How Turkish sounds
Good news: Turkish is written phonetically. Each letter has one consistent sound. Unlike English, you don't guess pronunciation. Once you know the alphabet, you can read aloud.
A few letters that are different from English:
- c - sounds like English "j" (cam = "jam", glass)
- ç - sounds like English "ch" (çay = "chai", tea)
- ş - sounds like English "sh" (şeker = "shekker", sugar)
- ğ - almost silent, lengthens the previous vowel (dağ = "daa", mountain)
- ı (undotted i) - like "u" in "sun"
- ö - like "ur" in "burn"
- ü - like "u" in French "tu"
Greetings & politeness
- Merhaba - Hello
- Selam / Selamünaleyküm - Informal hello / Muslim greeting (very welcomed)
- Günaydın - Good morning
- İyi günler - Good day
- İyi akşamlar - Good evening
- İyi geceler - Good night
- Hoşça kal - Goodbye (to someone staying)
- Güle güle - Goodbye (to someone leaving)
- Teşekkür ederim / Teşekkürler - Thank you / Thanks
- Rica ederim - You're welcome
- Lütfen - Please
- Evet - Yes
- Hayır - No
- Affedersiniz - Excuse me / sorry (formal)
- Özür dilerim - I'm sorry (apologising)
At work
- Nasılsın? / Nasılsınız? - How are you? (informal / formal)
- İyiyim - I'm fine
- Benim adım... - My name is...
- Ben Pakistan'lıyım - I'm from Pakistan
- Türkçe biliyorum biraz - I know a little Turkish
- Anlamadım - I didn't understand
- Tekrar söyler misiniz? - Can you repeat that?
- Yavaş konuşur musunuz? - Can you speak slowly?
- İngilizce biliyor musunuz? - Do you speak English?
- İşçi - Worker
- Kaynakçı - Welder
- Elektrikçi - Electrician
- Makinist / Makine teknisyeni - Machine technician
- Usta - Master / skilled tradesman (used as polite address)
- Patron - Boss
- Vardiya - Shift
- Mesai - Overtime / working hours
- Tatil - Holiday / leave
- Mola - Break
- Yemek - Food / lunch (also means meal)
- Tamam - Okay
The magic word
Tamam (TAH-mahm) means "okay / fine / got it". You can use it in almost any situation. Pair with a nod. It's your best friend in the first weeks.
Safety vocabulary - learn this first
- Dikkat! - Attention / Watch out!
- Dur! - Stop!
- Tehlike - Danger
- Yangın - Fire
- Acil - Emergency
- Yardım - Help
- Kazalar - Accident
- Yaralı - Injured
- Doktor - Doctor
- Hastane - Hospital
- Eldiven - Gloves
- Baret / Kask - Hard hat / helmet
- Gözlük - Safety glasses
- Maske - Mask
- Çıkış - Exit
- Giriş yasak - No entry
- Sigara içilmez - No smoking
Shopping & food
- Ne kadar? - How much?
- Çok pahalı - Very expensive
- İndirim var mı? - Any discount?
- Nakit / Kart - Cash / Card
- Fiş / Fatura - Receipt / Invoice
- Ekmek - Bread
- Su - Water
- Süt - Milk
- Yumurta - Egg
- Tavuk - Chicken
- Et - Meat
- Balık - Fish
- Pirinç - Rice
- Helal - Halal
- Bakkal - Grocer / small shop
- Market - Supermarket
- Pazar - Bazaar / Sunday market
Transport
- Otobüs - Bus
- Metro - Metro
- Tramvay - Tram
- Taksi - Taxi
- Durak - Stop (bus stop)
- Bilet - Ticket
- İstanbulkart - Transit card in Istanbul
- Nereye? - Where to?
- Nerede? - Where?
- Ne zaman? - When?
- Saat kaç? - What time is it?
At the hospital / emergency
- 112 - Emergency number (all services)
- Ambulans - Ambulance
- Ağrım var - I have pain
- Mide ağrısı - Stomach pain
- Baş ağrısı - Headache
- Ateş var - I have a fever
- Yaralandım - I'm injured
- İlaç - Medicine
- Eczane - Pharmacy
- Reçete - Prescription
- SGK - Social security (you'll see this everywhere)
Numbers
- Bir, iki, üç, dört, beş - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
- Altı, yedi, sekiz, dokuz, on - 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
- Yirmi - 20, Otuz - 30, Kırk - 40, Elli - 50
- Yüz - 100, Bin - 1000
- Lira - Lira (Turkish currency)
- Kuruş - Cent (1/100 of a lira)
50 most useful phrases - the survival set
- Merhaba - Hello
- Teşekkür ederim - Thank you
- Lütfen - Please
- Evet / Hayır - Yes / No
- Tamam - Okay
- Anlamadım - I didn't understand
- İngilizce biliyor musunuz? - Do you speak English?
- Ne kadar? - How much?
- Nerede? - Where?
- Tuvalet nerede? - Where's the toilet?
- Su lütfen - Water please
- Çay lütfen - Tea please
- Hesap lütfen - The bill please
- Açım - I'm hungry
- Yorgunum - I'm tired
- Hastayım - I'm sick
- Yardım edin - Help me
- Polis çağırın - Call the police
- Acil durum - Emergency
- Affedersiniz - Excuse me
- Ben Pakistan'lıyım - I'm Pakistani
- Adım... - My name is...
- Sizin adınız ne? - What's your name?
- Tanıştığımıza memnun oldum - Nice to meet you
- Görüşürüz - See you later
- Bugün - Today
- Yarın - Tomorrow
- Dün - Yesterday
- Şimdi - Now
- Sonra - Later
- Önce - Before
- Buraya - Here (to here)
- Oraya - There (to there)
- Sağ - Right
- Sol - Left
- Düz - Straight
- Yukarı - Up
- Aşağı - Down
- Büyük / Küçük - Big / Small
- İyi / Kötü - Good / Bad
- Güzel - Beautiful / Nice
- Yeni / Eski - New / Old
- Sıcak / Soğuk - Hot / Cold
- Var / Yok - There is / There isn't
- Biraz - A little
- Çok - A lot / Very
- Tamam mı? - Is it okay?
- Hadi gidelim - Let's go
- Başka bir şey? - Anything else?
- İyi şanslar - Good luck
How to keep learning
- Duolingo - free app, Turkish from English, 15 minutes a day.
- Turkish Tea Time podcast - beginner-friendly, explains cultural context.
- Your Turkish colleagues - best teachers. Learn 3 new words a day from them.
- TV with subtitles - watch Turkish news or soap operas with Turkish subtitles. Ear gets trained fast.
- Language exchange - Pakistani communities in Turkey often run informal Turkish lessons; also works the other way (you teach Urdu/English, you learn Turkish).
By month 3, you'll handle workplace conversations. By month 6, basic everyday life. By year 1, conversational. It comes faster than you think.