50 Common Turkish Phrases for Everyday Life

The most common Turkish phrases are the ones you need dozens of times a day: Merhaba, play (“hello”), Lütfen, play (“please”), Teşekkür ederim, play (“thank you”), Nasılsın?, play (“how are you?”) and Anlamadım, play (“I didn’t understand”). Learn the 50 phrases below and you can greet people, be polite, make small talk, order and pay, and keep going when you don’t understand something.

The phrases are grouped by situation, with short notes on when to use each one and the replies you will hear back. Every example has a play button, so you can hear how a native speaker says it. Here are the ten to learn first:

Greetings and goodbyes (1–8)

Merhaba, play works everywhere, while Selam, play is the casual “hi” for friends. Günaydın, play is for the morning, İyi akşamlar, play greets people in the evening and also says goodbye, and İyi geceler, play is only for leaving at night or going to bed.

When you arrive somewhere, people say Hoş geldiniz, play (“welcome”), and the fixed answer is Hoş bulduk, play (literally “we found it nice”). When you leave, say Hoşça kal, play (“stay well”), and the person staying answers Güle güle, play (“go with smiles”). Görüşürüz, play (“we’ll see each other”) is the everyday “see you”.

• Hoş geldiniz! – Hoş bulduk.

  Welcome! – Thank you. (literally: We found it nice.)

• Hoşça kal! – Güle güle!

  Goodbye! (said by the one leaving) – Bye! (said by the one staying)

• Selam, nasılsın?

  Hi, how are you?

• Görüşürüz, iyi akşamlar!

  See you, have a nice evening!

Polite words: please, thank you and sorry (9–15)

Lütfen, play usually goes at the end of a request: Bir su, lütfen, play (“A water, please”). Teşekkür ederim, play is the thank you that always works, and Sağ ol, play (literally “be healthy”) is the everyday version you will hear in the street. The answer to both is Rica ederim, play.

Turkish keeps “excuse me” and “I’m sorry” apart. Affedersiniz, play gets someone’s attention, Özür dilerim, play is a real apology, and Pardon, play covers small moments like bumping into someone on the tram.

• Bir su, lütfen.

  A water, please.

• Çok teşekkür ederim! – Rica ederim.

  Thank you very much! – You’re welcome.

• Affedersiniz, müze nerede?

  Excuse me, where is the museum?

• Özür dilerim, geç kaldım.

  I’m sorry, I’m late.

Small talk: names, how are you and where are you from (16–23)

These are the sen, play forms, for friends and people your age. With older people, strangers and in formal situations, use the siz forms: Nasılsınız?, play, Adınız ne?, play, Nerelisiniz? and Ne iş yapıyorsunuz?, play

To say where you are from, add -lı/-li/-lu/-lü (“from”) to the country and then the “I am” ending: Amerikalıyım, play (I’m American), Kanadalıyım, play (I’m Canadian), Londralıyım, play (I’m from London). For your job, just add “I am” to it: Öğretmenim, play (I’m a teacher), Mühendisim, play (I’m an engineer).

• Adınız ne? – Benim adım Anna.

  What’s your name? – My name is Anna.

• Memnun oldum. – Ben de memnun oldum.

  Nice to meet you. – Nice to meet you too.

• BenIKanadalıyım.Canadian-I-am

  Word by word: I, Canadian-I-am.

  I’m Canadian.

• Ne iş yapıyorsun? – Öğretmenim.

  What do you do? – I’m a teacher.

When you don’t understand (24–31)

These eight phrases keep a conversation going when your Turkish runs out. Notice that Turks say Anlamadım, play, “I didn’t understand”, in the past tense, where English speakers say “I don’t understand”. The ending -dı is the Turkish past tense.

Questions like Tekrar eder misiniz?, play use the question word mi, which turns any sentence into a yes/no question. Asking “would you …?” this way is the polite way to ask a favor. You can read more about it in our guide to the question particle mi.

• Pardon, anlamadım. Tekrar eder misiniz?

  Sorry, I didn’t understand. Could you repeat that?

• Daha yavaş konuşur musunuz, lütfen?

  Could you speak more slowly, please?

• Bu kelime ne demek?

  What does this word mean?

• Biraz Türkçe konuşuyorum ama çok değil.

  I speak a little Turkish, but not much.

Yes, no and quick reactions (32–38)

Tamam, play is everywhere: it means “OK”, “fine”, “got it” and even “enough!”. Olur, play (“it works”) is the natural yes to a suggestion, and its opposite is Olmaz (“that won’t work”). Aynen, play is a casual “exactly” that you will hear young people say every few sentences.

• Yarın gelir misin? – Olur.

  Will you come tomorrow? – Sure.

• Tamam, anladım.

  OK, I got it.

• Çay ister misin? – Tabii, teşekkürler.

  Would you like tea? – Of course, thanks.

• Geç kaldım, kusura bakma. – Sorun değil.

  I’m late, sorry. – No problem.

Out and about: cafés, shops and directions (39–45)

To ask where something is, say the place and add nerede, play (“where”): Metro nerede?, Eczane nerede? To order, name the thing and add lütfen, play. Turkish puts the number before the noun and keeps the noun singular: iki çay, play (two teas), üç simit, play (three simits).

• Bu ne kadar? – Elli lira.

  How much is this? – Fifty lira.

• İki çay, lütfen.

  Two teas, please.

• Affedersiniz, tuvalet nerede?

  Excuse me, where is the restroom?

• Bunu alayım. Kartla ödeyebilir miyim?

  I’ll take this. Can I pay by card?

Everyday expressions with no real English equivalent (46–50)

Kolay gelsin, play is said to anyone who is working: a shopkeeper, a cleaner, a colleague at a desk, even a friend studying. Afiyet olsun, play is said before or after someone eats. İnşallah, play is used by religious and non-religious Turks alike to mean “hopefully”: Yarın güneşli olur inşallah, play (“Hopefully it will be sunny tomorrow”). Hadi, play gets people moving: Hadi gidelim!, play (“Come on, let’s go!”).

• Kolay gelsin! – Sağ olun.

  Have an easy day at work! – Thank you.

• Afiyet olsun!

  Enjoy your meal!

• Yarın görüşürüz inşallah.

  See you tomorrow, hopefully.

• Hadi gidelim!

  Come on, let’s go!

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common Turkish phrases? Merhaba, play (hello), Teşekkür ederim, play (thank you), Lütfen, play (please), Nasılsın?, play (how are you?), Evet, play (yes), Hayır, play (no) and Tamam, play (OK) are the ones you will hear and use most.

How do you say “I don’t understand” in Turkish? Say Anlamadım, play (literally “I didn’t understand”). To ask someone to repeat, add Tekrar eder misiniz?, play

What does inşallah mean in Turkish? Literally “if God wills”. In everyday speech it simply means “hopefully”, and you will hear it from almost everyone.

How long does it take to learn these phrases? With audio and daily practice, most learners can use these 50 phrases comfortably in two to three weeks.

Practice these phrases in the free A1 lessons

Reading a list is a start, but phrases stick when you hear them and say them out loud many times. Unit 1 of the A1 course is free and practices greetings, thanks and introducing yourself, with audio for every phrase. Later units teach ordering in cafés and bakeries and asking where things are. Already know a little? Take the 3-minute level test to find your starting point.

Ready to use them in a real conversation? Book 1-on-1 live lessons with Kerem, a native Turkish teacher. Kolay gelsin!, play (“May it come easy!”)