The ‘Best of’
Learning
Practical Turkish
Volume 1
Jim and Perihan Masters
The ‘Best of’ Learning Practical Turkish Vol. 1 1st Paper Edition -- April 2002
1st Electronic Edition -- April 2006 Published by
Habibullah Enterprises, SA P.K. 27
35480 Gümüldür
İzmir, Turkey (Türkiye) WWW Website:
http://learningpracticalturkish.com/index.html E-mail: [email protected] Non-original illustrations from
Zenannâme by Enderunlu Fazıl Bey, 18th Century ISBN – Application submitted
text and cover © Habibullah Enterprises cover by Patricia Rawlings
Printed by Taşkın Matbaası, Gümüldür-İzmir, Turkey (Türkiye) Habibullah Enterprises, the Habibullah logo and Learning
Practical Turkish logo are trademarks of four country computing, ltd.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording or otherwise, except brief extracts for the purpose of review, without the written permission of the publisher and copyright owner.
About the Authors
Jim and Perihan Masters are a husband and wife team, living on the Aegean Coast of Turkey just 50 miles south of Izmir. Jim was born in Shanghai, China -- of American military parentage. Peri was born on the Black Sea coast of Turkey near Trabzon, of Turkish military parentage…
First at Brown University and then at the University of North Carolina, Jim pursued studies in Mathematics and Computer Science. Upon graduation, he worked as a computer programmer/analyst on both US coasts
before taking a position in London as Technical
Director for a computer facilities management firm – during the late 60’s and early 70’s. Enticed by a
Financial Times advertisement, he joined a NATO sponsored enterprise in Ankara in the 70’s where he met the beautiful and brainy Perihan, a rising young Turkish banking executive. It was uninhibited love at first sight, except that neither spoke the other’s
language! So they embarked on a mad language learning scramble (which continues to this day) that culminated in their marriage -- now in its 20-something year.
After spending fifteen working years Stateside (with numerous visitations to Turkey), the two opted to return permanently to Turkey in 1992 to take up residence in Gümüldür, a seaside resort town in the heart of what was once the ancient Ionian Empire.
There they live an idyllic life by the sea – writing, drawing and painting, teaching English, and providing computing service support to local businesses.
They also sponsor the MSNBC award-winning
Learning Practical Turkish website (located at
http://learningpracticalturkish.com/index.html) that has built an enthusiastic international following of devoted Turkophiles and inquisitive language students of all ages.
From the Authors
The Authors wish to thank our respective families -- for their support, patience, and understanding during all these years…We also extend a special thanks to our honored friend Taşkın Çalı -- whose on-going work with us on the LPT website (and on this book too!) is as highly valued as it is esteemed. And, to Patricia Rawlings (Bury’s finest) -- for her skilled and caring assistance during all the stages of this project
development -- we extend our heartfelt appreciation.
Last but not least, we send thanks to Martin Larsen (our Danish conscience) – without whom this idea would never have been hatched!
Table of Contents
Introduction 9
Pronunciation Guides 11
The 700 Club (of Essential Turkish) 21
Terms of Endearment 131
Off-color Indecencies 143
Book Index 155
Visit our website soon and often… It’s dedicated to struggling Turkish language learners just like you -- and it’s loaded with
authentic voice recordings too!!
The Learning Practical Turkish website is located at:
http://learningpracticalturkish.com/index.html
Introduction
Getting to grips with this ancient and modern language Others may disagree, but we think that Turkish is a difficult language to learn if you come from an English-speaking
background -- as some of us do.
• The vocabulary is hard to remember (and can be ambiguous)
• The word order in sentences is backwards to English, and
• The way of expressing actions and ideas takes getting used to
This, the first book in our new series, set outs to tackle all three of those difficulties –- but with a primary focus on vocabulary. Thus, more than two-thirds of its content is
devoted specifically to the essential Turkish words, terms and phrases.
Our 700 Club of Essential Turkish Headwords is based in part on the Voice of America "Special English" Basic Vocabulary List that Martin Larsen kindly brought to our attention. However, if you take the time to compare that list against ours, you'll
notice two things about our list.
Firstly, ours is shorter -- we only include (approximately) 700
"Head Words" here. That seems a manageable number to us -- providing 'good value' without being too heavy a burden. [You'll find 1500 'Head Words' at VOA.] Moreover, it forces us to be more selective. It makes us choose only those head-words that folks really use in native Turkish-speaking settings. And too, it requires that we exclude 'nice to know' or 'flavor of the month' or 'politically correct', or 'obvious' words, phrases, etc. For example, we reckon you'll understand that banka in Turkish means bank in English. So we don't include it on our list -- even though it's an essential word in daily Turkish life...
Secondly, we include words on our list that are not included on the VOA list. We do that because Turks express themselves in
ways that are not neatly represented by words on any English- language list of this sort. For example, you won't hear a
naturally polite Turkish gentleman say merhaba; hello when answering the telephone. Instead you'll hear him say 'Efendim' (which is the English-equivalent of 'My master')... So, although you won't find anything remotely similar on the VOA list, the word Efendim finds a comfortable spot on our Top 700-list...An essential Turkish head-words list, we feel, needs to contain the terms you'll actually hear (and that you'll want to use yourself) in conversations with Turkish speakers -- if you want to
understand and be understood, that is ...
