Traveling can be both enjoyable and exciting as well as worrying and sometimes frightening, especially if you are traveling to a country where you don’t speak the language. There may be a million things you need to check, pack or reserve while getting ready to go somewhere. While you are planning your trip, I would like to help you with the language so that you don’t have to spend too much time to research! I prepared this cheat sheet of useful Turkish phrases for you so that it can help you during your trip to Turkey.
So that day has arrived and you packed your luggage and drove to the airport or jumped in your car and set off. You trip to Turkey is about to begin.
But what’s that? You forgot all the Turkish words you learned, or maybe you don’t know a single word in Turkish! You don’t have to worry! Print out this article or save it somewhere on your phone and easily handle everything during your entire journey!
Let’s start!
Useful Turkish Phrases – Basic Question Words
Ne? (What?)
- Ne yapıyorsun? (What are you doing?)
- Ne içiyorsun? (What are you drinking?)
- Ne yiyorsun? (What are you eating?)
- Ne istiyorsun? (What do you want?)
- Ne soruyorsun? (What are you asking?)
- Ne veriyorsun? (What are you giving?)
- Ne diyorsun? (What are you saying?)
- Ne seviyorsun? (What do you like?)
- Ne hissediyorsun? (What do you feel?)
Kim? (Who?)
- Bu kadın kim? (Who is this woman?)
- Bu adam kim? (Who is this man?)
- Yanındaki kim? (Who is the one next to you?)
- Evdeki kim? (Who is the one at home?)
- Bu kim? (Who is this?)
- O kim? (Who is that?)
- Bunlar kim? (Who are they?)
- Sen kimsin? (Who are you?)
- Kim geliyor? (Who is coming?)
- Kim arıyor? (Who is calling?)
- Kim konuşuyor? (Who is speaking?)
- Kim soruyor? (Who is asking?)
- Kim istiyor? (Who wants it?)
- Kim aç? (Who is hungry?)
- Kim ödüyor? (Who is paying?)
Nerede? (Where?)
- Market nerede? (Where is the market?)
- Hastane nerede? (Where is the hospital?)
- Eczane nerede? (Where is the pharmacy?)
- Otel nerede? (Where is the hotel?)
- Şu sokak nerede? (Where is this street?)
- Hostel nerede? (Where is the hostel?)
- Telefon nerede? ( Where is the phone?)
- Oda kartı nerede? (Where is the room card?)
- Restoran nerede? (Where is the restaurant?)
- Oda nerede? (Where is the room?)
- Arkadaşım nerede? (Where is my friend?)
- Nerede buluşacağız? (Where are we going to meet?)
- Uçağım nerede? (Where is my flight?)
Neden (Why?)
- Neden aramadın? (Why didn’t you call?)
- Neden aradın? (Why did you call?)
- Neden sen de gelmiyorsun? (Why don’t you also come?)
- Neden geç geldin? (Why did you come late?)
- Neden sordun? (Why did you ask?)
- Neden geldin? (Why did you come?)
- Neden yemiyorsun? (Why don’t you eat?)
- Neden içmiyorsun? (Why don’t you drink?)
- Neden uyumuyorsun? (Why don’t you sleep?)
- Neden soruyorsun? (Why are you asking?)
- Neden istiyorsun? (Why do you want it?)
Nasıl? (How?)
- Nasıl geçti? (How did it go?)
- Nasıl geleceğim? (How am I going to come?)
- Nasıl gideceğiz? (How are we going to go?)
- Oraya nasıl gidebilirim? (How can I get there?)
- Nasıl sorayım? (How shall I ask?)
- Nasıl yiyeceğim? (How am I going to eat?)
- Nasıl yemeliyim? (How should I eat?)
- Nasıl içmeliyim? (How should I drink?)
- Nasıl ödeyeceğim? (How can I pay?)
Ne zaman? (When?)
- Ne zaman buluşacağız? (When are we going to meet?)
