If you’re interested in different flavors and after some really delicious food, then you must be aware of Turkish food’s reputation as one of the tastiest cuisines worldwide.

Turkish cuisine is influenced by the Ottoman Empire. It’s known for its variety and its amazing flavor, and the foods you can expect to find varies based on region. While some regions have their own unique dishes, there are plenty of cases where those same dishes are made with different ingredients (or even different techniques) in other regions.

In this article, we’ll cover several Turkish foods that are worth tasting as well as a simple recipe you might want to try at home. Keep in mind that due to the cultural richness of Turkish cuisine, it’s impossible to mention all of the traditional Turkish foods here. You should consider finding a good Turkish cuisine restaurant near you to see—and try!—an even greater variety of dishes.

Are you ready to hear about all the mouthwatering food that awaits you?

Table of Contents

1. The 5 Best Turkish Foods to Try
2. A Typical Turkish Breakfast
3. Delicious Turkish Pastries
4. Kebabs and Meat Dishes
5. A Variety of Appetizers
6. Vegetable Dishes
7. Yummy Desserts
8. Food-Related Vocabulary
9. A Delicious Turkish Food Recipe
10. Final Thoughts

1. The 5 Best Turkish Foods to Try

I had to think hard about what to include here—not because there aren’t many good foods to pick from, but because there are so many wonderful Turkish cuisine dishes out there!

A- Mantı

This is the specialty of Central Turkey, and it’s originally from a city called Kayseri. 

Mantı is like miniature ravioli stuffed with meat, but it tastes a bit different. It consists of small boiled handmade dumplings filled with ground meat. It’s served topped with yogurt, garlic, chili powder, and melted butter. Some people prefer to add ground sumac and dried mint, as well.

B- Döner Kebap

This consists of seasoned meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie (also called a rotating spit). Actually, döner means “rotates.” The meat is sliced into long, thin strips and can be served in different forms:

• Served on a plate on top of sliced pita bread with melted butter over it.
• Served on a plate on top of sliced pita bread with tomato sauce, yogurt, and melted butter over it. This is called İskender Kebap.
• Wrapped in a lavash with tomatoes, lettuce, and onion. This is called dürüm.

C- Yaprak Sarma

Sarma means “wrapping,” and this popular Turkish dish is basically grape leaves stuffed with spicy rice or spicy ground meat. The rice version is cooked with olive oil and served cold, while the ground meat version is served hot. It’s usually accompanied by yogurt at the table.

Preparation of yaprak sarma takes quite a bit of time, but it’s definitely worth it.

D- Çiğ Köfte

Çiğ köfte consists of spicy patties made of ground beef, fine ground bulgur, onion, pepper, tomato paste, spices, and herbs. The vegetarian version is made without meat. This dish is popular in the southern part of Turkey.

E- Künefe

This is a very rich dessert. Fortunately, it’s pretty difficult to make at home, so it’s not something you can eat all the time!

It’s made of shredded pastry dough (bread crumbs) and cheese, then topped with pistachio nuts.

2. A Typical Turkish Breakfast

Now, here comes my favorite meal. Would you like to join me in setting the table for breakfast?

Let’s open the fridge and take out the following:

• Butter
• Cheese 
  • There are three preferred types of Turkish cheese: white (feta) cheese, tulum cheese, and kaşar cheese.
• Olives 
  • Black and/or green olives can be found at most Turkish breakfast tables.
• Tomatoes and cucumbers
• Jam 
  • Most people make their jams at home. You can’t imagine the variety of jams we have: sour cherry, peach, apricot, orange, strawberry, quince, fig, bergamot…we even have watermelon, walnut, eggplant, and rose jams!
• Eggs 
  • They can be boiled, omelet-style, or menemen. Menemen is basically scrambled eggs cooked lightly with tomatoes, onions, and peppers.

Bread—usually toasted or freshly baked—is another popular Turkish food for breakfast, though some people prefer different pastries. For example, simit (round dough covered with sesame seeds) and poğaça (containing cheese, olives, potatoes, etc.) are two other common pastries in Turkey.

Another ‘must’ at the table: Tea. Tea is definitely a huge part of Turkish food culture!

3. Delicious Turkish Pastries

Here are some Turkish pastries most people have a hard time saying no to:

A- Börek

Börek is the generic name for pastries made with yufka, which is like filo dough. 

This pastry is made up of thin layers of dough. The yufka for börek can be handmade or bought from a Turkish food market. Börek can have different ingredients in it (such as cheese, ground meat, spinach, or potatoes) and it can also come in different shapes (rolled, layered, etc.). Depending on its form, its ingredients, and the way it’s baked, it might have different names. For example:

• sigara böreği
• çiğ börek
• su böreği
• kol böreği 

This pastry can be served during any meal, as a snack, or at tea time.

B- Gözleme

First, a lavash bread is made. Then, fillings such as cheese, spinach, ground meat, and potatoes are placed on it and the bread is folded over the filling. It’s then baked on a large metal sheet, called a sac.

C- Pide

Pide is made of dough and filled with cheese, ground meat, or small cubes of seasoned meat. Some people describe it as being boat-shaped, which is a good way to picture it. This pastry is usually eaten in a restaurant, not made at home. 

D- Lahmacun

This is thin dough covered with a layer of spiced ground meat, tomatoes, peppers, and onions. Again, this is something we usually eat at a restaurant.

E- Katmer

Katmer is a rolled-out dough which can be sweet or salty depending on its filling.

4. Kebabs and Meat Dishes

Do you enjoy the succulent flavors of meat dishes? If so, here are some foods in Turkey you absolutely need to try! 

A- Kebabs

Attention meat-lovers: Get ready for all of these delicious kebabs.

There are many different types of kebabs, originating from all over Turkey. Each type is made with meat, but the similarities end there. The seasonings, cooking methods, and non-meat ingredients all differ, and they can come in various shapes. Here are the most popular ones:

• Adana kebap
• Beyti
• Çağ kebabı
• Çöp şiş
• Kağıt kebabı
• Orman kebabı
• Talaş kebabı
• Tandır kebabı
• Tas kebabı
• Urfa kebabı 

B- Meatballs

“Meatball” is köfte in Turkish. Meatballs are made of ground meat, and there are several unique varieties named after their city of origin. For example: 

• İzmir köfte
• Manisa köfte
• İnegöl köfte

Other types of meatballs include:

• Kasap köftesi
• Dalyan köfte
• Misket köfte 

C- Veggies with Meat

Here are a few Turkish dishes that contain a hearty dose of veggies along with the tasty meat. 

Karnıyarık

This consists of baked eggplants filled with ground meat, seasonings, and parsley, then covered in a tomato sauce.

Hünkar beğendi

This dish was inherited from the Ottoman Empire. It’s basically soft, marinated lamb cubes served on top of an eggplant, which is pureed with butter and melted kashar cheese.

Etli dolma

Dolma is a dish where vegetables such as bell peppers, eggplants, tomatoes, and zucchinis are stuffed. They may also be stuffed with spicy rice or ground meat. This is another dish inherited from the Ottoman Empire.

Etli taze fasulye

This is basically green beans cooked with tomato paste, ground meat, and onions.

And that’s not all! There are plenty of Turkish meat-and-veggie dishes you can try. Just search online for some Turkish food recipes to discover more dishes like these.

5. A Variety of Appetizers

“Appetizer” is meze in Turkish, and Turkish cuisine features a very rich appetizer selection. I’ll mention just a few of them here. 

• Acılı ezme: Made with mashed tomato with hot spices, onion, and green herbs
• Patlıcan salatası: Made with roasted eggplants, yogurt, and garlic
• Fava: Made with fava beans
• Kısır: Made with fine ground bulgur, tomato paste, onion, parsley, garlic, sour pomegranate juice, and spices
• Piyaz: Made with white beans, onions, and vinegar
• Cevizli biber: Made with red peppers, onions, pepper paste, and walnut

6. Vegetable Dishes

Vegetarians, are you still with me? Don’t miss out on these yummy veggie dishes.

Let me start with a very generic recipe. There’s a general term used to describe vegetables cooked with olive oil: zeytinyağlılar. To make this, green beans, peas, zucchinis, and kidney beans are cooked with tomatoes, onions, and olive oil. It’s served cold.

Now, let me list some more Turkish food for vegetarians:

• Baklalı enginar: Made with artichokes and fava beans; usually made in the summer
• Pırasa yemeği: Made with leeks, carrots, and rice
• Borani: Made with spinach, onions, yogurt, and garlic

7. Yummy Desserts

Now, here comes my favorite topic: delicious desserts!

A- Baklava

Baklava is probably the most popular and internationally recognized Turkish dessert. It’s made with handmade filo dough and consists of several layers. It contains chopped walnuts or pistachios, as well as syrup.

B- Güllaç

The history of güllaç goes back to the Ottoman Empire, and it’s usually served during Ramadan. It consists of thin and large dough layers, which are soaked in milk and rose water, and served with walnuts and pomegranate seeds.

C- Kazandibi

This is like a milk pudding, but the bottom part of it is burnt. This is another dessert inherited from the Ottoman Empire.

D- Aşure

This one is like a dense, sweet soup. It contains boiled beans, wheat, dried fruits, nuts, cinnamon, chestnuts, and rose water. There’s a legend about this dessert, according to which it was made for the first time on Noah’s Ark with seven different ingredients.

8. Food-Related Vocabulary

After learning about so many dishes, how about diving into a little Turkish food vocabulary? 

A- Talking About Food

• En sevdiğim yemek köftedir. (“My favorite food is meatballs.”)
• Ben maydanoz sevmem. (“I don’t like parsley.”)
• Ben vejeteryanım. (“I’m a vegetarian.”)
• Çileğe alerjim var. (“I’m allergic to strawberries.”)
• Karnım acıktı. / Ben açım. (“I’m hungry.”)
• Karnım tok. / Ben tokum. (“I’m full.”)
• Açlıktan ölüyorum. (“I’m starving.”)

B- Terms for Cooking

Here are some words used during food preparation! 

Actions

• Pişirmek (“To cook”)
• Fırında pişirmek (“To bake”)
• Kızartmak (“To fry”)
• Kesmek (“To cut”)
• Dilimlemek (“To slice”)
• Soymak (“To peel”)
• Doğramak (“To chop”)
• Rendelemek (“To grate”)
• Karıştırmak (“To mix”)

Ingredients

• Et (“Meat”)
• Sebze (“Vegetable”)
• Meyve (“Fruit”)
• Yağ (“Oil”)
• Su (“Water”)
• Tuz (“Salt”)
• Baharat (“Spice”)
• Un (“Flour”)
• Şeker (“Sugar”)

Utensils

• Çatal (“Fork”)
• Kaşık (“Spoon”)
• Bıçak (“Knife”)
• Tencere (“Cooking pot”)
• Tava (“Frying pan”)
• Ocak (“Range”)
• Fırın (“Oven”)

C- How to Order at a Restaurant

Finally, here’s how to order Turkish food at a restaurant:

• Menüyü görebilir miyim? (“May I see the menu?”)
• Ne önerirsiniz? (“What would you recommend?”)
• Su alabilir miyim lütfen? (“May I have water, please?”)
• Bu sos acı mı? (“Is this sauce spicy?”)

9. A Delicious Turkish Food Recipe

Hold on now, here comes a simple recipe for you to try making at home!

Let’s make a quick appetizer called havuçlu meze:

Ingredients:

• 4 medium carrots (peeled and grated)
• 500g yogurt
• 2-3 cloves of garlic (peeled and grated)
• ¼ bunch dill (chopped)
• 2 tbsp. of olive oil
• Salt (eyeball it)

Instructions:

1. First, heat the olive oil in a frying pan and then add the grated carrots.

2. Sauté them on medium heat until they soften.

3. Then add salt and stir.

4. Remove it from the range and let it cool.

5. Mix garlic and yogurt.

6. When the grated carrots are cooled, add your garlic yogurt and dill to it. Mix it altogether.

7. You can decorate it with parsley leaves before serving.

10. Final Thoughts

In this article, you learned about traditional Turkish food and some practical food-related vocabulary. 

Which Turkish food do you want to try most, and why? Have you already tried some of the foods we mentioned? We look forward to hearing from you! 

To get a better grasp of the Turkish language and culture, explore TurkishClass101.com and take advantage of our numerous audio and video lessons, themed vocabulary lists, and free resources (including this dictionary). If you have a Premium PLUS account, you can also learn and practice with a personal tutor using our MyTeacher service! And don’t forget to download the app for free so you can study anywhere, anytime. 

Until next time, happy eating!

I don’t know how you feel, but quotes always make me excited, no matter their country of origin. They open my eyes and my heart. It’s intriguing to ponder what people lived and experienced, whether good or bad, that inspired their words of wisdom! Some of these quotes inspire us, some motivate us, some make us think, and some teach us something!

We believe that quotes can also give you greater insight into a country’s language and culture. 

Are you ready to discover some great Turkish quotes with me? In this article, we’ll look at several Turkish quotes with translations in English, as well as some popular quotes from other languages translated into Turkish. This will give you the best of both worlds! 

Table of Contents

1. Quotes About Trust
2. Quotes About Hope
3. Quotes About Time
4. Quotes About Knowledge and Ignorance
5. Quotes About Money
6. Quotes About Other Topics
7. Rumi Quotes in Turkish
8. Learn More With TurkishClass101

1. Quotes About Trust

What does trust mean to you? Here are some Turkish trust quotes to help you gain cultural insight into how the Turkish perceive it. 