A final point about our essential Turkish list... If your
circumstances dictate or if you prefer reading Turkish language materials before venturing bravely into conversation -- then this list is for you, too. Just get yourself a copy of a Turkish newspaper like Hurriyet or Gözcü or a Turkish magazine like Aktüel or Tombak -- and have a go... It can be fun, and it can do wonders for your translator's confidence -- as you massage the correct meaning from the subject matter.
Having said all that, we realize that any list of essential Turkısh has short-comings -- mostly because it reflects the opinionated personal experiences of the list-maker. Our list suffers from this fault we know, and we apologize in advance...
Pronunciation Guides
-- for Yanks
-- for Brits, Aussies and Kiwis, etc.
Visit our website soon and often… It’s dedicated to struggling Turkish language learners just like you -- and it’s loaded with
authentic voice recordings too!!
The Learning Practical Turkish website is located at:
http://learningpracticalturkish.com/index.html
“Pronunciation Guides”
Pronouncing the Turkish Alphabet -- for Yanks
L e t t e r
Türkçe Telaffuz (Turkish pronunciation
sound)
American-English Pronunciation (These tips actually work, if you try 'em. Really they do...) But if
you're in search of the True- Turkish pronunciation, your prayers are answered... Just see
our website on the Spoken Turkish Alphabet page!
A a
ah as the o in Godawful...
B b
beh as the b's in Bed 'n
breakfast...
C c
jeh as the j in Jekyll and Hyde
Ç ç
cheh as the Ch in Chesty Starbuck, ma hero...
D d
deh as the d’s in De don't make'm like de yusta...
E e
eh as the first a in Lay you down beside the still waters...
F f
feh as the f in Well, fancy that!
G g
gheh
as the G in Getoutta here!
Ğ ğ
Yumuşak G (Soft G)
This letter is soundless. It's purpose is to elongate the nearest preceding vowel. As a capital letter, it is only seen in words that have been written in all capital letters -- such as company names. And -- when written in upper or lower case -- it never starts a word.
H h
heh, ahsh as the H's in Hurry up Humbert, I can't wait all day...
[Will the real Lolita please lie down?]
I ı
ih more like the second i in
Luscious Lips...
İ i
ee as the first two i's in
Don' want no stinkin'
pronunciation guide...
J j
jeh as the s in It's a pleasure to meet ya'...
K k
keh, kah as the c in A case of beer and thou...
L l
leh as the L's in Labyrinth of Lies
M m
meh as the m's in the The merry
month of May...
N n
neh as the n's in Never say never, never say always...
O o
oh as the O in Oh, Yeah? Sez
who?
Ö ö
er as the er in Ted Turner
P p
peh as the P in Prestidigitator...
R reh as the R in Risky Business!
r
S s
seh as the S in So you're new to these parts, eh?
Ş ş
sh as the sh's in Shazam, sheriff!
T t
teh as the T in Tie 'er down, boys.
She's headin' for the barn!
U u
uu or oo as in the second set of double oo's in Flat foot floozy...
(You're wrong if you think we just dated ourselves.
We couldn't be that old and still be writing this. We're just well- read.)
Ü ü
uuu or ooo or,
sometımes, yoo as the U in I'm SO conFUSED...
V v
veh you'll find the right sound
somewhere between the V in Virginity and the W in Wedlock...
Y y
yeh as the y in Do ye wanna
dance...?
Z z
zeh as the z in She shot me her
best zinger!
Pronouncing the Turkish Alphabet – for Brits, Aussies n' Kiwis, etc.
Our Australian friend Phil sent us a message letting us know that American-pronunciation of Turkish
has certain limitations!
[Actually he's not the first to point that out, but we've been dodging the truth...]
So, we asked him to prove it!
And, he did!
See below...
L e t t e r
Türkçe Telaffuz (Turkish pronunciation
sound)
"Real" English Pronunciation
(If you want True-Turkish pronunciation, your prayers
are answered... at our website on the Spoken Turkish Alphabet page!
A a
ah as the a in the French avoir -- somewhere between the u of sun and the a of father. Not as long as the a in Pa...
B b
beh as the b's in Buttered
bread is best...
C c
jeh as the j sound in jam, and That jockey is a joker!
Ç ç
cheh as the ch in church.
D d
deh as the d in Deadly and
dangerous...
E e
eh as the short e sound in
Ready, get set...
F f
feh as the f 's in Fowl
feathered friends... or should that be foul feathered friends?
G g
gheh
as the g in Go get gaiters...
Ğ ğ
Yumusak G (Soft G)
This letter is soundless.
It's purpose is to elongate the nearest preceding
vowel. As a capital letter, it is only seen in words that have been written in all capital letters -- such as company names. And when written in upper or lower case it never starts a word.
H h
heh as the h in Hang on -- help is on the way...
I ı
ih as e in glasses, or the a in serial. Try spreading the lips to say easy then say cushion -- this gives the Turkish word kışın; in the season of winter...
İ i
ee as the short i sound in hit, kit, bit, sit...
J j
jeh as the s in treasure, and measure for measure...
K k
keh, kah as the c and the k in a couple of kittens...
L l
leh as the l 's in lot's of lovin'
M m
meh as the m 's in Mary Martin
N n
neh as the n 's in Not nice, Nellie, not the ng sound of pink...