- Ne zaman gidiyorsun? (When are you leaving?)
- Ne zaman geliyorsun? (When are you coming?)
- En son ne zaman sinemaya gittin? (When did you go to a movie last time?)
- Ne zaman yemek yiyeceğiz? (When are we going to eat?)
- Ne zaman check out yapmalıyız? (When should we check out?)
- Kahvaltı ne zaman? (When is breakfast?)
- Uçağım ne zaman? (When is my flight?)
- Uçağın ne zaman? (When is your flight?)
Hangisi? (Which one?)
- Hangisi daha pahalı? (Which one is more expensive?)
- Hangisi ucuz? (Which one is cheap?)
- Hangisi daha lezzetli? (Which one is tastier?)
- Hangisi senin kız arkadaşın? (Which one is your girlfriend?)
- Hangisini almalıyım? (Which one should I buy?)
- Hangisi güzel? (Which one is nice?)
- Hangi ülkeden geliyorsun? (Which country are you from?)
- Hangi şehire gideceksin? (Which city are you going to?)
- Hangi otelde kalıyorsun? (Which hotel are you staying?)
- Hangi barda buluşalım? (Which bar shall we meet?)
- Hangisine binmeliyim? (Which one [means of transport] should I get on to?)
Ne demek? (What does it mean?)
- Bu ne demek? (What does this mean?)
- ”Tabak” İngilizcede ne demek? (What does ”plate” mean in English?)
- ”University” Türkçede ne demek? (How do you say ‘’university’’ in Turkish?)
- Hastane ne demek? (What does ”hastane” mean?)
Ne kadar? (How much?)
- Bir bira ne kadar? (How much is one beer?)
- Kebap ne kadar? (How much is kebap?)
- Bir şişe su ne kadar? (How much is a bottle of water?)
- İstanbul’a bilet ne kadar? (How much is a ticket to Istanbul?)
- Bu ne kadar? (How much is this?)
- Ne kadar vermeliyim? (How much should I pay?)
Kaç/Kaç tane? (How many?)
- Kaç bira alalım? (How many beers shall we have?)
- Kaç çay istiyorsunuz? (How many tea do you want?)
- Kaç tane çantan var? (How many bags do you have?)
- Kaç bavulun var? (How many suitcases do you have?)
- Kaç tane istiyorsun? (How many do you want?)
- Kaç ekmek alayım? (How many breads should I buy?)
Useful Turkish Phrases – Accommodation
If You Are Staying at a Hotel
Finally you have arrived at your destination and you need to find a hotel. You have the name and address of the hotel and you want someone to help you:
- Merhaba. Bu otel nerede? (Hello. Where is this hotel?)
- Pardon. Bu adrese nasıl gidebilirim? (Pardon me. How can I go to this address?)
- Bakar mısınız? Buraya nasıl giderim? (Excuse me. How can I get here?)
When you arrive at your hotel, depending on whether you have a reservation or not, you will say:
- Merhaba. Bir/iki/üç kişilik rezervasyonum var. Yardımcı olabilir misiniz? (Hello. I have a reservation for (one/two/three) people. Can you help?)
- Merhaba. Bir/iki/üç kişilik oda istiyorum. (Hello. I’d like to book a room for (one/two/three) people.)
- Merhaba. Tek kişilik odanız var mı? (Hello. Do you have a single room?)
- Merhaba. İki kişilik odanız var mı? (Hello. Do you have a double room?)
If you are staying in a hostel
- Merhaba. Karışık odanızda bir/iki/üç kişilik yer var mı? (Hello. Do you have (one/two/three) empty bed(s) in a mixed dorm?)
- Merhaba. Bayan odanızda bir/iki/üç kişilik yer var mı? (Hello. Do you have (one/two/three) empty bed(s) in a female dorm?)
- Merhaba. Erkek odanızda bir/iki/üç kişilik yeriniz var mı? (Hello. Do you have (one/two/three) empty bed(s) in a male dorm?)