1	Quote in Turkish	Kadınlar beğenince değil, güvenince âşık olur.
	Literal Translation in English	“Women fall in love when they trust, not when they like.“
	This is an anonymous quote which shows the importance of trust for women.
2	Quote in Turkish	Bir ölümün bir de kaybolan güvenin telafisi yok bu dünyada.
	Literal Translation in English	“There is no compensation for either death or lost trust in this world.”
	This is another anonymous quote. It implies that losing trust in someone is as bad as death; just as trust cannot be recovered, neither can death be cured.
3	Quote in Turkish	İşin içine bir kere güvensizlik girdi mi, hiç bir şey eskisi gibi olmuyor.
	Literal Translation in English	“When there is distrust, nothing is as it was in the past.”
	This is another anonymous quote. It means that distrust damages relationships.

2. Quotes About Hope

Feeling discouraged or afraid of the future? Maybe one of these Turkish quotes about hope will motivate you to keep moving forward!

4	Quote in Turkish	En geveze kuş ümittir. Kalbimizde hiç susmaz.
	Literal Translation in English	“The most talkative bird is hope. It never stops in our hearts.”
	This is a quote by Cenap Şahabettin, who was a Turkish writer and poet. It means that our hearts are full of hope.
5	Quote in Turkish	Her kışın bir baharı, her gecenin bir sabahı vardır.
	Literal Translation in English	“Every winter has its spring and every night has its morning.”
	This is a quote by Bediüzzaman Said Nursi, who was an Ottoman scholar and the founder of the Nurism movement. Corresponding quote in English: “Every cloud has a silver lining.”
6	Quote in Turkish	Tünelin ucunda ışık görünmese bile, ışık varmış gibi yürümek ve ışığın görüneceğine inanmak gerekir.
	Literal Translation in English	“Even if there is no light at the end of the tunnel, it is necessary to walk as if there is light and believe that the light will appear.”
	This quote is by Amin Maalouf, who was a Lebanese-born French author. This quote encourages you to be hopeful even in hopeless situations.

3. Quotes About Time

Time plays an important role in our lives. The following Turkish quotes on life focus on the concept of time and how it applies to us.

7	Quote in Turkish	Boş zaman yoktur, boşa geçen zaman vardır.
	Literal Translation in English	“There is no free time, there is wasted time.”
	This is a quote by Tagore, who was a Bengali poet, short-story writer, playwright, essayist, painter, and composer. This quote points out the fact that making good use of our time is important.
8	Quote in Turkish	Bir insanın bir insana verebileceği en güzel hediye, ona ayırabileceği zamandır.
	Literal Translation in English	“The best gift a person can give to a person is the time he/she can devote to him/her.”
	This is a quote by Dale Carnegie, who was an American writer and lecturer. It reminds us how valuable it is to spend time with our loved ones.

4. Quotes About Knowledge and Ignorance

The world over, great thinkers have much to say regarding knowledge and ignorance. Following are some quotes in Turkish that touch on these topics.

9	Quote in Turkish	Bildiğim tek şey hiçbir şey bilmediğimdir.
	Literal Translation in English	“All I know is that I know nothing.”
	This deep quote is from the Greek philosopher Socrates. It tells us that no matter how much we know, there is always much more to learn, and we should never stop searching and learning.
10	Quote in Turkish	Cahile söz anlatmak, köre renk tarifi gibidir.
	Literal Translation in English	“To persuade an ignorant is like describing colors to a blind person.”
	This is a quote from İmam Evzai, who was a scholar and writer. The quote implies that it’s very difficult to deal with ignorant people.
11	Quote in Turkish	Dünyada her kötülük, daima cehaletten gelir.
	Literal Translation in English	“Every evil in the world always comes from ignorance.”
	This quote is from Albert Camus, who was a French Algerian philosopher, author, and journalist. It emphasizes how bad and dangerous ignorance is.
12	Quote in Turkish	Eylem halindeki cehaletten, daha korkunç bir şey olamaz.
	Literal Translation in English	“Nothing is scarier than ignorance in action.”
	This is a quote by Goethe, who was a German poet, novelist, playwright, critic, theatre director, scientist, and statesman. This quote also underlines the danger of ignorance.
13	Quote in Turkish	Cehalet, gönüllü talihsizliktir.
	Literal Translation in English	“Ignorance is voluntary misfortune.”
	This is a quote from De Segur, who was a French general and historian. With this quote, he meant that people choose to be ignorant, and that it’s a bad choice because it leads to misfortune.

5. Quotes About Money

Money is a crucial element of modern life, making it essential to manage it well. Here are a couple of quotes about money to shed some light on the topic.

14	Quote in Turkish	Para iyi bir hizmetçi, kötü bir efendidir.
	Literal Translation in English	“Money is a great servant, but a bad master.”
	This is a quote from Francis Bacon, who was an English philosopher and statesman. In saying it, he meant that those who know how to use and manage their money are those who make their money work for them. If people are not good masters of their money, then their money will start controlling them.
15	Quote in Turkish	İnsanın kazandığı paradan değil, paranın kazandığı insandan korkulur.
	Literal Translation in English	“It’s not to be scared of the money that man earns, but the man who is earned by money.”
	This quote is from Necip Fazıl Kısakürek, who was a Turkish novelist, playwright, poet, and Islamist ideologue. If someone is making money by spending some effort, that’s good; but if he or she is being bought by money, then it’s dangerous.

6. Quotes About Other Topics

Below are a few more Turkish quotes about life that didn’t quite fit into the other categories. Enjoy!

16	Quote in Turkish	Biz ayrı dünyaların insanlarıyız.
	Literal Translation in English	“We are from different worlds.”
	This quote has been used in many Turkish movies, usually between two lovers. It’s also used as a joke between friends in daily life.
17	Quote in Turkish	Açıklamalarla zamanınızı boşa harcamayın: insanlar sadece duymak istediklerini duyarlar.
	Literal Translation in English	“Don’t waste your time with explanations: people only hear what they want to hear.”
	This is a quote from Paulo Coelho, a Brazilian lyricist and novelist. He wanted to point out that some people are prejudiced, egocentric, and not open to new ideas or thoughts; if they’re not willing to listen, no matter what, they won’t hear you.
18	Quote in Turkish	Sevelim, sevilelim, bu dünya kimseye kalmaz.
	Literal Translation in English	“Let’s love, be loved, this world shall be left to no one.”
	This is by Yunus Emre, a poet and mystic who had a considerable impact on Turkish literature. He had great poems and quotes about love and human destiny. With this quote, he emphasized the fact that life is short and nobody is permanent in the world; he suggested not wasting the limited time we have and to love each other instead.
19	Quote in Turkish	Herkesin haksız olması, senin haklı olduğunu göstermez.
	Literal Translation in English	“The fact that everyone is wrong does not show that you are right.”
	Some people say this quote belongs to Aristotle, and some say it belongs to Camus. Based on my internet research, it seems to be anonymous.  This is a quote to awaken those who always consider themselves right.
20	Quote in Turkish	Herkes kalbinin ekmeğini yer.
	Literal Translation in English	“Everyone eats the bread of his/her bread.”
	Corresponding quote in English: “One reaps what one sows.”  This is a quote used by Seda Sayan, a Turkish singer and actress.
21	Quote in Turkish	İmkânın sınırını görmek için imkânsızı denemek lazım.
	Literal Translation in English	“It’s necessary to try the impossible, to see the limitations of the possibility.”
	This quote is from Fatih Sultan Mehmet, who was one of the well-known sultans in the Ottoman Empire and the Conqueror of Istanbul.  This is a very motivational quote about not giving up.

7. Rumi Quotes in Turkish

Some of the most famous Turkish quotes are those from Rumi, a poet, theologian, scholar, and Sufi mystic. He influenced many cultures, and today he’s considered a symbol of peace and tolerance.

I personally think that each and every one of his quotes is very valuable, but I’ll only include a few for the sake of this article. 

I’m curious to know if you’ve also found these Rumi quotes in Turkish inspiring and motivational. Let me know in the comments!

22	Quote in Turkish	İyi dostu olanın aynaya gereksinimi yoktur.
	Literal Translation in English	“The one who has a good friend does not need a mirror.”
	The meaning of this quote is a little deeper than it sounds. If your friend is good, you don’t need a mirror to see your imperfections. He or she will warn you about your imperfections and help you overcome them.
23	Quote in Turkish	Ya olduğun gibi görün, ya göründüğün gibi ol.
	Literal Translation in English	“Either look as you are or be as you look.”
	This quote is about being yourself and being honest about who you are.
24	Quote in Turkish	Bilmez misin ki cevap vermemek de cevaptır.
	Literal Translation in English	“Don’t you know that not answering is also the answer?”
	Sometimes silence means a lot. This quote suggests being wise with how you use your silence and your words.
25	Quote in Turkish	Ne kadar bilirsen bil, söylediklerin karşındakilerin anlayabileceği kadardır.
	Literal Translation in English	“No matter how much you know, what you say is as much as anyone can understand.”
	When communicating with others, we should consider the knowledge and experience of the other person and try to be as clear as possible. Otherwise, the knowledge we have won’t be conveyed or get us to the point.
26	Quote in Turkish	Bazı insanlar bize armağandır, bazıları ise ders.
	Literal Translation in English	“Some people are gifts to us, others are lessons.”
	Some people are like gifts; they make us happy and we treasure them. Others teach us lessons related to the bad experiences they bring to our lives.
27	Quote in Turkish	Gönülden dile yol olduğu gibi, dilden de gönüle yol vardır.
	Literal Translation in English	“As there is a path from heart to the tongue, there is also a path from tongue to the heart.”
	Rumi used this phrase at the end of a conversation with his son. He said: “If you don’t want anybody to harm you, then don’t say bad things and don’t have bad thoughts about him/her.” In essence, it means: “Kindness opens all the doors.”

8. Learn More With TurkishClass101

In this article, we presented you with several Turkish language quotes from Turkey and from around the world. From now on, you can impress your Turkish friends, colleagues, or even your boss, by using these quotes at just the right time.

Which one was your favorite, and why? 

Do you want to go even deeper into the Turkish language and culture? Then create your free lifetime account on TurkishClass101.com! We offer numerous audio lessons, tons of vocabulary lists, and free resources such as our Turkish-English dictionary.

Don’t forget that by signing up for a Premium PLUS account, you can take advantage of our MyTeacher service and practice with your own private teacher.

Better yet, you can download the app for free and use it wherever you are.

Last but not least, please continue to provide us with feedback about all of the resources provided at TurkishClass101.com!

Happy learning, and stay safe out there.

Will you be having a job interview with a Turkish company? Are you getting ready to work in Turkey or travel there for a business trip? If you answered “yes” to one of these questions, then here comes the next question: Do you think you’re ready for the challenge?

If not, don’t panic. Today, we’ll cover some basic business terms in Turkish and common Turkish business phrases. By the end of this article, you’ll be able to greet your colleagues or your future boss, introduce yourself, make travel arrangements, participate in meetings, and take care of correspondence in Turkish.

Let’s get started and make your transition to the Turkish business environment that much smoother!

Table of Contents

1. Turkish Terms Used in Business
2. Greetings and Introductions in Business
3. Interacting with Coworkers
4. Participating in a Meeting
5. Taking Care of Business Communications
6. Going on a Business Trip
7. Learn More Words, Terms, and Phrases with TurkishClass101

1. Turkish Terms Used in Business

First, let’s cover the very basics:

• İş (“Business”)
• İş adamı (“Businessman”)
• İş kadını (“Businesswoman”)

From this point on, we’ll classify the basic business terms in Turkish based on category so that you can remember them easily.

Company-related words

Here are some useful terms you can use when talking about a company:

Turkish	English
Şirket	Company
Kuruluş	Enterprise
Kurum	Corporation
Firma	Firm
Hissedar	Shareholder
Küçük ve orta ölçekli işletme	Small- or medium-sized business
Kâr amacı gütmeyen kuruluş	Non-profit organization
Anonim şirket	Joint-stock company
Çok uluslu şirket	Multi-national company
Uluslararası şirket	International company
Kurumsal firma	Corporate firm
Perakende	Retail
Toptan	Wholesale
Ana merkez	Headquarter
Şube	Branch
Yan kuruluş	Subsidiary
Bayi	Dealer
Ofis	Office
Büro	Office / Bureau
Departman	Department

You may also find our vocabulary list of Words and Phrases for HR and the Recruitment Process useful! 

Work-related terms

Here are some useful words for talking about jobs and work:

Turkish	English
Çalışmak	To work
İş	Business / Work / Job
Pozisyon	Position
İşveren	Employer
Personel	Personnel
Çalışan	Employee
İşçi	Worker
Patron	Boss
İş arkadaşı	Colleague
Kariyer	Career
Yönetim	Management
Üst	Superior
Müdür	Manager
Direktör	Director
Alt kademe	Subordinate
Staj	Internship / Apprenticeship
Stajyer	Intern / Apprentice
Sözleşme	Agreement
Kontrat	Contract
Vardiya	Shift
Fazla mesai	Overtime

Make sure to check out our Workplace vocabulary list to learn even more words along with their pronunciation.

Words about money 

Money is a very important instrument in nearly every aspect of life, especially in business. Let’s take a look at money-related terms in Turkish:

Turkish	English
Para	Money
Maaş	Salary
Ücret	Wage
En düşük ücret (Asgari ücret)	Minimum wage
Gelir	Income / Revenue
Net gelir	Net income / Net revenue
Brüt gelir	Gross income / Gross revenue
İkramiye	Bonus
Kâr	Profit
Bordro	Payroll
Hisse	Share
Vergi	Tax
Ön ödeme	Advance payment
Banka	Bank
Banka hesabı	Bank account

Want to learn more? Head over to our list of Money-Related Expressions for Everyday Life! 