O o
oh as the Oh in the French Oh
la la! -- like the short English o in You're a hotshot, Scott!
Ö ö
er as the 'oe' sound in Goethe, or the ir in bird -- the
English word dirt is very close to the Turkish word for four -- dört
P p
peh as the p 's in Pretty in pink...
R r
reh as the r 's in Red Rooster...
S s
seh as the s in So long, Sam...
Ş ş
sh as the sh 's in Short Sweet Sherry...
T t
teh as the English t in tongue, but with the tip of the tongue behind the front teeth rather than at the top of the mouth.
U u
uu or oo as the u in put or the oo in foot, not like the u in butter...
Ü ü
uuu or ooo or, sometimes, yoo
like the ü in Führer, or the French u in tu. Say itch with rounded lips (really rounded as if to say 'oo') and you have the Turkish word for three - üç.
V v
veh as the v 's in very vexed virgin -- except that it is sometimes much softer than the English v, especially between vowels...so that tavuk; chicken is almost pronounced tawuk.
Y y
yeh as the y 's in Yes, it's yellow...
Z z
zeh as the z in zip
See our website for full-sound coverage of Turkish accenting and pronunciation at:
http://learningpracticalturkish.com/index.html
The 700 Club of
Essential Turkish
Headwords, Suffixes and Prefixes
Visit our website soon and often… It’s dedicated to struggling Turkish language learners just like you -- and it’s loaded with
authentic voice recordings too!!
The Learning Practical Turkish website is located at:
http://learningpracticalturkish.com/index.html
"The 700 Club"
Seven-hundred Essential Turkish Head Words
with related phrases,suffixes (and prefixes, too!)
The top 700 Turkish vocabulary head word entries -- that we Turkish language-strugglers may want to know by heart!
Turkish English Examples, supplements, and explanations
A
abla older sister Ablam çok akıllı ve güzel. My older sister is very smart and beautiful.
Often used as a respectful endearment when a younger person speaks to a slightly older woman. Vendors also use the term with female customers.
acaba I wonder. Often used to add politeness to a question, as in: Postane nerede acaba? Could you please tell me where the post office is?
[Where is the post office, I wonder?]
acayip strange, (or, in a reversal of meaning) really 'cool'
Acayip bir şey!
That's very strange!
-or-
That's really cool!
(The situation dictates the meaning.)
acı pain Acı acıya, soğuk su sancıya iyi gelir.
One pain negates another, and cold water soothes an ache [so why not rise above the current situation and press on]. (Turkish Proverb)
aç hunger Aç mısınız? Are you hungry?
Açım. I'm hungry.
açlık, hunger
acıkmak, to feel hunger Acıktım. I'm hungry.
açık open, light (color), clear (meaning)
Kapım her zaman açık. My door is always open.
açıklama, explanation, statement, disclosure
açıklamak, to explain, to clarify;
Problemi açıklayabilir misiniz? Can you explain the problem?
Also, used with other words to form a large number of compound words and phrases, such as:
açık fikirli, broad-minded açık saçık, risque, off-color
ad name Adın ne? What's your name?
Adım Johnson. My name's Johnson.
ada island
Aferin! Bravo!
Well done!
Frequently used in game situations -- or in praise of children...
Affeder- sin(iz).
Excuse me. affetmek, to forgive, to excuse
Affedersiniz, eczane nerede? Excuse me, where's the pharmacy/chemist/drug store?
Afiyet olsun!
Good appetite!
Said to fellow meal-takers at the start of a meal; said in response to meal
compliments (delivered from meal-takers) by the meal presenter; said to someone you come upon who is about to eat or who is already eating.
ağabey older brother
Often used as a respectful endearment when a younger person speaks to a slightly older man. Vendors also use the term with male customers.
The 'proper' pronunciation is ah-beh.
The 'street' pronunciation is ah-bee.
ağır heavy,
weighty, serious
Bu ağır sandalyeyi kaldırabilir misiniz?
Can you lift this heavy chair?
Ağır otur ki "bey" desinler.
Sit serious(ly) so that they might call you a gentleman. (Turkish Proverb)
Also, used with other words to form compound words and phrases, such as:
ağır ağır, slowly
ağız mouth Etek öpmekle ağız aşınmaz.
The mouth is not worn out by kissing a skirt. [There is no harm in being respectful to an elder or superior.] (Turkish Proverb) Used in numerous Turkish idioms,
phrases, and compound word constructions, such as:
ağız kokusu, bad breath
ağızdan ağıza, by word of mouth
ağrı pain "Hele kalb ağrılarım durdu" diyordum.
I was saying, "Above all, my heart pains had stopped." Y.K. Beyatlı, Turkish poet ağrı kesici, pain killer, analgesic
ağrısı tutmak, to start (birthing) labor
aile family Onun ailesi oturma odasındadır. Her family is in the salon/living room.
[-e] ait concerning to, relating to,
belonging to
ait olmak, to concern, relate, belong to ait değil, doesn't belong, doesn't concern William'a ait palto, the coat belonging to William
akşam evening İyi akşamlar; Good evening.