You may also need some of the following:
- Oda kaçıncı katta? (Which floor is the room on?)
- Oda numarası nedir? (What is the room number?)
- Tuvalet ortak mı? (Is the toilet shared?)
- Check in saat kaçta? (What time is check-in?)
- Check out saat kaçta? (What time is check-out?)
- WiFi şifresi nedir? (What’s the password for WiFi?)
- Temiz havlu alabilir miyim? (Can I get a clean towel?)
- Temiz terlik alabilir miyim? (Can I get clean slippers?)
- Kasanız var mı? (Do you have a safe?)
- Sıcak su çalışmıyor. (The hot water is not running)
- Sular çalışmıyor. (The water is not running)
Useful Turkish Phrases – Restaurants
Ordering Food
You are on the street and you are starving! You see a restaurant and you walk in:
- Kolay gelsin. Menü alabilir miyim? (May your work be easy. Can I get the menu?)
- Merhaba. Menü lütfen. (Hello. Menu please.)
- Bir su lütfen. (A water please.)
- Bir su alabilir miyim? (Can I have water?)
- Bir bira lütfen. (One beer please.)
- Bir bira alabilir miyim? (Can I have a beer?)
- Ben bir pizza istiyorum. (I would like a pizza.)
- Bana bir çorba lütfen. (A soup for me, please.)
Asking for bill
Now it’s time to ask for the bill.
- Pardon! Hesap lütfen! (Pardon me! Check please!)
- Bakar mısınız? Hesabı alabilir miyim? (Excuse me? Can I get the bill?)
- Kart geçiyor mu? (Can I pay by card?)
- Nakit ile ödeyebilir miyim? (Can I pay by cash?)
After completing the payment, just say Teşekkürler.
Useful Turkish Phrases – Public Transportation
Let’s talk about transportation now.
Taksi (taxi)
- Merhaba. Sultanahmet lütfen. (Hello. Sultanahmet please.)
Otobüs (bus)
You need a card to use a bus, especially in Istanbul. You don’t have to talk to the driver to tell you where you want to go.
Minibüs (minibus)
But for minibuses, you should talk to the driver and tell them where you want to go. When you pay the driver, tell him where you are going:
- Bir Kadıköy lütfen! (One person for Kadıköy please.)
- İnecek var! (I want to get off!)
- Müsait bir yerde! (Stop at a convenient place please!)
- Müsait bir yerde inebilir miyim? (Can I get off at a convenient place?)
- Müsait bir yerde inecek var! (I want to get off at a convenient place!)
- İnebilir miyim? (Can I get off?)
Tramvay (tram)
Trams are like buses; you just have to use your card.
Metro (subway)
You have to use your card in the subway as well, just like in tram or bus.
Metrobüs (metrobus)
- Metrobus can be a little stressful if you are in Istanbul. But don’t worry, you don’t have to talk to anyone. The only bad thing about the metrobus is that it is very crowded.
- Here, too, you have to use your card.
- If you notice that you are going in the wrong direction, you can just get off and take the metrobus going in the other direction at no additional cost.
Tickets
- Tek yön. (One way)
- Gidiş-dönüş. (Retun)
- Tek kişi (One person)
- İki Kişi (Two people)
Finally, you can ask someone to take a photo of you as you walk on the street:
- Pardon. Bir fotoğraf çekebilir misiniz? (Pardon me. Can you take a photo?)
I hope this information will be useful to you. You will encounter many people in Turkey who don’t speak English, but they will always make sure to communicate with you and find a way to be friends. Turkish people are famous for their hospitality and they are waiting for your visit to prove it!
Come on then, let your journey begin! İyi tatiller (have a nice holiday!)
For other articles about learning Turkish, please check here.
If you want to check articles about other languages, click here.
Don’t forget to comment if you have any questions and let me know how your trip to Turkey was!
İyi yolculuklar – Have a good journey!