2. Greetings and Introductions in Business

Greetings and introductions are very important in both business and social life. When doing business with Turkish companies, first impressions matter, so you need to have a good and impressive start!

Greetings

When greeting someone, you can use any of the following words, regardless of how formal the situation is.

• Merhaba. (“Hello.”)
• Günaydın. (“Good morning.”)
• İyi günler. (“Good day.”) *
• İyi akşamlar. (“Good evening.”) *

(*): You can also use these to say goodbye in both formal and informal situations.

If the situation is very informal, you can say:

• Selam. (“Hi.”)

To say goodbye in a formal manner, you can use one of these phrases:

• Hoşçakalın. (“Goodbye.”) [Literally: “Stay pleasantly.”]
• Görüşmek üzere. (“See you.”) [Literally: “Hope to see you.”]

To say goodbye to a coworker you’re close with, you can use any of the following words:

• Bay bay. / Bay. (“Bye bye.” / “Bye.”)
• Hoşçakal. (“Goodbye.”) [Literally: “Stay pleasantly.”]
• Görüşürüz. (“See you.”)

You can see our vocabulary lists on Common Ways to Say Hello and the Most Common Ways to Say Goodbye for more info!

Self-introductions

Giving a proper self-introduction is just as important as greeting. Here are some useful phrases you can use to introduce yourself when socializing, networking, or engaging in other business situations. 

• Ben Mary. (“I’m Mary.”)
• Benim adım Mary. (“My name is Mary.”)
• Benim ismim Mary. (“My name is Mary.”)

• Otuz yaşındayım. (“I’m thirty years old.”)
• Amerikalıyım ama artık Türkiye’de yaşıyorum. (“I’m American, but I live in Turkey now.”)
• Yale Üniversitesi’nden mezun oldum. (“I have graduated from Yale University.”)
• Ben yeni Satın Alma Müdürüyüm. (“I’m the new Purchasing Manager.”)

Don’t forget to read our article Turkish Greetings: How to Introduce Yourself in Turkish for more-detailed information and more useful phrases.

Job interviews

The job interview is a significant aspect of business life and might even have an impact on your future. It’s relatively easy to fill in a job application, pass a test, and even carry out a conversation over the phone, but what will happen when you’re having a face-to-face job interview in Turkish? 

Don’t worry! Below are some examples of questions that may be asked during the interview and some useful business phrases in Turkish one could use to answer them.

1. Bana eğitiminizden bahseder misiniz? (“Can you tell me about your education?”)

• Harvard üniversitesinden mezun oldum. (“I graduated from Harvard University.”)
• Finans okudum. (“I studied finance.”)
• Harvard Üniversitesi’nde işletme yüksek lisansı yaptım. (“I have an MBA degree from Harvard University.”)                                                         

2. Daha önce nerelerde çalıştınız? (“Where have you worked before?”)

• 4 yıl Unilever’de muhasebe departmanında çalıştım. (“I have worked at Unilever for four years in the accounting department.”)
• Şu an P&G’de finans müdürü olarak çalışıyorum. (“Currently, I’m working as a financial manager at P&G.”)

3. Kaç dil biliyorsunuz? Bunlar neler? (“How many languages do you speak? What are they?”)

• Ana dilim İngilizce. (“My mother tongue is English.”)
• Almanca biliyorum. (“I know German.”)
• Ve biraz da Türkçe. (“And also a little bit of Turkish.”)

Don’t get discouraged if you don’t understand something. Feel free to ask them to repeat what they said.

• Sorunuzu tekrar edebilir misiniz lütfen? (“Could you please repeat your question?”)
• Pardon anlayamadım. (“Pardon me, I couldn’t understand.”)

3. Interacting with Coworkers

Did you ace your job interview? Congratulations! Now it’s time to meet your new coworkers. Here are some practical Turkish business phrases you can use to communicate with your new work team.

Asking for help

Here are some business Turkish phrases that you can use to get help. Note that when the letters in parentheses are added, the questions become formal.

• Bana yardım edebilir misin(iz) lütfen? / Bana yardımcı olabilir misin(iz) lütfen? (“Can you help me, please?”)
• Bunu bana anlatabilir misin(iz) lütfen? (“Can you explain this to me, please?”)
• Bu sistemi nasıl kullanacağımı gösterebilir misin(iz)? (“Can you show me how to use this system, please?”)
• Bahsettiğin(iz) dokümana nasıl ulaşabilirim? (“How can I access the document you mentioned?”)
• Bilgisayarın şifresini verebilir misin(iz)? (“Can you give the password of the computer?”)

Showing appreciation 

No matter where you are in the organizational hierarchy, showing appreciation toward your colleagues and subordinates is an important element of motivation.

• Tebrikler! / Tebrik ederim! (“Congratulations!”)
• Katkılarınız için teşekkürler. (“Thanks for your contribution.”)
• Bu büyük bir başarı. (“This is a great success.”)
• Başarılarınızın devamını dilerim. (“I wish you continued success.”)
• İyi iş çıkardınız! (“Good job!”)

Expressing concerns

Of course, things in the garden aren’t always rosy! There will be times when you’ll have concerns you want to express. Here are some Turkish phrases for business to give you a voice in the matter:

• Ben bunu anlamadım. (“I didn’t understand this.”)
• Bana bu konuda bir bilgi verilmedi. (“I wasn’t informed about this.”)
• Bana bu konuda bir eğitim verilmedi. (“I wasn’t trained on this topic.”)
• Bunun için bütçemiz yok. (“We don’t have a budget for this.”)
• Bu kadar zamanda bu işi yetiştiremeyiz. (“We can’t get this job done within this time frame.”)
• Bu dokümanda bir hata var. (“There is an error in this document.”)
• Bununla ilgili bir veri yok. (“There is no data related to this.”)
• Bu toplantıyı ertelemeliyiz/öne çekmeliyiz. (“We must postpone/bring forward this meeting.”)

There are also a couple of idioms that you can use. Be careful not to sound like you’re complaining, though! 

• İşim başımdan aşkın. (“I’m overly busy.”)
• Başımı kaşıyacak vaktim yok. (“I don’t have time to catch my breath.”)

You can find more Essential Idioms to Make You Sound Like a Native Speaker on our website! 

Making apologies

Everyone makes mistakes, and the best way to stay on good terms with your colleagues or boss is to offer the proper apology. Here are some phrases you can use to do so:

• Özür dilerim, fevri davrandım. (“I apologize, I acted impulsively.”)
• Üzgünüm. (“I’m sorry.”)
• Yardımcı olamadığım için üzgünüm. (“I’m sorry, I couldn’t help.”)
• Bugün olanlar için üzgünüm. (“I’m sorry for what happened today.”)

If you want to learn more apology phrases, read our blog post on How to Say Sorry in Turkish. 

Making plans for after-work social activities 

If you want to ask your colleagues to go out after work, you can use any of the phrases below. Note that when the letters in parentheses are added, the questions become formal.

• İş çıkışı bir bira içmeye gidelim mi? (“Shall we go for a beer after work?”)
• Mesai sonrası bize katılmak ister misin(iz)? (“Would you like to join us after work?”)

Here are some questions you can ask to get to know your colleagues better during after-work activities:

• Hangi departmanda çalışıyorsun(uz)? (“Which department are you working in?”)
• Hangi proje üzerinde çalışıyorsun(uz)? (“Which project are you working on?”)
• Kaç yıldır burada çalışıyorsun(uz)? (“How many years have you been working here?”)

Make sure you check out our list of the Top 15 Questions You Should Know for Conversations to get more ideas!

4. Participating in a Meeting

Meetings are an indispensable aspect of business life. Let’s review some practical Turkish phrases for business meetings!

• Toplantı (“Meeting”)
• Toplantı ne zaman? (“When is the meeting?”)
• Toplantı nerede? (“Where is the meeting?”)
• Toplantı hangi odada? (“In which room is the meeting?”)
• Toplantı ne kadar sürer? (“How long will the meeting take?”)
• Herkes buradaysa, toplantıya başlayalım. (“If everyone is here, let’s start the meeting.”)
• Başka fikri olan var mı? (“Does anybody have any other ideas?”)
• Size katılıyorum. (“I agree with you.”)
• Ne yazık ki size katılmıyorum. (“Unfortunately, I don’t agree with you.”)
• Herhangi bir önerisi olan var mı? (“Does anybody have any suggestions?”)
• Sanırım bir sonraki konuya geçebiliriz. (“I think we can move on to the next topic.”)
• Çok verimli bir toplantı oldu. (“It was a very productive meeting.”)

5. Taking Care of Business Communications

Communication is an essential element of business. In this section, we’ll look at phrases you can use in Turkish business emails and over the phone.

Emails or letters

Nowadays, electronic correspondence is often used in place of traditional business letters. However, there are still situations where letters are sent out to public authorities or other businesses.

Anyhow, whether you’re writing a Turkish business letter or an email, there will be a:

Salutation Sentence

• Sayın Yetkili (“To whom it may concern”)
• Sayın Pam Carlton (“Dear Pam Carlton”)
• P&G Satın Alma Müdürlüğü’ne (“To the Purchasing Manager of P&G”)
• Merhaba Mehmet Bey (“Hello, Mr. Mehmet”) * 
• Bay Johnson merhaba (“Hello, Mr. Johnson”) **                   

(*) This is mostly used in email. Note that Mehmet is the person’s first name.

(**) This is mostly used in email. This time, the person’s last name is used.

Body and Conclusion of the Email

• Parting words
❖ Saygılarımla (“Sincerely yours”)
❖ Sevgiler (“Sincere/warm regards”)
❖ Selamlar (“Greetings” / “We salute you”) **
• Name, last name, and signature

(*) This is informal.

(**) This is neither formal nor informal. It’s somewhere in-between.

Business calls

While audio conference tools are very popular these days, phone calls are still an active part of worklife in Turkey.

Alo (“Hello”) is the most popular way to answer the phone in Turkish. You can use it when talking to your colleagues, but a receptionist wouldn’t normally answer the phone that way. In Turkey, business receptionists would probably start by saying the company name, and then ask:

• Size nasıl yardımcı olabilirim? (“How may I help you?”)

Here’s a possible answer:

• Mehmet bey ile görüşmek istiyorum. (“I want to talk to Mr. Mehmet.”)

Or:

• Beni muhasebe departmanına bağlayabilir misiniz? (“Can you connect me to the accounting department?”)

Here are a few more Turkish business phrases a receptionist might use:

• Hatta kalın lütfen. (“Please stay on the line.”)
• Sizi bir dakika bekleteceğim. (“I will have you wait for a minute.”)
• Mehmet Bey’in hattı meşgul. (“Mr. Mehmet’s line is busy.”)
• Mehmet Bey şu anda toplantıda. (“Mr. Mehmet is in a meeting now.”)
• Herhangi bir mesajınız var mı? (“Do you have any messages?”)
• Daha sonra tekrar arayabilir misiniz? (“Can you call again later?”)
• Notunuzu ileteceğim. (“I will forward your note.”)

Want to be prepared for your next Turkish phone call? Check out our list of Useful Phrases for a Phone Call to learn more phrases and hear their pronunciation.

6. Going on a Business Trip

Here are a few phrases you can use when buying a ticket or checking in at a hotel:

• Merhaba. 23 Nisan için İstanbul’a bir uçak bileti istiyorum. (“Hello. I want a flight ticket to Istanbul for April 23.”)
• Cam kenarında bir koltuk istiyorum. (“I want a seat by the window.”)
• Tek kişilik bir oda istiyorum. (“I want a single room.”)
• Akşam yemeği saat kaçta? (“What time is dinner?”)

Prepare for your travels well in advance with our list of the Top 30 Travel Phrases You Should Know!

7. Learn More Words, Terms, and Phrases with TurkishClass101

By now, you’ve learned many Turkish business phrases that you can start practicing today. Do you think you’re ready to participate in a meeting or go through your job interview in Turkish? 

If you think you need more practice with Turkish phrases for business, visit TurkishClass101.com! We provide numerous audio recordings, tons of vocabulary lists, and free resources (including our Turkish-English dictionary), all of which you can refer to for detailed information about the Turkish language and culture.

Note that we also provide the Premium PLUS service MyTeacher, which allows you to practice with a private tutor. If you’re busy or prefer learning on your own time, you can download the app for free and use it wherever you are.

Happy Turkish learning, and good luck with your business endeavors!

Learning a new language is a challenge, and let’s face it—it can be pretty boring at times.

Sitting at a table, buried in textbooks, trying to understand the finer points of grammar… This way of learning can be very difficult, especially for those who are auditory or visual learners. But did you know that you can balance out your learning experience and make it more fun? Just watch some videos! 

If you’re bored with the traditional way of learning Turkish, YouTube can make all the difference! Turkish YouTube videos will expose you to the language and culture, and help you learn grammar and vocabulary in a way that’s more fun and natural. In addition, watching videos is a great way to improve your listening comprehension skills.

Interested? In this article, we’ll present our picks for the top ten Turkish YouTube channels for learners. We’ve made sure to include channels in a variety of categories and levels, so you’re sure to find something that interests you!