Her akşam televizyon izlerim. I watch television every evening.
akşam yemeği, dinner; Melissa, akşam yemeğini saat yedi buçukta yer. Melissa has dinner at half-past seven.
alet tool Bunlar marangozun aletleridir. These are the carpenter's tools.
alın- yazısı
[one's]
destiny, fate
Askere giden oğlu şehit oldu, alınyazısı kötüymüş. He met a sad fate -- his son who became a soldier was killed on duty.
Allah God Allah allah! My goodness! Oh my!
Allah insanın ömründen kesip bahtına katsın. Let God cut down on a man's lifespan and add the difference to his luck.
(Turkish Proverb)
Allaha ısmarladık. Goodbye. [Said by the person who is departing the place to the person who will remain at the place.] The 'street pronunciaton' is: Alasmaldık...(ah- lahs-mahl-dihk)
almak to take, to buy
alışveriş, shopping
Ne alırsınız? What will you have [to eat/drink]?
alt, altına, altında
bottom, under, below beneath
Ağır yükün altına girme belin incinir.
Don't take on a heavy load, you may injure your back. [Know your limits.]
ama but Vicdan yalan söylemez ama sık sık yanılır ve yanıltır. Conscience doesn't lie but it often blunders and makes mistakes.
(Turkish Proverb)
amca uncle Often used as an respectful endearment when a younger person speaks to a rather older man. Vendors also use the term with older male customers.
anla- mak
to
understand, to have knowledge of
anlatmak, to explain, to tell
Hasmın sitemini anlamamak hasma sitemdir. It is a reproach to your enemy not to acknowledge his reproach. (Turkish Proverb)
anlaş- mak
to come to an understanding/
agreement with
(someone)
anlaşma, agreement
İlk işimiz, Bizim Yokuş'un meşhur Artin Efendisi ile anlaşmak oldu.
Our first job was to come to an understanding with the famous Artin Efendi in Bizim Yokuş.
(Bizim Yokuş is a general term for 'our neighborhood' or 'our precinct'.)
Y. Z. Ortaç
anne mother babaanne (father’s side) or anneanne, (mother’s side), grandmother
Şansım olsaydı annem beni kız doğururdu. (Turkish Proverb)
If I'd been lucky my mother would have given birth to me as a girl.
aptal stupid, silly, ridiculous;
a simpleton, a fool
Aptal bir şeydir. That's a dumb-ass thing...
araba car,
automobile, wagon, carriage
Rebbeca'nın harika bir arabası var.
Rebecca has a very cool car.
Araba devrildikten sonra yol gösteren çok olur. After the carriage is overturned, there are many who would show the way...
(Turkish Proverb)
aralık a break, a space or December
aralıkta, in between
aralıklı, spaced, at intervals
aralıksız, continuous, continuously aralık ayı, the month of December
aramak to look for, to search, to inquire
araştırma, research
Beni arasın. Ask her to call me.
Sırdaş aramak sırrını yaymak içindir.
To look for a confidente is for the purpose of spreading your secret. (Turkish
Proverb)
ara, ara- sında, arasına
between, among
ara sıra, from time to time, now and then Tavukların arasında bir tilki var.
There's a fox among the chickens.
Nurettin her gün Gümüldür ile İzmir arasında otobüs sürer. Nürretin drives a bus between Gümüldür and Izmir every day.
arka, arkada, arka- sında, arkasına
back, behind
arkasından, after
Evimiz kütüphanenin arkasındadır. Our house is behind the library.
Arkada, eski bir gömlek, yırtık bir pabuç, ve yamalı pantolon bıraktı.
He left behind an old shirt, a torn pair of shoes, and a patched pair of pants.
Y. Z. Ortaç
arkadaş friend/
companion
erkek arkadaş, boyfriend kız arkadaş, girlfriend
Arkadaşının adı nedir? What's your friend's name?
Ev almadan komşu, yola çıkmadan evvel arkadaş araştırınız.
Before buying a house do research on your neighbor, before setting out on a journey do research on your [traveling]
companion...(Hadis-i şerif)
artık now, at last, from now on, finally
Artık ilk bahar geldi. Spring has come at last.
Bıktım artık. I'm fed up now, I've stood this long enough.
Artık gidelim. That's enough of that, let's drop it finally and go.
Artık bunu yapmaz. He won't do this anymore.
asker soldier askeri, military
askerlik, the military profession
asla never Asla o adamdan hoşlanmadım! I never liked that man!
aslan a lion.
a brave person
O adam aslan gibidir. That man is very courageous.
(-den) aşağı(da)
below, down, downstairs
aşağı yukarı, approximately;
Aşağı yukarı on yıl önce oldu. It happened about ten years ago.
aşağılık herif, a scoundrel, a rotten bastard
Aşağıda oturmazsan yukarıda da yerin yoktur.If you can't sit below, there'll be no place for you above. (Turkish Proverb) Ayrandan aşağı katık olmaz. There is no foodstuff lower than ayran.
İ.H. Soykut
aşk âşık
love, passion in love, lover
Examples for aşk...
aşk Eflâtunî, Platonic love Allah aşkına!, My goodness!
Aşkolsun! Well done! or Shame on you! or Don't be that way!
Examples for âşık...
