With these basic Turkish phrases, you'll learn how to greet others, shop for gifts, order at a restaurant, book a hotel room, and much more. Let's get it!
Table of Contents
Greetings
Merhaba! — Hello!
Selam! — Hi! (casual)
Günaydın! — Good morning!
İyi akşamlar! — Good evening!
Hoş geldiniz! — Welcome!
Hoş buldum! — I've found you well!
Kolay gelsin! — May your work be easy!
Merhaba is the safest of these greetings, so you can default to that. But if someone greets you with Hoş geldiniz, you must answer with Hoş buldum / Hoş bulduk.
You can only use Kolay gelsin if the person you're greeting is working (often used to greet all kinds of store/establishment personnel) or doing any other challenging task (such as homework). You can also use it as a farewell.
Farewells
İyi günler! — Good day!
İyi geceler! — Good night!
İyi akşamlar! — Good evening!
Hoşça kalın! — Stay well!
Güle güle! — Bye Bye! (casual)
Kolay gelsin! — May your work be easy!
Hoşça kalın is the safest of these farewells since it can be used at any time of day.
Saying yes or no
Evet — Yes
Olur — Sure
Tabii — Of course
Tamam — Okay
Hayır — No
Yok (also Yoo) — No
Olmaz — I can't
How are you?
Turks love to ask people how they are, so you have to know how to respond.
Nasılsınız? — How are you?
İyiyim, teşekkürler. Siz (nasılsınız)? — I'm good, thanks. You?
It doesn't matter whether you're actually good or not. Turkish people aren't frank with their feelings (especially towards strangers), so just say you're fine.
Numbers
Knowing the numbers from 1 through 10 will help you a lot.
Bir — One (1)
İki — Two (2)
Üç — Three (3)
Dört — Four (4)
Beş — Five (5)
Altı — Six (6)
Yedi — Seven (7)
Sekiz — Eight (8)
Dokuz — Nine (9)
On — Ten (10)
At the restaurant
To draw a waiter's attention:
Pardon! — Excuse me!
Bakar mısınız? — Excuse me!
Be careful not to say Bekâr mısınız?, which means "Are you single?". You can stick to Pardon to be safe.
Menü alabilir miyim lütfen? — Can I have a menu, please?
Lütfen — Please
Menü — Menu
Sağ olun! — Thank you!
Teşekkürler! — Thank you!
Teşekkür ederim! — Thank you!
Afiyet olsun! — Bon appetit!
Ben _____ alabilir miyim? — Can I have _____?
Ben _____ alayım. — I'll have _____.
These last two, especially Alabilir miyim? are a must-know. You can also use them at a street vendor's stall, a small grocery store (called bakkal), etc.
To ask for special dietary needs:
Vejetaryen/vegan/koşer yemekler var mı? — Аre there vegetarian/vegan/kosher dishes?
_____ var mı? — Is there _____?
Var — There is
Yok — There isn't (also means No)
Yemek — food, dish
The waiter/waitress may ask if you want anything else.
Başka bir şey alır mıydınız? — Would you like anything else?
Here are kind ways to say no:
Hayır, teşekkür ederim. — No, thank you.
Yok, sağ olun. — No, thank you.
To ask for the bill at a low-end establishment, you can write in the air with your hand (as if holding a pen) after getting the waiter's attention. Don't do this at higher-end restaurants. Instead, ask:
Hesabı alabilir miyim lütfen? — Can I have the bill, please?
Hesap — bill, check
At most places, you'll be asked whether you'll pay in cash or card:
Nakit mi kart mı? — Cash or card?
Answer with:
Nakit/kart. — Cash/card.
Nakit/kartla ödeyeceğim. — I'll pay with cash/card.
You can use the Nerede? question word to ask for the restroom.
Lavabo nerede (acaba)? — Where is the restroom (I wonder)?
Lavabo — Restroom
You can add acaba to the end of a question to make things a little fancier. Not adding it is not rude, though.
At the hotel
After the usual greetings, ask the receptionist:
Boş oda var mı? — Are there any vacant rooms?