Table of Contents

1. Learn Turkish with Mehtap
2. Yasin Durak
3. Türkçe
4. Ruhi Çenet
5. Evrim Ağacı
6. Netd Müzik
7. Cem Yılmaz
8. Mösyö Taha
9. Nefis Yemek Tarifleri
10. Learn Turkish with TurkishClass101.com on YouTube
11. TurkishClass101 – A Single Resource for All!

1. Learn Turkish with Mehtap

Category: Language
Level: All levels

On this Turkish YouTube channel, Mehtap offers friendly and fun videos where she teaches viewers about the language and culture. But that’s not all! She also has a few videos about Turkish cuisine, so don’t miss out on the chance to get some recipes for delicious Turkish food. 

To give you an idea of what to expect, here’s a video from her channel:

While you learn Turkish online, YouTube channels like this one will help you reach fluency before you know it! Mehtap caters to all learner levels, so regardless of where you are on your language learning journey, she has some great content for you.

2. Yasin Durak

Category: Language
Level: Beginner & Intermediate

Yasin Durak teaches Turkish with simple examples, and he provides some of the best lessons about Turkish grammar on YouTube. What I like about his videos is that, when introducing new words, he repeats their pronunciation once or twice to make sure it’s clear. His videos are good for beginners and intermediate level learners.

You can watch the following video to get a better idea about Yasin Durak’s videos:

3. Türkçe

Category: Language
Level: Beginner

This channel is a little different from the others. While it provides the same type of Turkish lessons, the ones on this channel are offered in two different languages: Russian and English. This means that Russian speakers who don’t speak English can learn Turkish more easily.

Below is an A1 level video from the channel:

4. Ruhi Çenet

Category: Informative
Level: Advanced

Ruhi describes his channel as “The adventure of reading yourself, the world and the universe …”

He talks about a lot of different and interesting topics, usually offering a number of facts on a given topic. For example, he has videos about animal-built structures, an artificial sun, and facts about English people. This Turkish language YouTube channel covers so many different things that you’ll never get bored! 

Below is a sample video you can watch:

This channel will not only teach you new words, but also demonstrate how they’re used in context—perfect for the advanced learner! 

5. Evrim Ağacı

Category: Scientific
Level: Advanced

This is one of the largest, most visited, and most popular science channels in Turkey. There are a lot of videos, covering a range of topics. To give you an idea, here are some video titles that might draw your attention:

• Ay Tutulmasına Dair Bilmeniz Gereken Her Şey! – “Everything You Need To Know About Lunar Eclipse!”
• Hemofobi: İnsanları Neden Kan Tutar? Bazıları Kan Görünce Neden Bayılır? – “Hemophobia: Why Does Blood Affect People? Why Do Some People Pass out When Seeing Blood?”
• Bakteri ve Virüs: Sizi Hasta Eden Hangisi? Aralarındaki Farklar Neler? – “Bacteria and Virus: Which One Makes You Sick? What are the Differences between Them?”
• Houston Doğa Tarihi ve Bilim Müzesi’ne Bir Yolculuk! – “A Journey to the Houston Museum of Natural History and Science!”
• NASA’nın Uzaylıların Görmesini İstediği 115 Fotoğraf! – “115 Photos NASA Wants Aliens to See!”

Here’s a sample video that you can refer to:

By keeping up with this channel, you’ll not only improve your Turkish, but also gain some general knowledge.

6. Netd Müzik

Category: Music
Level: Intermediate & Advanced

Ready to learn Turkish and jam out to popular Turkish songs? YouTube channel Netd Müzik is the official broadcasting platform of music video clips in a variety of genres, from Turkish pop music to alternative music. These videos are provided from contracted music production companies.

This channel is very popular, with about 17 million followers. It’s not hard to see why: You can find music videos from both new singers and old favorites (like superstars Ajda Pekkan and Tarkan).

Here’s a video clip of Tarkan to cheer you up and give you an idea of the platform’s offerings:

Who knows? After a while, you may be able to sing a couple of lines from a Turkish song for your friends!

7. Cem Yılmaz

Category: Comedy
Level: Advanced

Cem Yılmaz is one of the most popular comedians in Turkey. This is his official YouTube channel, where he shares up-to-date posts about his ideas and art. There are also videos of his stand-up shows.

Advanced learners can gain insight into what makes Turkish people laugh, learn more vocabulary, and improve their listening skills. And best of all, your Turkish jokes may just bring down the house one day; I wouldn’t be surprised! 

Below is a sample video of Cem Yılmaz. You can see for yourself that watching his videos is a fun way to improve your Turkish: 

8. Mösyö Taha

Category: Entertainment
Level: Intermediate & Advanced

If you’re a Potterhead (for those who don’t know: a true Harry Potter fan), Mösyö Taha has your name written all over it. He has a good-sized Harry Potter collection, which he shares in his videos. On his channel, you can also expect:

• Concert clips featuring Harry Potter music
• Contests related to Harry Potter
• Videos about the films’ locations
• Other interesting Harry Potter-related videos

Here’s a sample video that you might find interesting: 

9. Nefis Yemek Tarifleri

Category: Food
Level: Intermediate & Advanced

This Turkish cooking YouTube channel is also very popular, with followers from all over the world. Each video shares practical, easy, and delicious recipes from Turkey (and the world). 

You can gain a lot of insight into Turkish culture through these videos, as well. Turkish cuisine is largely influenced by the Ottoman Empire, and every region in Turkey has different culinary traditions. 

Let’s have a look at one of the videos, and see which recipe they shared with us:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYyP0vwkV4g

If your meal planning has been getting dull, you now know where to find tons of yummy recipes while improving your Turkish. You can even impress your friends by inviting them over for a Turkish meal! 

 10. Learn Turkish with TurkishClass101.com on YouTube

Category: Language
Level: All levels

The TurkishClass101 YouTube channel is the best, quickest, simplest, and most fun way to learn Turkish. We offer quite a number of videos designed to help you benefit from all the methods of learning Turkish.

We teach you grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation, and help you build your listening comprehension, writing, and speaking skills. We even introduce you to Turkish culture and traditions!

Here’s a sample video that will give you an idea of what you’ll find on our channel:

Make sure to bookmark our channel for later! You’ll be amazed with all the progress you make.

11. TurkishClass101 – A Single Resource for All!

In this article, I presented you with the best YouTube channels for learning Turkish and having fun at the same time. I hope you enjoyed sampling the different channel flavors, from comedy to scientific information.

When you set out to learn Turkish, YouTube is undoubtedly a very useful and effective tool. What’s more? It reinforces your learning and enhances your Turkish skills in a number of areas. 

However, don’t forget that TurkishClass101.com is a single resource that has all the tools you need to learn Turkish. We provide numerous audio recordings, tons of vocabulary lists, and free resources (such as our Turkish-English dictionary), to help you get a better grasp of Turkish. And in the event that you have questions or concerns, you can always contact us and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. 

Note that we also have a MyTeacher service for Premium PLUS members, which allows you to practice with a private teacher.

Finally, you can download the app for free and use it wherever you are.

Which of these YouTube channels are you most excited to check out, and why? Are there any good ones we missed? Let us know in the comments!

Do you think first impressions matter? I think they definitely do! Never underestimate the power of a friendly hello and a sincere goodbye! 

In one of our previous articles, we covered different ways of saying hello in Turkish. Now, let’s move forward and discuss how to give the perfect Turkish goodbye in any situation. Like in any other language, there are numerous ways to say goodbye in Turkish, and the one you use depends on the context.

In this article, we’ll teach you many different ways to say goodbye in Turkish so you can leave a good impression. We’ll start with the most common ones! Start with a bonus, and download the Must-Know Beginner Vocabulary PDF for FREE!(Logged-In Member Only)

Table of Contents

1. The Most Common Ways of Saying Goodbye in Turkish
2. More Specific Ways to Say Goodbye
3. Gestures Used to Say Goodbye in Turkey
4. Practice Your Turkish Language Goodbyes with TurkishClass101!

1. The Most Common Ways of Saying Goodbye in Turkish

In Turkish, there are both formal and informal ways of saying goodbye. In the following sections, we’ll show you the most common ones in each category so you can be sure you’re using the best Turkish word for goodbye in any situation!

A- Informal 

You can use the following Turkish goodbye phrases with friends, family, and other people you’re close to.

Turkish	English	Tips
Baybay.	“Bye-bye.”	This is the easiest one, and it can save you in a pinch if you forget the other ones.
Bay.	“Bye.”	This is usually used among teenagers.
Hoşçakal.	“Goodbye.”	Literally, it means “Stay pleasantly.”
Görüşürüz.	“See you.”	Literally, it means “We see each other.”
Sonra görüşürüz.	“See you later.”	Literally, it means “We see each other later.”
Kendine iyi bak.	“Take care.”	The exact meaning is “Take care of yourself.”

B- Formal 

You can use these expressions when saying goodbye to older people or people you don’t know very well. 

Turkish	English	Tips
Hoşçakalın.	“Goodbye.”	Literally, it means “Stay pleasantly.”
Görüşmek üzere.	“See you.”	Literally, it means “Hope to see you.”
Tekrar görüşmek üzere.	“See you again.”	Literally, it means “Hope to see you again.”
Kendinize iyi bakın.	“Take care.”	Literally, it means “Take care of yourself.”

2. More Specific Ways to Say Goodbye

Now, let’s look at how to say goodbye in Turkish when a generic phrase just won’t do. 

A- Bye until ___. / See you ___.

Here are some useful phrases to use when you know you’ll be seeing the person again: 

Turkish (Informal)	Turkish (Formal)	English
Şimdilik hoşçakal.	Şimdilik hoşçakalın.	“Bye for now.”
Perşembe görüşürüz.	Perşembe görüşmek üzere.	“See you on Thursday.”
Haftaya görüşmek üzere.	Haftaya görüşmek üzere.	“See you next week.”
Salıya dek hoşçakal.	Salıya dek hoşçakalın.	“Bye until Tuesday.”
Cumaya kadar hoşçakal.	Cumaya kadar hoşçakalın.	“Bye until Friday.”

B- When someone is traveling

When you’re seeing someone off, it’s always nice to wish them well during their travels. 

Turkish (Informal)	Turkish (Formal)	English
İyi yolculuklar.	İyi yolculuklar.	“Have a good trip.”
Güle güle git, güle güle gel.	Güle güle gidin, güle güle gelin.	The literal translation is “Go by laughing, come by laughing.”
Yolun açık olsun.	Yolunuz açık olsun.	“May your way be open.”
Allah’a emanet ol.	Allah’a emanet olun.	“May Allah be with you.”

C- Saying goodbye on the phone

When you’re ending a phone call, you can use any of these phrases to say goodbye, regardless of how formal or informal the situation is:

• İyi günler. (“Have a good day.” / Literally: “Good days”)
• İyi akşamlar. (“Have a good evening.” / Literally: “Good evenings”)
• İyi geceler. (“Goodnight.” / Literally: “Good nights”)

Keep in mind that these phrases aren’t limited to phone calls; you can also use them when saying goodbye in other situations.

And here are two phrases you can only use in informal situations:

• Öptüm. (“I kissed you.”)
• Öpüyorum. (“I kiss you.”)

D- Saying goodbye forever 

If you’re saying goodbye to someone you may never see again, there are a few ways you can wish them well for the last time:

• Elveda. (“Farewell.”)
• Yolun açık olsun. (“May your way be open.”)
• Allah’a emanet ol. (“May Allah be with you.”)

E- When you have to leave

If you have to head off somewhere, but someone else is staying behind, you can use this phrase:

• Allahaısmarladık. (“Bye-bye.” / Literally: “Entrust you to God.”)

If you’ve been invited to someone’s home and it’s time to leave, you can say goodbye with one of these phrases:

• Bize de bekleriz. (“Visit us, too.” / Literally: “We wait for you to our place as well.”)
• Bize de buyrun. (“Visit us, too.” / Literally: “We wait for you to our place as well.”)

F- When someone else is leaving

If you’re seeing someone off, you can say: 

• Güle güle. (“Goodbye.”)

If someone has visited you at your house, and they need to leave now, you can say:

• Yine bekleriz. (“Come again.” / Literally: “We wait for you again.”)

G- Other situations

When someone is going on vacation or leaving for a holiday, you can say:

• İyi tatiller. (“Have a good vacation.”)

When someone is going to a social event such as a party, a concert, or a movie, you can say:

• İyi eğlenceler. (“Have fun.”)

When you, or the person you’re talking to, is going to bed, you can say:

• İyi geceler. (“Goodnight.” / Literally: “good nights”)
• İyi uykular. (“Sleep well.” / Literally: “good sleeps”)
• Allah rahatlık versin. (“Goodnight.” / Literally: “May Allah give you comfort.”)

When saying goodbye in the Turkish language, don’t forget to throw in some slang if you’re with friends! 

• Kaçmam lazım. (“I have to run.” / Literally: “I have to escape.”)
• Ben çıktım. (“I’m leaving.” / Literally: “I’m out.”)
• Ben gittim. (“I’m gone.” / Literally: “I went.”)

We covered a lot of words and phrases! To hear and practice their pronunciation, please refer to the audio recordings in our “Goodbye in Turkish” vocabulary list. 

3. Gestures Used to Say Goodbye in Turkey

In most cultures, people have certain gestures they use when saying goodbye, and Turkey is no different! 

There are many gestures that you’re likely familiar with already: 

• Waving to a friend or family member
• Blowing a kiss to someone you’re close to
• Giving someone you’re close to a kiss on the cheek or a hug 
• Shaking hands with people you don’t know well

But there are quite a few gestures that are unique to Turkey!