âşık olmak, to fall in love
Bodrumda âşık oldum! I fell in love in Bodrum!
at horse ata binmek, to mount/ride a horse at yarışı, a horse race
Used in countless Turkish Proverbs, such as: Atın kulağını kesin yine attır,
domuzun kuyruğunu kesin yine
domuzdur...[If you] cut off a horse's ears, it is still a horse. [And if you] cut off a pig's tail it is still a pig...
ateş [a] fire, a person’s (or an animal’s) temper- ature
İtfaiyeci ateş söndürür. A fireman puts out fire.
ateşlemek, to fire [a weapon]
ateş kesmek, [to] cease fire ateşli silahlar, firearms
ay month or
moon
Ağustos ayı çok sıcaktır. The month of August is very hot.
Temiz iş altı ayda çıkar.
It takes six months to finish a job decently.
(Turkish Proverb)
ayın on dördü gibi, beautiful, like a full moon; Ayın on dördü gibi güzel bir kadın olmuş. She became a lovely young woman -- as pretty as a full moon. (-- like the 14th-of-the-month moon.)
ayak foot Onun ayağı kocamandır. His foot is huge.
Used in numerous Turkish idioms, phrases, and compound word constructions, such as:
ayakkabı, shoe ayak parmağı, toe
ayakta tedavi, outpatient treatment
ayar a device for checking accuracy, an
adjustment (of time or of a
machine)
ayarlamak, to adjust, to arrange ayarlama, an adjustment
ayarlı bomba, time bomb
ayarsız, out of order, of unknown standard
ayırmak to separate, to isolate, to divide into parts
ayırtmak, to reserve
aynı same aynı şey, the same thing
ayrıntı a detail ayrıntılarına inmek, to get down to the details of (something), to begin to look at (something) in detail
az little az kalsın, almost, nearly
Az kalsın düşecektim. I nearly fell.
B
baba father Benim babamın adı James'di. My father's name was James.
babacığım, daddy
baba adam, a wise and kind elderly man babası tutmak, to become enraged
bahşiş tip, gratuity bahşiş vermek, to tip
bakkal market bakkal defteri gibi, very messily kept [said of a notebook or register of accounts]
bakmak to look at, to watch
This is not the same as seyretmek.
bakış, (a) glance, look, view bakış açısı, point of view Bakalım. Let's see.
Bakar mısın? Will you come here,
please? [usually said to gain the attention of waiters -- and other service providers.]
Kendisine anlat, bakarsın kabul eder.
Explain it to her, she just might agree.
balık fish Siz balık sever misiniz? Do you like [to eat] fish.
balıkçı, fisherman
balık istifi, packed in like sardines, balığa çıkmak, to go fishing
balık tutmak, to catch fish or to have a bit of luck
bam- /bem- /bom-
Prefixes that are used to intensify adjectives/
adverbs.
For example: bambaşka kadın...;
a completely different [sort of] woman...
basit simple, easy, unadorned, low quality
Bu cümle basit bir cümledir; This sentence is a simple sentence.
baş head başlangıç, the start, the beginning, the commencement
başlamak, to start
Toplantı saat onbirde başlar. The meeting starts at eleven.
başarmak, to succeed
Used in numerous Turkish idioms, phrases, and compound word constructions, such as:
baş ağrısı, a headache baş başa, face to face
başka (an) other -den başka, other than, except for Tim'den başkası bu işi yapamaz.
This job can only be done by Tim.
batı west İzmir Türkiye'nin batısındadır. Izmir is in the west of Turkey.
bayan a lady Bayan, Ms., Mrs., Miss
Bayanlar sevgi dolu olmalıdır.
Women should be filled with love.
(Turkish proverb)
bayram holiday, Çocukluğumdaki bayramlar
festival bambaşkaydı! In my childhood, holidays were really great! [...holidays were really something else!]
bebek baby Bebek süt içer. A baby drinks milk.
becerikli skillful, capable, clever
Ayşe çok beceriklidir. Ayşe knows what she's doing. [...is very capable.]
beceriksiz, incompetent
bedava free, no
charge Bedava yaşıyoruz, bedava...
We live 'free and easy'. [Our website visitor, AO, reminds us that this phrase implies a carefree attitude to life, along with a less than full experience of it...]
beğen- mek
to like Seni beğeniyorum, I like you.
Beğen beğendiğini. Choose whichever you like.
Beğenemedin mi? So you don't approve?
bekle- mek
to wait [for], to expect
beklenmek, to be expected
beklenmedik, unexpected, we weren't expected
Bu patlama beklenmedik bir olaydır.
This explosion was an unexpected event.
belki maybe Belki gelirsin diye çok bekledim.
I waited a long time, thinking that you might come. [...because maybe you'd come.]
Düşünürsen belki başarabilirsin.
If you think [you can do it], maybe you'll be able to succeed.
ben I beni, me; benim, my; bana, to me Bu oyunda ben yokum.
I'm not in this game/play/dance.
benzer similar to, like
benzerlik, similarity benzeyiş, resemblance
Bu köşke benzer bir yer ömrümde görmedim. I've never seen anything like this [richly decorated house] in my life.
beraber together Bizim beraberliğimiz sonsuza kadar sürecek. Our togetherness will last forever.
besle- mek
to feed, to nourish, to provide for
bey a gentleman;
a title
meaning Mr.
[placed after the person's first name as in John bey, Mr. John.]
bay, gentleman;
Bay, Mr.
