can connect them with Ve, which means "and."
Now let's look at some good dishes you can find on a typical Turkish menu. These are relatively common, and you won't want to miss them on your journey in Turkey.
Köfte, "traditional meatball." Köf-te. Köfte.
Döner, "lamb meat cooked on a spit and sliced off to order." Dö-ner. Döner.
So if you want to order Köfte and a beer, you should say to the waiter, Köfte ve bir bira istiyorum lütfen. Köf-te ve bir bi-ra is-ti-yo-rum lüt-fen. Köfte ve bir bira istiyorum lütfen.

Outro

Okay, to close out today's lesson, we would you to practice what you have just learned. I will provide you with the English equivalent of the phrase and you're responsible for shouting it aloud. You have a few seconds before I give you the answer. So, Iyi şanslar, which means "good luck" in Turkish.
"Can I have a menu, please?" - Menüyü alabilir miyim, lütfen?
Me-nü-yü a-la-bi-lir m-iyim, lüt-fen?
Menüyü alabilir miyim, lütfen?
"What would you like to drink?" - Ne içmek istersiniz?
Ne iç-mek is-ter-si-niz?
Ne içmek istersiniz?
"I would like Köfte and a beer." - Köfte ve bir bira istiyorum lütfen.
Köf-te ve bir bi-ra is-ti-yo-rum lüt-fen.
Köfte ve bir bira istiyorum lütfen.
Alright. That's going to do for today. Remember to stop by TurkishClass101.com, and pick up the accompanying PDF. If you stop by, be sure to leave us a comment. Görüşürüz!

Comments

Hide