For example, in Turkish culture, it’s completely normal for men to kiss each other on the cheeks when greeting or saying goodbye. To better illustrate why this is so important, let me share one of my memories with you: 

I was living in the U.S., and my parents came to visit me. I had a Turkish friend whose husband was American, and my parents and I got together with them many times. After a while, my dad kissed this gentleman on the cheeks when seeing them off, thinking that they were becoming friends. Guess what? The next day, my friend’s husband kindly asked me to tell my dad not to kiss him again. Although he was familiar with Turkish culture, this parting gesture was very bothersome for him. Of course, we respected his opinion and my dad shook hands with him from then on. If you experience something similar while in Turkey, don’t be surprised!

Another gesture that’s common in Turkey, but not in the U.S., is to kiss someone’s hand and then put that person’s hand on your own forehead. This is done as a symbol of respect when you’re saying hello or goodbye to older people. Some people might prefer not to kiss the hand, and will instead put the hand on their chin and then on their forehead.

4. Practice Your Turkish Language Goodbyes with TurkishClass101!

After reading all of this information on how to say goodbye in Turkish, will you be able to say “goodbye” to me once you reach the end of this article? (I’m sure you can do it!)

If you think you still need to practice your goodbyes, though, you can explore TurkishClass101.com for relevant lessons and materials. And don’t forget our premium MyTeacher program, which allows you to practice one-on-one with a private teacher. 

Is that all? Of course not! TurkishClass101 also has tons of vocabulary lists and other free resources (like this Turkish-English dictionary) to help you get a better grasp of Turkish.

And better still, you can download the app for free and use it wherever you are.

Last but not least, please continue to provide us with feedback about all of the resources provided at TurkishClass101.com!

Hoşçakalın, görüşmek üzere…

Pronouns, in general, help to prevent repeating nouns, which can be annoying. During conversations

or while writing, one should avoid doing this for the sake of clarity. Redundancy only causes confusion.

Pronouns in Turkish language-learning are essential, because having a good command of Turkish pronouns will help you be a better, more efficient speaker and writer of the language. Pronunciation is also key; check out this Turkish pronouns list to hear the correct pronunciation of each word and expand upon your pronouns in Turkish vocabulary. 

Make sure you’re pronouncing the whole word, because every letter counts. Turkish is a very efficient language and relies heavily on short suffixes (sometimes made up of just one letter) to get the message across. Unlike in English, Turkish words may take on different suffixes, some of which express grammatical tenses. There’s an order to how the different types of suffixes are added; according to this order, the personal pronoun suffixes are added at the end of the word, as the last suffix.

Take a look at this example:

• Ben gelmiştim.
  “I had come.”

In the English sentence, grammatical tense is expressed through the word “had.” In the Turkish sentence, instead of using a separate word, we add the suffix -miş (for past tense), then we add the pronoun ending -m to state that the subject is the first person singular.

But not all pronouns are formed this way. There are two types of Turkish pronouns:

1. Stand-alone pronouns 
2. Pronouns that are added as suffixes

It’s important to know both kinds, because failing to use them correctly could lead to misunderstandings. We’ll cover each kind below as we look into different forms of pronouns and learn through Turkish pronouns examples. Make sure to find the most efficient and unique way you’re able to learn this important grammar topic. When studying pronouns in Turkish, lessons like this are helpful, but can only go so far.

Table of Contents

1. Turkish Personal Pronouns
2. Turkish Possessive Pronouns
3. Demonstrative Pronouns in Turkish
4. Turkish Interrogative Pronouns
5. Turkish Indefinite Pronouns
6. Turkish Relative Pronouns
7. The Turkish Reflexive Pronoun
8. Suffixed Pronouns in Turkish
9. Things to Remember about the Use of Turkish Pronouns
10. Conclusion

1. Turkish Personal Pronouns

Personal pronouns are the most common type of pronoun. Here, we’ll go over personal pronouns in Turkish, phrases to help you understand how they work, and more information. 

1- 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Person Singular Pronouns

• Ben (I): Ben çok yoruldum. “I am very tired.”

• Sen (you) Sen çok yoruldun. “You are very tired.”

• O (he/she) O çok yoruldu. “He/she/it is very tired.”

• Please note that the third singular person o is a Turkish gender-neutral pronoun.

• Unlike in English, in Turkish we add a suffix to the verb to emphasize the person. In daily life or conversational writing, Ben çok yoruldum could be replaced by a mere Çok yoruldum. Omitting the stand-alone pronoun doesn’t change the meaning. But stating it helps to emphasize that the subject is the first person.

• Even when using stand-alone pronouns, we must take care to add the appropriate endings to the verb. As you can see in the examples above, we add  -m, -n, and no endings to the verb for the first, second, and third person respectively.

2- 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Person Plural Pronouns

• Biz (we):       Biz çok yorulduk. “We are very tired.”

• Siz (you):     Siz çok yoruldunuz. “You are very tired.”

• Onlar (they): Onlar çok yoruldular. “They are very tired.”

• The first, second, and third persons require adding a -k, -nuz, and -lar, respectively, to emphasize the subject.

A. Object Forms: 

• Ben (Me)
  Beni seviyorlar.
  “They love me.”

Add suffix: i, ı, o, ö, u, or ü according to the vowel pattern.

B. Formal / Honorific or Informal / Casual Forms: 

Biz; Siz (We; You) are used like the royal “we.” The plural meaning doubles as an honorific.

Example: 
Biz size emrettik.
“We ordered you.”

Here, both “we” and “you” are used formally and have plural meanings.

C. Direct Forms:

 Add -i: 
Ali ipi aldı.
“Ali took the string.”

Explanation:
ip + i

2. Turkish Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns are what allow you to identify the owner of something without using the same noun over and over. Learn about Turkish possessive pronouns in this section to increase your Turkish skills and knowledge. 

Add -m to ben; add -n to sen; add nothing to o. 

Example: Benim kalemim. “My pencil.”

     Senin kalemin. “Your pencil.”

     Onun kalemi. “His/Her pencil.”

3. Demonstrative Pronouns in Turkish

Here are some demonstrative pronouns with examples of them in sentences. Notice the suffix that emphasizes the person respectively. 

Bu (This):
Bu kalem benim.
“This pencil is mine.”

Bunlar (These):
Bu kalemler benim.
“These pencils are mine.”

Plural (add -ler to the noun) 

O (That):
O kalem benim.
“That pencil is mine.”

Onlar (Those):
O kalemler benim.
“Those pencils are mine.”

Plural (add -ler to the noun)

1- Add a suffix (-ler/lar) to Make Plural: 

Bu beyaz.            “This is white.”
Bunlar beyaz. “These are white.”

2- Demonstrating Place: Burada; Orada: 

Burada (Here):
Ev burada.
“The house is here.”

Orada (There):         
Ev orada.
“The house is there.”

4. Turkish Interrogative Pronouns

• Ne (What):
  Sen ne hazırladın?
  “What did you prepare?”

• Hangisi (Which):
  Hangisi senin?
  “Which (one) is yours?”

• Kim/Kimin (Who/Whom/Whose):
  O elbise kimin?
  O elbise kimin?

• Nerede (Where):
  Senin evin nerede?
  “Where is your house?”

• Ne zaman (When):
  Ne zaman eve geldin?
  “When did you come home?”

• Neden (Why):
  Neden ekmek aldın?
  “Why did you get bread?”

5. Turkish Indefinite Pronouns

• Herkes (everyone/everybody):
  Herkes sevilmek ister.
  “Everyone wants to be loved.”

• Her yer (everywhere):
  Her yer karanlık.
  “Everywhere is dark.”

• Her şey (everything):
  Her şey hazır.
  “Everything is ready.”

• Birisi (Someone/somebody):
  Birisi benim çantamı getirmiş.
  “Somebody brought my bag.”

• Bir yer/bir yerler (somewhere):
  Ekmek satan bir yer biliyor musun?
  “Do you know somewhere we can get bread?”

• Bir şey (something):
  Sen bir şey saklıyorsun!
  “You are hiding something!”

• Hiç kimse (no one/nobody):
  Hiç kimse onu sevmiyor.
  “No one likes him/her.”

• Hiçbir yer (nowhere):
  Hiçbir yer İstanbul’a benzemez.
  “There’s nowhere like Istanbul.”

• Hiçbir şey (nothing):
  Bana hiçbir şey almadı.
  “He bought me nothing.”

• Kimse/Herhangi biri (anyone/anybody):
  Kimse var mı?
  “Is anybody there?”

• Herhangi bir yer (anywhere):
  Ben istediğim herhangi bir yere gidebilirim.
  “I can go anywhere I want.”

• Herhangi bir şey (anything):
  Herhangi bir şey istiyor musun?
  “Do you want anything?”

6. Turkish Relative Pronouns

Turkish relative pronouns are as follows:

• Which (hangi)
• That (o)
• Who (kim)
• Whom (kim)
• Whose (kimin)

In Turkish, you usually add a suffix to the noun even though you’ve used a relative pronoun:

relative pronoun + noun + relative suffix

Example 1:
Hangi ev senin? O ev benim.
“Which house is yours? That is mine.”

Example 2:
Kim ödevini yaptı?
“Who did their homework?”
Explanation: ödevini (ödev + ini)

Example 3:
Kimin kedisi miyavladı?
“Whose cat meowed?”
Explanation: kedisi (kedi + si)

7. The Turkish Reflexive Pronoun

The pronoun kendi (or “myself” in English) is used to emphasize the subject. You may see a personal pronoun plus the reflexive pronoun in the same sentence. Take a look at this example:

• Ben keki kendim yedim.
  “I ate the cake by myself.”

The meaning is the same when we omit the word kendim, but adding it emphasizes the fact that “I” was the one who ate.

According to the person, the reflexive or intensive pronoun kendi takes on different pronoun suffixes.

Singular

• Kendim
  Myself

• Kendin
  Yourself

• Kendi
  Himself/Herself

Plural

• Kendimiz
  Ourselves

• Kendileri
  Yourselves

• Kendileri
  Theirselves/Themselves

8. Suffixed Pronouns in Turkish

1. Motion Toward Suffixes

Add -e/-a to imply moving toward an object/person:

Bana (to me)

Sana (to you)

Ona (to him/her)

Bize (to us)

Size (to you)

Onlara (to them)

Examples:

Bana gidelim. Sana gidelim. Ona gidelim. (Singular: Let’s go to my / your / his place.)

Bize gidelim. Size gidelim. Onlara gidelim. (Plural: Let’s go to our / your / their place.)

2. Static Condition Suffixes

Add -de-da to a pronoun to imply a condition:

Bende (with* me)

Sende (with you)

Onda (with him/her)

Bizde (with us)

Sizde (with you – plural)

Onlarda (with them)

*note: depending on the context -de can be also translated as “in, on, at”

Examples:

Çanta bende. Çanta sende. Çanta onda. (Singular: The bag is with me / you / him.)

Çanta bizde. Çanta sizde. Çanta onlarda. (Plural: The bag is with us / you / them.)

3. Motion Away Suffixes

Add -den/-dan to imply moving away from something:

Benden (from me)

Senden (from you)

Ondan (from him/her)

Bizden (from us)

Sizden (from you – plural)

Onlardan (from them)

Examples:

Kedi benden kaçtı. Kedi senden kaçtı. Kedi ondan kaçtı. (Singular: The cat ran from me / you / him.)

Kedi bizden kaçtı. Kedi sizden kaçtı. Kedi onlardan kaçtı. (Plural: The cat ran from us / you / them.)

9. Things to Remember about the Use of Turkish Pronouns

Turkish pronouns and suffixes are short, but they add loads of meaning to a word or a whole sentence. Turkish differs from English in the way it relies heavily on suffixes to convey meaning quickly and easily. 

Here are a few points to take care of when using pronouns:

• The nasal -m and -n endings: The first and second person suffixes are both nasal sounds and may be easily confused. Take care not to. You could add a pronoun to emphasize which person you’re referring to, if this is helpful to you.

• Turkish is a genderless language. When it comes to Turkish pronouns, gender doesn’t matter; there’s no gender-specific pronouns for the third person. This is something that may take getting used to for English-speakers. You may need to add a noun after the pronoun, such as kadın meaning “woman,”  kız meaning “girl,” adam meaning “man,” or oğlan meaning “boy” to specify who you’re referring to.

Examples:

• Onu gördün mü? 
  “Did you see him/her?”

• Kimi gördüm mü?
  “Who are you talking about?”

• O kızı gördün mü?
  “Did you see her?”

• Because pronouns are used to replace nouns, it’ll be useful to strengthen your vocabulary with more nouns and adjectives. Having an expansive vocabulary will enable you to express yourself better. You can practice from noun lists and lists of adjectives to support your language-learning.

Once you get the hang of it, pronouns aren’t that hard to master. Make sure to practice reading and listening to Turkish so you’re immersed in the language for long periods and are exposed to all the sentence and word patterns.

Next, how about exploring further with adverbs and phrases for connecting thoughts? 

10. Conclusion

Before you go, let us know in the comments how you feel about Turkish pronouns so far. Do you find them difficult still, or are you getting the hang of it? We look forward to hearing from you!

Learn Turkish pronouns at TurkishClass101! You’ll find a wealth of resources and fun ways to engage in learning Turkish, including more insightful blog posts like this one and free Turkish vocabulary lists to help you broaden your word knowledge! Learning a new language can seem like an impossible task at times, but know that with enough determination and hard work, you’ll be speaking, reading, and writing Turkish like a native!