Bay John Hamilton, Mr. John Hamilton Can bey'in kocaman bir bira göbeği var. Mr. John has got a big beer belly.
beyaz white beyaz eşya, white goods, household appliances
beyaz oy, a vote in favor
Benim sevgilime beyaz gömlek çok yakışıyor. A white shirt is very good looking on my boyfriend.
bırak- to leave [someone or
bırakıntı, leavings, refuse
bırakış, bırakma, left, released[verbal
mak something]
[at] [some place]
nouns]
Onu kendi düşünceleriyle yalnız bıraktım; I left her alone with her thoughts.
biber pepper karabiber, black pepper Duygu baharatlardan en çok
karabiberi seviyor. Of all the spices, Duygu (a female name) likes black pepper the most.
Duygu karabiberi görünce hapşırmaya başlıyor. [Unfortunately] whenever Duygu sees black pepper she starts sneezing.
bilmek to know, to understand
bilgi, information, knowledge bilgisayar, computer
Jonathan bilgisayar kursuna gidiyor.
Jonathan attends a computer course.
bin a thousand bine kadar, up to a thousand Altı yaşındaki Melis bine kadar
sayabiliyor. At age six, Melis [a female name] can count up to a thousand.
bina building binaya kadar, up to the building Dünya binalarla doldu; artık yeşillik istiyoruz. The world is full of buildings;
we need more greenery now.
binmek to board (a plane or a boat), to mount (a horse), to get in/on (a vehicle)
Arabaya binecek misin? Will you get in the car, please?
bindiği dalı kesmek, to cut off the branch one is sitting on
bir the number 'one'
the article 'a' or 'an' 'the same'
bir gün, one day
Bir dakika! Just a minute!
Fikirlerimiz bir. Our thoughts are the same. Oyayla fikirlerimiz bir. We agree with Oya (a female name).
Also, used in numerous Turkish idioms, phrases, and compound word
constructions, such as:
biri, someone, one person birlikte, together
birinden biri, one of them bir de, as well, and also
biraz, a little, some; O biraz önce ne söyledi? What did she just say?
birebir, most effective... Aspirin baş ağrıma birebir geldi. For me, aspirin is the best cure for a headache. [Aspirin is most effective for my headaches.]
Also used in the important and useful, -den biri; one of - construction:
kalabalıktan biri, one of the crowd Güneş evrendeki milyarlarca yıldızdan biridir. The sun is one of the billions of stars in the universe.
bitmek, bitirmek
to end, to finish, to complete
Program saat kaçta biter? What time does the program finish?
bitirme, completion
bitirme belgesi, certificate [showing completion of a course]
bitiş, end
bitişik, adjacent, neighboring, next to, on the border of
biz [bizi, bize]
we Biz Türkçe öğreniyoruz. We are learning Turkish.
biz bize, by ourselves, without any strangers about
borç debt borç almak, to borrow
Dün arkadaşımdan biraz borç aldım. I borrowed some money from my friend yesterday.
borç vermek, to lend
Ona sevgimden borç vermek isterdim.
Because of my affection for him, I wanted to lend [him something].
borcunu ödemek, to pay one's debt Bana olan borcunu henüz ödemedi. She didn't pay me back yet.
boş empty Bu boş bir kavanozdur. This is an empty jar.
Boş ver... Forget it; never mind; it doesn't matter...
O hep böyledir! Boş ver! He's always like that! Don't worry about it!
bozuk broken,
spoiled bozmak; to spoil, ruin, harm, damage bozulmak; to be spoiled, ruined, harmed, damaged
Bilgisayarım bozuldu.
My computer is broken.
boy height,
length, edge (of road)
Boyum ona göre çok kısa.
Compared to her, I'm quite short.
yol boyunca, [whole] length of the road Yol boyunca beni rahat bırakmadı. He kept bothering me down the whole length of the street.
böyle so, thus, in this way, like that
Böyle abuk sabuk konuşması sinirime dokunuyor. His talking nonsense like that, get's on my nerves.
bu this bu kitap, this book Bu konuda diyecek başka bir şey kalmadı. There's nothing more to say about this subject.
bugün, today bunlar, these
burada, at this place, here
Burada ne işin var? What are you doing here?
burası, this place, here bu arada, meanwhile
bulmak to find, to discover
Mavi elbisemi bulmak için çok
uğraştım. I worked very hard (shopping) to find my blue dress.
bulunmak, to be found, to be, to have Buz bulunur. We have ice. [Ice is found here.]
buz ice buzdolabı, refrigerator
buyurun Please have a look.
Please come in.
Please sit down.
Please help yourself.
Böyle buyurun, lütfen. Please come this way.
[An (annoying?) invitation offered by vendors to attract attention to their merchandise.]
büyük large Onun yedi tane büyük şapkası var.
She's got seven large hats.
Başından büyük işe girişme.
Don't bite off more than you can chew.
(Turkish Proverb)
büyümek, to grow, to become large büyük ihtimalle, in all probability büyükbaba, grandfather
büyükanne, grandmother
C
cadde street,
avenue Bizim ev Mustafa Kemal caddesi üzerinde bulunuyor. Our house is on Mustafa Kemal Avenue.
[...is found on Mustafa Kemal Avenue.]
cam glass Yerde cam parçaları var. Dikkat et!
