Many people in the resorts and cities speak English, but a few words of Turkish will earn you smiles everywhere. Turkish is written phonetically, so once you know a few letters you can read signs and menus.
Letters to know
- ç = “ch” as in church
- ş = “sh” as in ship
- c = “j” as in jam
- ğ = silent, lengthens the vowel before it
- ı (no dot) = a short “uh” sound
- ö and ü = as in German
Useful phrases
| English | Turkish | Say it |
|---|---|---|
| Hello | Merhaba | mer-ha-ba |
| Good morning | Günaydın | gew-nai-dun |
| Good evening | İyi akşamlar | ee-yee ak-sham-lar |
| Thank you | Teşekkür ederim | teh-sheh-kewr eh-deh-reem |
| Thanks (informal) | Sağ olun | saa oh-lun |
| Please | Lütfen | lewt-fen |
| Yes / No | Evet / Hayır | eh-vet / hai-ur |
| Excuse me / Sorry | Affedersiniz | af-feh-der-see-niz |
| How much is it? | Ne kadar? | neh ka-dar |
| The bill, please | Hesap, lütfen | heh-sap lewt-fen |
| Water | Su | soo |
| A tea, please | Bir çay, lütfen | beer chai lewt-fen |
| Where is the toilet? | Tuvalet nerede? | too-va-let neh-reh-deh |
| I don’t understand | Anlamıyorum | an-la-muh-yo-rum |
| Help! | İmdat! | eem-dat |
| Goodbye (said by the person leaving) | Hoşça kalın | hosh-cha ka-lun |
| Enjoy your meal | Afiyet olsun | a-fee-yet ol-sun |
| Cheers! | Şerefe! | sheh-reh-feh |
In an emergency, call 112 — operators can usually find an English speaker.
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