Have you ever played with Legos or blocks? You may find this question odd, so let me explain. 

I think that words resemble individual Legos or blocks. If you put them together randomly, you’re not going to build a meaningful structure. The same is true for words. 

Depending on the characteristics of a language, words have to be in a certain order to form meaningful sentences. You can’t just put one after the other with a hit-or-miss approach. This makes Turkish word order and sentence structure a can’t-miss aspect of learning the language.

Would you like to learn about word order in Turkish grammar and basic sentence structure in Turkish? Then I recommend that you read through this article carefully and take notes on the most significant points.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction to Turkish Sentence Structure
2. First Stop: SOV Word Order in Regular Sentences
3. Second Stop: Word Order in Inverted Sentences
4. Third Stop: Word Order in Elliptical Sentences
5. Next Stop: Word Order in Prepositional Phrases
6. Another Stop: Placing Modifiers in a Turkish Sentence
7. Turning Simple Turkish Sentence Structures into Complex Ones
8. The Journey isn’t Over Yet!

1. Introduction to Turkish Sentence Structure

Word order is basically the sequence in which words are placed in a sentence. As I mentioned above, it’s important to learn this because placing words in the wrong order will result in nonsense, ambiguity, confusion, and incorrect sentences.

Now, let’s learn about word order in Turkish grammar!

The typical Turkish word order is SOV (Subject-Object-Verb), which means that the subject comes first, followed by an object, and then a verb. Let’s go over what a subject, object, and verb are:

• A subject is the person or thing that performs the action.
• An object is a noun or noun phrase that the verb affects.
• A verb is a word that represents an action or state.

Here’s an example:

• Ben Türkçe öğreniyorum. – “I am learning Turkish.”

    Subject    Object   Verb   (SOV)

Hang on to your hat now; I have good news. Turkish word order is more flexible than word order in English! You can put an object or a verb at the beginning of a sentence. The meaning won’t change, but the word you’re stressing will definitely change. 

Here are some examples of how Turkish language word order can vary:

Subject-Object-Verb	Ben kızımı özlüyorum.	“I miss my daughter.”
Subject-Verb-Object	Ben özlüyorum kızımı.	“I miss my daughter.”
Object-Subject-Verb	Kızımı ben özlüyorum.	“I miss my daughter.”
Object-Verb-Subject	Kızımı özlüyorum ben.	“I miss my daughter.”
Verb-Subject-Object	Özlüyorum ben kızımı.	“I miss my daughter.”
Verb-Object-Subject	Özlüyorum kızımı ben.	“I miss my daughter.”

As you can see, I mixed the word order quite a bit and still expressed the same thing. However, the emphasis is on different words, which are indicated in blue text.

There’s one point that I emphasize in almost all of the articles I write, and that is: Turkish personal pronouns are usually not used in sentences. This is because the suffixes at the end of verbs imply the pronoun.

There are different types of sentences in Turkish, based on certain factors. We’ll just take a look at the types according to the sequence of words. These types are:

• Regular sentences
• Inverted sentences
• Elliptical sentences

Now let’s begin dissecting the word order rules in Turkish for regular sentences.

2. First Stop: SOV Word Order in Regular Sentences

In the regular Turkish sentence structure, verbs are placed at the end.

1- Positive Sentences

•  Yarın alışverişe gideceğim. – “I will go shopping tomorrow.”
•  Okul bugün başladı. – “The school started today.”
• Bugün çok hastayım. – “I am very sick today.”

2- Negative Sentences

• Yarın alışverişe gitmeyeceğim. – “I won’t go shopping tomorrow.”
• Okul bugün başlamadı. – “The school didn’t start today.”
•  Bugün hasta değilim. – “I am not sick today.”

3- Imperative Sentences

• Buraya gel! – “Come here!”
• Acele et! – “Hurry up!”
• Çeneni kapa! – “Shut up!”

4- Interrogative Sentences

There are two different types of interrogative sentences:

A- Questions with Question Words

In regular sentences, question words usually come first. However, they can also come right before the verb without changing the meaning. The verb is placed at the end of this type of interrogative sentence. 

• Ne zaman alışverişe gideceksin? – “When will you go shopping?”

Alışverişe ne zaman gideceksin?

• Hangi okula başladın? – “Which school did you start?”
• Neden hastalandın? – “Why did you get sick?”
• Nereye gideceksin? – “Where will you go?”
• Bugün ne yapacaksın? – “What will you do today?”

B- Yes-or-No Questions

To create a yes-or-no question, interrogative particles (-mı,-mi, -mu, -mü, and their conjugated forms) are placed at the end, and the verbs come right before them.

• Yarın alışverişe gidecek misin? – “Will you go shopping tomorrow?”
• Okul bugün başladı mı? – “Did the school start today?”
• Bugün hasta mısın? – “Are you sick today?”

3. Second Stop: Word Order in Inverted Sentences

In this case, verbs can be placed anywhere in the sentence, except at the end. 

Inverted sentences are usually used:

• In daily conversations
• In poems
• In proverbs (to make the words rhyme)
• As short answers to questions

1- Positive Sentences

• Alışverişe gideceğim yarın. – “I will go shopping tomorrow.”
• Okul başladı bugün. – “The school started today.”
• Çok hastayım bugün. – “I am very sick today.”

2- Negative Sentences

• Alışverişe gitmeyeceğim yarın. – “I won’t go shopping tomorrow.”
• Bugün başlamadı okul. – “The school didn’t start today.”
• Hasta değilim bugün. – “I am not sick today.”

3- Imperative Sentences

• Gel buraya! – “Come here!”
• Kapa çeneni! – “Shut up!”
• Çık dışarı! – “Get out!”

4- Interrogative Sentences

• Alışverişe gidecek misin yarın? – “Will you go shopping tomorrow?”
• Bugün başladı mı okul? – “Did the school start today?”
• Hastalandın mı bugün? – “Did you get sick today?”
• Ne zaman gideceksin alışverişe? – “When will you go shopping?”
• Ne yapacaksın bugün? – “What will you do today?”
• Nerede seyrettin o filmi? – “Where did you watch that movie?”
• Neden gelmediniz dün? – “Why didn’t you come yesterday?”

4. Third Stop: Word Order in Elliptical Sentences

Sentences that don’t have verbs are called elliptical sentences. As you’ll remember, there aren’t separate words for “is” and “are” in Turkish, but there are suffixes that are added to the nouns. These suffixes give the meaning of the verb “to be.” In noun clauses, if the “to be” verb is skipped, then they become elliptical sentences. There’s also another case in which the verb is omitted and the reader is expected to complete the sentence.

1- Sentences Where the Judgment is Up to the Reader

• Yepyeni bir başlangıç… – “A brand-new start…”
• Şahane bir manzara… – “Fantastic scenery…”
• Akıllıca! – “Reasonable!”

2- Noun Clauses

• Orası çok uzak. – “That place is too far.”
• O güzel bir kız. – “She is a beautiful girl.”

3- Coordinating Conjunctions

• Önce yemek, sonra oynayabilirsin. – “First food, then you can play.”
• Önce süt, sonra yatmalısın. – “First milk, then you have to go to bed.”
• Haydi, duşa, sonra da akşam yemeği yiyeceğiz. – “Come on to the shower, and then we will have dinner.”

5. Next Stop: Word Order in Prepositional Phrases

Prepositional phrases give us more details about nouns and verbs in a sentence. Basically, they help us understand a sentence better. They might function as adjectives or adverbs.

Prepositions normally come after a noun in Turkish. For example: Araba [noun] ile [preposition] (“By car”).

A preposition forms a prepositional phrase when it combines with the preceding words or word groups. It becomes a modifier in this case. In Turkish, the modified element is placed at the end. However, in prepositional phrases, it’s a dependent element and is placed at the beginning. This is a situation that doesn’t follow the rules.

For example:

İstanbul’a araba ile gidecekler. – “They will go to Istanbul by car.”

Here are more examples of the word order in Turkish sentences when prepositional phrases are used:

• Benim için sorun yok. – “No problem for me.”
• Okula doğru yürüdüm. – “I walked towards school.”
• Bir çiçek kadar güzelsin. – “You are as beautiful as a flower.”
• Çocuğun gürültüsüyle uyandı. – “He/she woke up from the noise of the child.” 
• Ok gibi kirpikleri var. – “He/she has eyelashes like arrows.”
• Uykusuzluğuna rağmen arabayı kullandı. – “Despite his/her sleeplessness, he/she drove the car.”

1- Adverbs of Manner

If a preposition is grouped with an abstract word, then it becomes an adverb of manner. An adverb of manner is usually placed before the verb, and it expresses how the action is performed.

• Bana sevinçle sarıldı. – “He/she hugged me happily.” (How did he/she hug?)
• Soruları hızlıca yanıtladı. – “He/she answered the questions quickly.” (How did he/she answer the questions?)

2- Adverbs of Time

Some of the time-related words become adverbs of time when grouped together with other words. These adverbs are located at the beginning of the sentence, unless the sentence has a subject.

• Sabaha kadar ders çalıştık. – “We studied until the morning.” (How long did we study?)
• Akşama doğru vardık. – “We arrived towards the evening.”

3- Adverbs of Place

Adverbs of place are generally placed before the verb. However, unlike adverbs of manner, they can be placed in other parts of a sentence.

• Beri gel, konuşalım. – “Come near me, so we can talk.”
• Öğretmen içeri girdi. – “The teacher came inside.”

 

6. Another Stop: Placing Modifiers in a Turkish Sentence

What is a Modifier?

It’s a word, phrase, or clause that functions as an adjective or adverb. A modifier provides additional information or details about another word or word group for more emphasis, thus changing or clarifying a sentence.

A modifier can also be a group of words that gives more information about a noun to answer the “which” question. Other ones are groups of words that answer the “when,” “where,” “how,” or “why” questions.

A noun can modify another noun by taking place immediately before it:

• Mutfak masası – “Kitchen table”
• Trafik lambası – “Traffic light” 

Present participles can modify nouns:

• Gülümseyen çocuk – “Smiling kid”
• Koşan adam – “Running man”

Past participles can modify nouns:

• Yanmış ekmek – “Burnt bread”
• Sönmüş balon – “Deflated balloon”  

   Demonstrative adjectives:

• Şu ev – “That house”
• Bu anahtar – “This key”

In Turkish, modifiers are always used before nouns, except for certain cases when the modifiers come after the pronoun or noun. 

Prepositional phrases: We covered this topic above.

Adjective clauses:

•  Bahçede basketbol oynayan çocuklar – “Children who are playing basketball in the garden”
• Sokakta bağıran çocuklar – “Children who are screaming on the street”

Articles: Only the indefinite article bir is used before nouns in Turkish:

• Bir tren – “A train”
• Bir ülke – “A country”

There’s no definite article “the” as a separate word in the Turkish language. When definite nouns or pronouns are used as an object, then they take the -ı, -i, -u, or -ü suffixes based on the vowel harmony rules.

Definite nouns as objects:

• Defter – i aldım. -“I took the notebook.”
• Atkı – (y)ı yıkadım. – “I washed the scarf.”

Proper nouns as objects:

When proper nouns are used as objects, they also get the -ı, -i, -u, or -ü suffixes based on the vowel harmony rules. Unlike in English, proper nouns can be used with definite articles in Turkish, meaning that they also take suffixes. 

• Geçen hafta Mary’yi gördüm. – “I saw Mary last week.”
• James’i özledim. – “I missed James.”

Pronouns as objects:

• Biz-i unuttunuz. – “You forgot us.”
• O-nu özledim. – “I missed him/her/it.”

 If a definite noun is used as the subject of a sentence, it does not need the suffixes mentioned above.

• Annem bana bir kedi aldı, ama kedi kaçtı. – “My mother bought me a cat, but the cat ran away.”

Similarly, when active sentences are transformed into passive ones, the objects that become subjects don’t take the suffixes:

• Kırmızı bardağı kırdım. – “I broke the red glass.” (Active voice)
• Kırmızı bardak kırıldı. – “The red glass was broken.” (Passive voice) 

Possessive pronouns:

In Turkish, there aren’t separate words to express possessive pronouns. However, the -m, -ım, -im, -um, and -üm suffixes (in conjugated forms) come after the pronoun to make it possessive.

• Benim – “My”
• Onların – “Their”

Possessive pronouns can be ignored because the nouns they’re modifying also take suffixes, which imply the possessive pronoun. However, if you need to emphasize the possessive pronoun for some reason, then you can use it in the sentence.

• Benim odam çok küçük. – “My room is very small.”
• Odam çok küçük. – “My room is very small.”

• Sizin arabanız nerede? – “Where is your car?”
• Arabanız nerede? – “Where is your car?”

The infinitives can also be used in noun compounds. There are four kinds of infinitives in Turkish:

1. The -mek and -mak infinitives. Ex: gelmek (“to come”) and oynamak “(to play”). These infinitives are not used in noun compounds.

2. The -me and -ma infinitives. Ex: gelme (“to come”) and oynama (“to play”).

•  Çocuğun ağlaması hepimizi üzdü. – “The child’s crying saddened all of us.”
• Yemeğin pişmesini bekliyorum. – “I’m waiting for the food to cook.”

3. The -dik, -dık, -dük, -duk, -tik, -tık, -tük, and -tuk infinitives.

• Kızımın neden ağladığını bilmiyorum. – “I don’t know why my daughter is crying.”
• Ne istediğini söylemelisin. – “You must say what you want.”