There are pieces of glass on the floor. Be careful!
cami mosque İstanbul'daki Sultan Ahmet camisini çok beğenmiş. It's said that the Sultan Ahmet Mosque in Istanbul is much admired.
can soul, spirit, life
canım, my dear [used with close friends, children -- loved ones, in general.]
O benim canım yavrum. He's my dear darling.
canlı, alive
Bu kuş hâlâ canlı yahu! Look here, this bird is still alive!
cazibe attraction,
charm Güzelliğin cazibesine kapılmamak mümkün değil! It's not possible to not be captivated by the attraction of beauty.
-ceğiz -cağız -cik
A noun suffix meaning:
kadıncağız, poor old woman
Mehmetçik, dear little Mehmet (the affectionate term used by the public when
(ciğe) -çik (çiğe) -cık (cığa) -çık (çığa)
dear little, dear old, poor old...
referring to the ordinary Turkish soldier)
"Kıyma kediciğe, amca," demiş. Don't kill the dear little cat, uncle," he said.
(From a Turkish fable.)
cehen- nem
hell
-cek-/
-ceğ- [-cak-/
-cağ-]
A verbal suffix that denotes a 'future' tense.
See our website for complete 'Future Tense' examples.
Ex. Future Continuous Tense -- Geliyor olacağım; I shall be coming
cennet heaven Bu dünyada cennetteymişim gibi mutlu ve huzurlu yaşamak istiyorum. I want to live happily and tranquilly like I was in heaven on earth.
cep pocket Cebinde beş kuruş parası yok
adamcağızın. He's a poor man who hasn't a penny to his name! [...hasn't five kuruş money in his pocket!]
Used in numerous Turkish idioms, phrases, and compound word constructions, such as:
cep telefon, mobile phone cebi delik, penniless, broke cebi dolu, rich, loaded
cereyan (electrical) current or air movement
cesur brave O bir aslan -- çok cesur. He's a lion -- he's very brave.
cevap answer;
solution
cevap vermek, to answer
ceza punishment, penalty
cezaevi, prison
ciddi serious Ciddi olamazsın! You're not serious, are you?!
cihaz an apparatus, a piece of machinery/
equipment
cilt [human or animal] skin or the cover of a book, or a volume of a book
cinayet murder
cinsel sexual
civar the vicinity civarında, around here/there, in the vicinity
cumhur -baş- kanı
president
cümle a sentence cümle alem, everybody, the whole world
Ç
çabuk quick, fast Çabuk bakkaldan ekmek al. Quick, go buy [a loaf of] bread at the market.
Hadi çabuk uçağı kaçıracağız!
Come on quick, we'll miss the plane!
çağdaş modern,
contemporary Türkiye çağdaş bir ülkedir. Turkey is a modern country.
çağırmak to call [out] Hadi Can hoca bizi çağırıyor. Let's go John, the teacher is calling us.
çalmak to steal or to
play Hey Dük... Sokağın başındaki barda çok güzel caz çalıyorlar. Hey Duke...
They're playing some great Jazz at the bar up the street...
Koşun, hırsız bakkaldan sigaraları çalıyor. Run get him, the thief is stealing cigarettes from the grocery store.
çalışmak to work çalışma, work, working, study;
çalışkan, hard-working, industrious Yarınki sınavıma çok çalışmalıyım. I have to study hard for my exam
tomorrow.
Yaşamak için çalışmaya ihtiyacım var. I need to work [at a job] in order to live.
çare a remedy, a
cure çaresiz, incurable, helpless, without remedy
Allahım ne olur bana bir çare bul...
Com'n God, give me a break...
Televizyon bozuksa çaresi televizyon servisine gitmek(tir). If the TV is broken the remedy is to take it to a TV service-shop.
çarpmak to strike, to hit, to run into
çarpma, a blow, stroke or a multiplication
Koşun caddede iki araç çarpıştı! Run go see, two vehicles collided in the street!
Karanlıkta koşarken caddede direkle çarpıştım.
I banged into a pole on the road while I was running in the dark.
çarşı a market Babam bizi akşam çarşıya götürecek.
My Dad is going to take us to the mall this evening.
Ali, ben çarşıya gidiyorum. Birşey ister misin? Ali, I'm going to the
market. Do you need [want] anything?
çay tea Sabahları uyandığımda hep çay
içerim. I always have tea when I get up in the morning.
Bir bardak çay içer misiniz?
Would you like to drink a glass of tea?
çekmek to pull çekmece, a drawer
çekinmek, to avoid, abstain çekişmek, to argue
çekişme, an argument
çelik steel
çember a circle
çeşit a kind, sort, variety
çeşitli, various
çevirmek to turn, to translate
çeviri, a translation; çevirmen, a translator
çevre surroundings, environment,
"The
Environment"
çıkarmak to take out, to pull out, to get out, to remove, to take off, to bring out, to produce, to publish, to strike out, to omit
çıkar, interest (from financial transaction);
çıkarım, deduction;
çıkarma, subtraction
çıkmak to go out, to come out, to be published, to depart, to leave, to go up, to climb up, to break out, to arise, to spring
çıkmaz, blind alley çıkış, an exit
çılgın mad, crazy, çılgınlık, madness
wild
çıplak naked çırılçıplak, buck naked, completely nude
çiçek flower Çiçekler çok güzeldir. The flowers are beautiful.