Boş — Vacant
Oda — Room
The receptionist may answer:
Maalesef boş odamız yok/kalmadı. — Unfortunately, we don't have any vacant rooms left.
Evet, (boş odamız) var. — Yes, there are (vacant rooms).
Kaç gece için? — For how many nights?
Kaç gece kalacaksınız? — How many nights will you stay for?
Kaç — How many
Gece — Night
Ne kadar kalacaksınız? — How long will you stay?
Kaç kişi kalacaksınız? — How many people will stay (in the room)?
Kişi — Person
Now is your time to flesh out all the details of your stay. If you're staying with somebody else and have any preferences for single/double beds, you should also point that out (the receptionist may also ask about this).
İki kişiyiz. — There are two of us.
Dört gece. (Mümkünse) iki tek kişilik yatak rica edeceğim. — Four nights. (If possible) I'd like two single beds.
Tek kişilik yatak — Single bed
Çift kişilik yatak — Double bed
Mümkünse — If possible (highly optional)
Common things you might want to ask the receptionist:
Kahvaltı dahil mi? — Is breakfast included?
Gecelik ne kadar? — How much per night?
Beşik var mı? — Is there a crib?
Evcil hayvan kabul ediyor musunuz? — Do you accept pets? (very rarely do hotels in Türkiye allow pets)
If you have a reservation, things will be a lot easier. After greeting the receptionist, say:
_____ adına rezervasyonum var. — I have a reservation under _____.
At any point in the conversation, the receptionist can ask for your ID or passport (tourists are usually asked for passports).
Pasaport/kimlik lütfen. — Passport/ID, please.
Pasaport — Passport
Kimlik — ID
Pasaportunuzu alabilir/görebilir miyim? — Can I have/see your passport?
When handing it over, you should say:
Buyurun. — Here you are.
Finally, when handing over your keys, the receptionist will also say your room's number.
İşte anahtarınız. — There is your key.
Anahtar - Key
Beş yüz yirmi dokuz numaralı oda. — Room No. 529.
Oda numaranız beş yüz yirmi dokuz. — Your room number is 529.
Numara - Number
Room numbers are usually on the bigger end. So, if you struggle to understand it, you can ask the receptionist to break it down into its constituent numerals.
Pardon, rakam rakam söyler misiniz? — Excuse me, can you say it numeral by numeral?
Rakam — Numeral
At the gift shop
To ask for something's price, point at it and ask the clerk:
Bu ne kadar? — How much is this?
Ne kadar — How much
Because of inflation, prices in Turkey tend to involve bigger numbers. If you have trouble understanding the price, you can use the Rakam rakam söyler misiniz? as explained above, or say:
(Fiyatı) Yazabilir misiniz? — Can you write down (the price)?
Fiyat — Price
To ask for your purchase to be wrapped as a gift:
Hediye paketi yapar mısınız? — Can you do gift packaging?
Survival tips for Istanbul
Istanbul is quite safe, especially in the touristy areas, and pickpocketing isn't a big issue. The more concerning problem is scammers who often go after tourists. Here's a list of Dos and Don'ts to stay safe.
Try to stay in the safer, more touristy areas of Istanbul. I recommend Kadıköy, Beyoğlu, Sarıyer, Üsküdar and Beşiktaş.
Get an İstanbulkart. This card is used to pay for all sorts of public transport. You can get an İstanbulkart at the yellow machines located at the entrance of each subway station.
Google Maps is your best friend, USE IT.
DO NOT take a taxi. The driver will take the longest path and/or charge you extra. Instead, I recommend the tram, subway, and metrobus.
DO NOT leave your belongings unsupervised.
DO NOT keep your phone in your back pocket.
If a person on the street offers you a service for free (shoe polishing, making a drawing of you, cleaning your car's windows, etc.), DO NOT let them do it. They will try to charge you later.
If you're drinking at a bar, watch your drink. Though drugging is extremely rare.
DO NOT speak badly about Atatürk.
*Blog cover photo by Onur Balcı.