4. The -iş, -ış, -üş, and -uş infinitives. They’re used as subjects or objects in sentences.

• Onun dönüşünü bekliyorum. – “I’m waiting for him/her to return.”
• Güneşin batışını seyrediyorum. – “I’m watching the sunset.”

7. Turning Simple Turkish Sentence Structures into Complex Ones

Now that the theory part is over, I’m sure everything will fall into place in this section. I’m about to give you plenty of examples to study and practice with.

I’ll start with a simple Turkish sentence structure and keep adding to it. 

• Okula gideceğim. (“I will go to school.”)
• Yarın okula gideceğim. (“I will go to school tomorrow.”)
• Yarın saat yedide okula gideceğim. (“I will go to school at seven tomorrow.”) 
• Yarın saat yedide kardeşimle okula gideceğim. (“I will go to school with my sibling at seven tomorrow.”)
• Yarın saat yedide kardeşimle yürüyerek okula gideceğim. (“I will go to school by foot with my sibling at seven tomorrow.”)
•  Yarın saat yedide kardeşimle yürüyerek okula mı gideceğim? (“Will I go to school by foot with my sibling at seven tomorrow?”)
• Yarın saat yedide kardeşimle yürüyerek nereye gideceğim? (“Where will I go by foot with my sibling at seven tomorrow?”) 
• Yarın saat yedide yürüyerek kimle okula gideceğim? (“With whom will I go to school by foot at seven tomorrow?”)

• Kahve içtim. (“I drank coffee.”) 
• Bir fincan kahve içtim. (“I drank a cup of coffee.”) 
• Bir fincan Türk kahvesi içtim. (“I drank a cup of Turkish coffee.”) 
• Bir fincan şekersiz Türk kahvesi içtim. (“I drank a cup of Turkish coffee with no sugar.”)
• Arkadaşımla bir fincan şekersiz Türk kahvesi içtim. (“I drank a cup of Turkish coffee with no sugar with my friend.”) 
• Bu sabah arkadaşımla bir fincan şekersiz Türk kahvesi içtim. (“This morning,I drank a cup of Turkish coffee with no sugar with my friend.”) 
• Bu sabah bir kafede arkadaşımla bir fincan şekersiz Türk kahvesi içtim. (“This morning, I drank a cup of Turkish coffee with no sugar at a cafe with my friend.”) 
• Bu sabah bir kafede arkadaşımla bir fincan şekersiz Türk kahvesi mi içtim? (“Did I drink a cup of Turkish coffee with no sugar at a cafe with my friend?”) 
• Bu sabah arkadaşımla nerede bir fincan şekersiz Türk kahvesi içtim? (“Where did I drink a cup of Turkish coffee with no sugar with my friend?”)

• Onun dönüşünü kutladık. (“We celebrated his/her return.”) 
• Dün gece onun dönüşünü kutladık. (“Last night, we celebrated his/her return.”) 
• Dün gece bir restoranda onun dönüşünü kutladık. (“Last night, we celebrated his/her return at a restaurant.”) 
• Dün gece bir restoranda arkadaşlarımızla onun dönüşünü kutladık. (“Last night, we celebrated his/her return at a restaurant with our friends.”) 
• Dün gece bir restoranda arkadaşlarımızla onun dönüşünü coşkuyla kutladık. (“Last night, we celebrated his/her return with joy with our friends at a restaurant.”) 
• Dün gece bir restoranda arkadaşlarımızla onun dönüşünü coşkuyla mı kutladık? (“Did we celebrate his/her return with joy with our friends at a restaurant last night?”) 
• Dün gece bir restoranda arkadaşlarımızla neyi coşkuyla kutladık? (“What did we celebrate with joy with our friends at a restaurant last night?”)

8. The Journey isn’t Over Yet!

Do you feel better about Turkish word order and sentence structure now, after seeing how flexible they are compared to English? Do you think the journey ends here with this article? 

Of course not! 

Now it’s time for you to practice making more complex sentences. I highly recommend that you visit TurkishClass101.com to use our free resources as well as our Premium PLUS service, MyTeacher, upon upgrading.  

Please note that your feedback about your experience with TurkishClass101 will be greatly appreciated, as always.

Happy learning!

Compliments! Tell me who doesn’t like compliments. I believe that even those who say they don’t like compliments enjoy them deep inside.

Complimenting is a very human thing, and it can be done anywhere, anytime. However, you need to be very careful about it if you’re not a native speaker and you’re complimenting someone whose culture you’re not familiar with. You wouldn’t want to be embarrassed or hit with a purse, would you?

In this article, we’ll talk about how to compliment in Turkish, as well as when you should avoid complimenting. With the Turkish compliments in this article, you can bring a smile to anyone’s face!

Let’s start with the basics:

“Compliment”                                         – İltifat; kompliman; övgü

“Compliments” (plural)                          – İltifatlar; komplimanlar; övgüler

“Compliments” (as a separate word)      – Selamlar; saygılar; tebrikler

Now that you’ve learned the most important words related to compliments, it’s time to learn the top Turkish compliments you can use for different occasions to express your gratitude, appreciation, admiration, and likes.

Table of Contents

1. Compliments on Someone’s Look and Character
2. Praising Someone at Work
3. Kudos in Social Life
4. When and Where to Avoid Complimenting
5. What’s Expected After a Compliment
6. You Will Do Great!

1. Compliments on Someone’s Look and Character

In this section, we’ll talk about Turkish compliments you can use for someone’s physical appearance or his/her character.

1- Physical Characteristics

You’re fascinated with a Turkish woman’s beauty, and you would like to express your feelings. Here are some Turkish compliments for girls that you can use:

Turkish (Formal)	Turkish (Informal)	English
Ne kadar güzelsiniz!	Ne kadar güzelsin!	“You are so beautiful.” Literally: “How beautiful you are!”
Güzelliğiniz karşısında büyülendim.	Güzelliğin karşısında büyülendim.	“I’m fascinated by your beauty.”
Bu saçlar size çok yakışmış.	Bu saç sana çok yakışmış.	“Your hair looks good.”
Gamzelerinize bayılıyorum.	Gamzelerine bayılıyorum.	“I love your dimples.”
Gülüşünüz ne kadar içten.	Gülüşün ne kadar içten.	“Your smile is very sincere.” Literally: “How sincere your smile is.”

Ladies! You don’t have to worry, you’re also covered. Here comes the compliments for a handsome male:

Turkish (Formal)	Turkish (Informal)	English
Çok yakışıklısınız!	Çok yakışıklısın!	“You are very handsome!”
Sakal size çok yakışmış.	Sakal sana çok yakışmış.	“Your beard looks good on you.”
Harika görünüyorsunuz!	Harika görünüyorsun!	“You look wonderful!”
Çok güzel gözleriniz var.	Çok güzel gözlerin var.	“You have very beautiful eyes.”
Saçlarınız çok güzel!	Saçların çok güzel!	“Your hair is very beautiful.”
Parfümünüzü çok beğendim.	Parfümünü çok beğendim.	“I like your cologne.”

2- Appearance

There might be times when you like someone’s clothes, accessories, shoes, or general appearance, and you might feel the urge to say so. Here are some Turkish compliments you can use in such situations:

Turkish (Formal)	Turkish (Informal)	English
Çok hoş görünüyorsunuz.	Çok hoş görünüyorsun.	“You look very nice.”
Çok şıksınız.	Çok şıksın.	“You are elegant.”
Bu pantolon size çok yakışmış.	Bu pantolon sana çok yakışmış.	“These pants look good on you.”
Gözlüklerinize bayıldım.	Gözlüklerine bayıldım.	“I love your glasses.”
Makyajınızı çok beğendim.	Makyajını çok beğendim.	“I like your makeup.”
Çok karizmatiksiniz.	Çok karizmatiksin.	“You are very charismatic.”
Çok zarifsiniz.	Çok zarifsin.	“You are very graceful.”
Yaşınızı hiç göstermiyorsunuz.	Yaşını hiç göstermiyorsun.	“You don’t show your age at all.”

3- Character

There will be times when you’d like to express your admiration for someone’s character, be it a friend, a colleague, or even your child. Below are some compliments in Turkish that you can use to compliment his or her character:

Turkish (Formal)	Turkish (Informal)	English
Çok zekisiniz.	Çok zekisin.	“You are very clever.”
Dürüstlüğünüze hayranım.	Dürüstlüğüne hayranım.	“I admire your honesty.”
Çok iyi bir mizah anlayışınız var.	Çok iyi bir mizah anlayışın var.	“You have a very good sense of humor.”
Siz çok temiz kalplisiniz.	Sen çok temiz kalplisin.	“You are very good-hearted.” Literal translation: “You are very clean-hearted!”

2. Praising Someone at Work

Let’s imagine you’re working with Turkish people and you want to give one of your colleagues a compliment in Turkish. Here’s how you can compliment someone about his or her work:

Turkish (Formal)	Turkish (Informal)	English
Harika bir performans sergilediniz.	Harika bir performans sergiledin.	“You performed great.”
Tebrikler, iyi iş çıkardınız.	Tebrikler, iyi iş çıkardın.	“Congratulations, you did a good job.”
Harikalar yarattınız.	Harikalar yarattın.	“You’ve done wonders.”
Bunu hak ettiniz!	Bunu hak ettin!	“You deserved it.”
Hak edilmiş bir başarı.	Hak edilmiş bir başarı.	“A deserved success.”

When it comes to complimenting someone’s skills at work, you can use the following Turkish compliments:

Turkish (Formal)	Turkish (Informal)	English
Etkileyici bir özgeçmişiniz var.	Etkileyici bir özgeçmişin var.	“You have an impressive resume.”
Çok yeteneklisiniz.	Çok yeteneklisin.	“You’re very talented.”
Çok yaratıcısınız.	Çok yaratıcısın.	“You’re very creative.”
Ne kadar hızlısınız.	Ne kadar hızlısın.	“You are so fast.” Literally: “How fast you are.”
Değişime adaptasyon yeteneğiniz çok yüksek.	Değişime adaptasyon yeteneğin çok yüksek.	“Your ability to adapt to change is very high.”
Kavrama beceriniz çok yüksek.	Kavrama becerin çok yüksek.	“Your ability to comprehend is very high.”
Ekip çalışmasına çok yatkınsınız.	Ekip çalışmasına çok yatkınsın.	“You’re very prone to teamwork.”
Konulara farklı açıdan bakabilmeniz çok güzel.	Konulara farklı açıdan bakabilmen çok güzel.	“It’s good that you can look at the subjects from a different perspective.”

3. Kudos in Social Life

In social life, there may be cases where you’d like to give a compliment in Turkish. It could be at a gathering, a restaurant, or even a friend’s house. Here are the top Turkish compliments that can be used in social life:

Turkish (Formal)	Turkish (Informal)	English
Eviniz ne kadar güzelmiş.	Evin ne kadar güzelmiş.	“Your house is so beautiful.” Literally: “How beautiful your house is.”
Çok zevklisiniz.	Çok zevklisin.	“You have a good taste.”
Çok güzel dans ediyorsunuz.	Çok güzel dans ediyorsun.	“You dance very well.”
Elinize sağlık.	Eline sağlık.	Literally: “Health to your hand.”
Emeğinize sağlık.	Emeğine sağlık.	Literally: “Health to your effort.”
Çok güzel görünüyor.	Çok güzel görünüyor.	“It looks very nice.”
Çok güzel kokuyor.	Çok güzel kokuyor.	“It smells very nice.”
Çok lezzetli olmuş.	Çok lezzetli olmuş.	“It’s delicious.”
Tadı çok güzel!	Tadı çok güzel!	“It tastes very good!”

4. When and Where to Avoid Complimenting

Compliments make most people happy. However, people like to hear real, sincere compliments; it doesn’t make any sense to give fake compliments. In order to sound sincere, you should look the person in the eyes and say your compliment in a tone that reflects how you really feel.

Don’t forget that every culture is different. When you’re using Turkish compliments for girls, make sure to do it under appropriate conditions, at the right time, and in a suitable environment.

If you want to compliment a Turkish girl, you need to be very careful if there’s a boyfriend, a brother, or a husband around. Turkish men are usually overprotective when it comes to the women in their lives. Even if you approach her in a friendly manner, you can be misunderstood. It might be a good idea not to compliment her physical characteristics or appearance, in this case.

If you’re using Turkish compliments for girls late at night in an uncrowded place, even if you’re sincere and have good intentions, it can be perceived badly (as is probably the case in most cultures).

If you’re complimenting someone of the opposite sex at work among other colleagues, you should also be careful about how you do so. You wouldn’t want to have your compliment perceived the wrong way and get in trouble for it.

Again, where, when, and how you compliment matters!

5. What’s Expected After a Compliment

As I indicated earlier, I think that even those who claim not to like compliments still enjoy them deep inside. However, you can’t know how they’ll react to them.

Some people may pleasantly accept compliments. Here are some sentences Turkish people might use when they feel positive about your compliments:

Turkish (Formal)	Turkish (Informal)	English
Teşekkür ederim.	Teşekkür ederim.	“Thank you.”
Teşekkürler.	Teşekkürler.	“Thanks.”
Teveccühünüz.	Teveccühün.	“That’s very kind of you.”
O sizin iyi görüşünüz.	O senin iyi görüşün.	“That’s your good point of view.”

Some might feel uncomfortable and shy away from compliments. Others might suspect that you’re not sincere, and think you have bad intentions. Furthermore, some people might even think that you expect or want something in return.

Don’t forget that the tone and gestures you use when complimenting really matter!

6. You Will Do Great!

Did you enjoy reading about Turkish compliments? Now you know the top Turkish compliments and how to compliment in Turkish. Are you ready to compliment the girl or boy you like? How about your colleague for his collaboration? I’m sure you’ll do great!

However, this isn’t enough. You need to keep learning more! Make sure to utilize all of the free resources, including the dictionary, at TurkishClass101.com! You can also download the app for free and use it wherever you are. Don’t forget that there’s also the premium service MyTeacher, which allows you to practice with a private teacher.

We look forward to your feedback about your experience with the services offered at TurkishClass101. Good luck with your Turkish learning!

There are many ways to show our feelings, particularly through gestures, behavior, and language. Language is, of course, the most effective and explicit one.

Of all the feelings we experience, anger is probably the most intense. Because anger can increase our adrenaline level, our reactions can be extreme and our words harsh. We might even be led to use swear words.

In this article, we’ll talk about profanity in Turkish. Our focus will be on rude Turkish sayings, but definitely not on swear words in Turkish.

Profanity in Turkish is especially common among males in Turkey. You can hear a lot of Turkish swear words when men are watching a soccer game; it doesn’t matter if they’re watching it on TV at home, at a café, or live at the stadium.

You can also catch many swear words in Turkish during heavy traffic!

Turkish men usually try not to swear when there are women around, but other rude Turkish sayings might still come out of their mouths when they’re angry.

We should mention a warning here: A Turkish man can fly into a rage if anyone makes a comment about or tries to flirt with a woman in his life, whether it be a girlfriend, wife, sister, or mother. If you don’t want to see an angry Turkish man, you should be mindful of this.

However, if you ever encounter an angry Turkish man, you need to make sure that you can understand what he’s saying. What’s more, if you get angry yourself, you should be able to express your negative emotions in Turkish.

Let’s start with how to say “angry” in Turkish and other relevant words and phrases:

• Kızgın / Öfkeli – “Angry”
• Kızgınlık / Öfke – “Anger”
• Kızmak – “To be angry”
• Kızdırmak – “To make angry”
• Ben kızgınım. – “I’m angry.”
• Ben öfkeliyim. – “I’m angry.”

These two sentences are interchangeable.

We’ll start talking about angry expressions now, so that you can become familiar with them. However, we hope you never have to use or hear them.

Table of Contents

1. Angry Expressions
2. Angry Warnings
3. Angry Blames
4. Reveal Your Feelings
5. How to Manage Your Anger
6. Express Yourself Better with TurkishClass101

1. Angry Expressions

1. Are you sick of someone who’s B.S.-ing and you want her/him to stop talking? This is what you can tell that person:

• Kapa çeneni! – “Shut up!”

2. Can’t bear what someone is repetitively doing or saying? Then use the following phrase:

• Kes şunu! – “Stop it!” / “Cut it out!”

3. If you feel like someone is on your back, you can tell her or him to keep out of your hair by using the sentence below:

• Beni rahat bırak! – “Leave me alone!”

4. If you’re so angry with someone that you don’t want to see them, you can use one of these phrases with them:

• Kaybol. – “Get lost.”
• Defol! – “Go away!”
• Defol git! – “Get the hell out!”
• Gözüm görmesin seni! – “Get out of my sight!”

5. You can use the following phrase when someone tells you something that doesn’t make any sense, sounds crazy, or is difficult to understand or believe:

• Sen benimle dalga mı geçiyorsun? – “Are you kidding me?”

6. Here are some stronger phrases to express anger, frustration, and annoyance:

• Kahretsin! – “D*mn it!”
• Allah kahretsin! – “God d*mn it!”
• Allah seni kahretsin! – “God d*mn you!”

In some religions, the last two sentences might be very offensive, but this isn’t the case in Turkish (at least in terms of religion).

• Ne halin varsa gör! – “Do whatever the heck you want!”

2. Angry Warnings

When you’re angry, you might not be thinking clearly. Therefore, you might choose to give in to that anger and start warning the other person impolitely. This might even turn into threats. Below are some examples of these warnings in Turkish:

1. If you think the person you’re talking with is speaking nonsense, you can warn him or her with the following phrases:

• Saçmalama! – “Save that B.S.!”

2. If you want somebody to stop bothering you, here’s how you can let that person know:

• Yeter! – “Enough!”
• Benimle uğraşma! – “Don’t mess with me!”
• Bana bulaşma! (in slang) – “Don’t mess with me!”

3. If someone is pushing your limits of tolerance, then you can warn that person about it:

• Dayanılır gibi değil! – “It’s not tolerable!”
• Dayanamıyorum! – “I can’t bear (it)!”

4. There are a few more angry warnings you should know:

• Belanı mı arıyorsun? – “Are you asking for trouble?”
• Seni son kez uyarıyorum! – “I’m warning you for the last time!”
• Seni bir daha görmek istemiyorum! – “I don’t want to see you again!”
• Ne olmuş yani? – “So what?”
• Ağzından çıkanlara dikkat et! – “Watch your mouth!”

3. Angry Blames

When you’re angry, you might not be evaluating the whole situation with the right state of mind. In a situation like this, you might put all the blame on the other person. Here are some popular angry blames in Turkish:

1. If someone is getting into your personal business, you can both blame and warn that person using the following idioms:

• Sana ne! – “It’s none of your business!”
• Bu seni ilgilendirmez! – “It’s none of your business!”

These two sentences are interchangeable, but the first one is more impolite.

• İşime burnunu sokma! – “Don’t poke your nose into my business!”

2. You can ask the following questions when someone tells you something stupid, something that sounds crazy, or something that’s hard to understand or believe:

• Sen aklını mı kaçırdın? – “Are you out of your mind?”
• Delirdin mi sen? – “Are you crazy?”

3. Below are some other angry Turkish phrases and questions you might hear:

• Sen kim olduğunu sanıyorsun? – “Who do you think you are?”
• Neyin var senin? – “What’s wrong with you?”
• Beni dinlemiyorsun! – “You are not listening to me!”
• Bütün bunlar senin hatan! – “It’s all your fault!”
• Her şeyi berbat ettin! – “You messed it up!”
• Ne halt ediyorsun? – “What the heck are you doing?”

4. Reveal Your Feelings

“Is it really possible to tell someone else what one feels?” Leo Tolstoy asked in his novel Anna Karenina.

Of course, it is. As a matter of fact, revealing your feelings is as natural as having them. Words are an effective way of expressing how you feel.

We’ll go over some phrases you can use to say “I am angry” in Turkish and to describe your other negative emotions:

• Çok kızgınım! – “I‘m very angry!”
• Çok sinirliyim! – “I’m very upset!”
• Bundan bıktım, usandım! – “I’m fed up with it!”
• Bundan nefret ediyorum! – “I hate it!”
• Hiç bu kadar hayal kırıklığına uğramamıştım! – “I have never been so disappointed!”
• Bu çok sinir bozucu! – “This is very frustrating!”

5. How to Manage Your Anger

Anger may cause problems if it’s not controlled. Unwanted words may come out of your mouth; you might even get physical with someone if you’re angry enough. Therefore, it’s critical to control your anger so that you don’t say or do anything you’ll regret.

Below are some techniques you might want to use to control your anger:

1. When we get angry, our breathing speeds up. In order to slow it down, we need to take deep breaths, inhaling through the nose and exhaling out the mouth.

• Derin nefes alın. – “Take a deep breath.”

2. If you start counting to ten, your heart rate will slow down and your anger will diminish. Depending on how angry you are, you might even want to count up to 100.

• 10’a kadar sayın. – “Count up to 10.”

3. Music usually relaxes people, so it might be a good idea to put in your earbuds and listen to music to help manage your anger.

• Müzik dinleyin. – “Listen to music.”

4. It might be a good idea to jot down how you’re feeling instead of hurting someone else’s feelings with your words.

• Duygularınızı yazın. – “Write down your feelings.”

5. If you can put yourself in the other person’s shoes, you can understand their perspective and your anger may subside.

• Biraz empati kurmaya çalışın. – “Try to have some empathy.”

6. Walk away from the environment and give yourself time to think through what happened. This will help you calm down emotionally.

• Ortamdan uzaklaşın. – “Walk away from the environment.”

7. Everybody has their own way of calming themselves down.

• Kendi yönteminizi bulun. – “Find your own method.”

6. Express Yourself Better with TurkishClass101

Now that you have an idea about profanity in Turkish, know how to say “angry” in Turkish, and also learned some rude Turkish sayings, do you feel better about putting your anger into words? Would you like to express all of your other feelings in Turkish as well?

Please use the free resources at TurkishClass101.com, or even our Premium PLUS services, to take your Turkish to the next level. Keep in mind that we also have a dictionary on our site to facilitate your learning.

Make sure to share your learning experience throughout your journey on our website.

You’ll be surprised how quickly and easily you’ll be learning Turkish with TurkishClass101.

On Labor and Solidarity Day, Turkey’s workers celebrate gains made for laborers’ rights, demonstrate for even more rights, and take the day (or long weekend) off of work. In this article, you’ll learn all about Labor Day events in Turkey, some background information about the holiday, and a few useful vocabulary words.

Let’s get started.

1. What is Labor and Solidarity Day?

Labor Day in Turkey has had a rocky history since its start in 1923. Like in many countries around the world, Labor Day is a holiday dedicated to workers and laborers, and is often marked by protests and demonstrations. The first Labor Day celebration turned violent, causing authorities to place a yasak (“ban” ) on demonstration participation. In 1924, people participated anyway, so the holiday itself was banned until 1935 (when it returned with the name “Spring and Flowers Day”).

From this date on, Labor Day was celebrated peacefully until 1977, when a massive protest in Taksim Square turned violent. During the Confederation of Revolutionary Trade Union‘s president’s speech, someone opened fire in the crowd and then started shooting from one of the rooftops around the square. As a result of the stampede, several people were killed and injured.

In 1981, the holiday was banned yet again until 2009, when it returned as “Labor and Solidarity Day.”

In 2013, another incident took place in Taksim, where demonstrations were banned in Taksim Square, with a pedestrianization project given as the reason. It was advertised under the name “Taksim Urban Transformation Project” and was introduced to increase revenue. The polis (“police” ) used tear gas and water cannons against demonstrators who went ahead with their celebrations of the day anyway.

→ Check out our vocabulary list for Jobs / Work to pick up some useful words.

2. When is Labor Day?

Each year, Turks celebrate Labor Day on May 1. This is the same date most of the world celebrates, except for the United States, which celebrates on the first Monday in September.

→ Learn about the Top 5 Most Important Dates on the Turkish Calendar with us!

3. Labor Day in Turkish Culture: Celebrations & Traditions

On Labor Day, Turkey’s streets are often filled with marches and protests regarding insan hakları (“human rights” ) and işçi hakları (“labor rights” ). In 2019, events were mainly peaceful, and people observed Labor Day with songs, chants, and a moment of silence for five people who were killed in a traffic wreck on their way to a Labor Day event.

In Turkey, Labor Day is also a time for rest and relaxation for those who opt to stay at home or go out to quieter places with loved ones.

Depending on when May 1 is in a given year, there may be a full Labor Day weekend! For those not demonstrating, this is just a relaxing and fun holiday weekend off from work.

→ See our vocabulary list on the Top 10 Weekend Activities to discover what Turks may do on a Labor Day weekend!

4. 2003 Labor Act

In 2003, a Labor Act was passed in Turkey, which enacted certain laws regarding labor. For example:

• A 45-hour workweek (with fifty percent extra pay for overtime)
• Fourteen days of paid leave for full-time laborers employed for at least one year
• Minimum age of fifteen years for full-time employment

5. Must-Know Vocabulary for Labor and Solidarity Day

Ready to review some of the vocabulary words from this lesson? Here’s a list of the most important words and phrases for Labor Day in Turkey!

• Emek ve Dayanışma Günü — “Labor and Solidarity Day” [n.]
• Miting — “Demonstration” [n.]
• Yasak — “Ban” [n.]
• Protesto yürüyüşü — “Protest march”
• Emekçi — “Proletarian” [adj.]
• Polis — “Police” [n.]
• Biber gazı — “Pepper spray”
• Hürriyet — “Liberty” [n.]
• Işçi — “Laborer” [n.]
• Işçi hakları — “Labor rights”
• Adalet — “Justice” [n.]
• Insan hakları — “Human rights”
• Tutuklamak — “Arrest” [v.]

To hear the pronunciation of each word and phrase, and to read them alongside relevant images, be sure to check out our Turkish Labor and Solidarity Day vocabulary list!

Final Thoughts

We hope you enjoyed learning about Labor and Solidarity Day, Turkey’s history regarding this holiday, and some provisions of the 2003 Labor Act.

Do you celebrate Labor Day in your country? How do traditions there differ from those in Turkey? We look forward to hearing from you in the comments!

If you want to learn even more about Turkish culture or the language, you may find the following pages useful:

• Celebrating International Women’s Day in Turkey
• Holidays in Turkey: Atatürk Remembrance Day
• Best Turkish Movies for Learning Turkish
• The Turkish Calendar: Talking About Dates in Turkish
• Learn How to Talk About Your Family in Turkish

This is just the tip of the iceberg. For more fantastic Turkish-learning content, create your free lifetime account on TurkishClass101.com today. You can also upgrade to our Premium or Premium PLUS plans for exclusive lessons and content to help you learn Turkish faster.

Happy Labor Day, and good luck with your studies! 🙂