çiftçi farmer çiftlik, farm
Çiftçi çiftlikte çalışır. A farmer works on a farm.
Amcamın çiftliğinde çok hayvanlar var. My uncle has many animals on his farm.
çizgi a line çizmek, to draw
çizgi film, a cartoon film; Çocuklar televizyonda çizgi film izliyor. The kids are watching cartoons on television.
çizgi roman, comic book, comics
çocuk child Uzun boylu erkek çocuk nerede?
Where is the tall boy?
Boylu çocuk ağacın altında oturuyor.
The tall boy is sitting under the tree.
çok very, much çoğu, most (of), mostly çoğul, plural
çoğunluk, majority
Used in numerous Turkish idioms, phrases, and compound word constructions, such as:
Çok şükür. Thank God, thank goodness.
çözmek to solve, to unfasten, to untie
çözüm, a solution
çözümleme, an analysis
çukur a hole, hollow, pit
çünkü because O basketbol iyi oynayamaz çünkü boyu çok kısadır. He can't play
basketball well because he's too short.
D
daha more, further, before this, until now, only, still
Often used to construct comparatives, such as:
daha iyi, better (more good);
bizden daha büyük, larger than us Daha bu akşam gördüm. I saw her only this evening.
Zaman daha erken. It's still early.
dakika minute Bir dakka! [short for, Bir dakika!]
Hold it! Wait just a moment!
dar narrow
davranmak to act, to behave
davranış, treatment
-de/-da [or -te/ta after ç, f, h, k, p, s, ş, or t]
Suffix
denoting the Place Case of a noun, e.g.,
masada, on the table kitapta, in the book
Saat sekizde kalkarım. I get up at eight o'clock.
Geldiğimde sen yoktun. When I came
at, in, on.
Used in expressing the idea of when...
you weren't there.
Also see, zaman.
de, da (stand-alone words)
and
defa time, turn See further explanation at tane.
değer value, worth değerli, valuable
değil not Değil mi? Isn't that correct?
Önemli değil. It's not important.
Amerika'lı değil misiniz? Aren't you (all) American?
Değiliz. We are not.
değişik different, unusual, changed, altered
değişiklik, change, alteration;
amendment; unusualness
değişmek, to change, alter, become different
dek
(-e değin) up to, as far as, from-to, until, up to (a time)
by a time, within (a time)
Keloğlan (Turkish folk-lore hero), sabahtan akşama dek çalışırmış orda burda. 'Bald-boy' worked here and there from morning to night.
göz açıp kapayıncaya dek within the blinking of an eye.
demek to say, to mean
Ne demek? What do you mean? What does it mean?
Ne demek... There's no need to mention it; Of course...
diye [derived from demek], because, so that, thinking that, called [by], saying...
Arkadaşları, borç para ister diye, sokakta onu görünce yollarını değiştiriyorlardı. His friends, because he was always asking for a loan, would change direction when they saw him on the road.
Gücenirsiniz diye bir şey demedim. I didn't say anything, thinking that you might be offended.
'Girilmez' diye bir levha, A sign saying 'No Admittance'...
diye is also used in quotations -- without any meaning. "Saat kaç?"
diye sordu. "What time is it?" he asked.
-den/-dan [or -ten/tan after ç, f, h, k, p, s, ş, or t]
Suffix denoting the From/
Than Case of a noun.
From/Than Case examples...
arabadan, out of the car kitaptan, from the book
Araba kitaptan daha ağırdır. A car is heavier than a book.
-- den/dan beri, since; dünden beri, since yesterday
denemek to try Deneyelim. Let's try.
denek, tried and true; tried, tested and proved
deniz sea Ege Denizi Türkiye'nin
batısındadır. The Aegean Sea is in the west of Turkey.
derece the
temperature
en yüksek derece or birinci derece, the highest
a quality of measurement
en düşük derece, the lowest son derece, extremely
dergi magazine
derin deep Derin dondurucu garajdadır. The
deep freezer is in the garage.
derhal immediately
destek support, prop destek olmak, to support (intellectually)
destek görmek, to get (intellectual) support, to be supported
devam continuation devam etmek, to continue Devamı var. To be continued.
devlet a country, a state, a government
dış outside dışarı, out, the outside
-den dışarı, out of; dışında, outside of, apart from, except for, besides
diğer other
-dik- -diğ- (-dık-, -dük-, -duk-)
A verbal suffix used to form 'past' participles in Turkish.
gördüğüm bir kadın, a woman [that]
I saw -dikçe
(-dıkça, -dükçe, -dukça)
Note below that 'd' changes to 't' after ç, f, h, k, p, s, ş, or t.
A verbal suffix that denotes:
each time [that], every time [that], e.g.,
aklıma geldikçe, every time I think of it the more [that], e.g.,
o güldükçe ben de güldüm, the more he laughed, [the more] I laughed too.
as long as, so long as, e.g.,
sen ısrar ettikçe, as long as you insist more and more, e.g.,
azıttıkça azıttı, she became more and more unmanageable.
Also, now used in common words:
gittikçe, gradually oldukça, rather
dikkat [careful]
attention, Be careful!, Notice!
dikkat etmek, to pay attention, be careful; Lütfen, öğretmenine dikkat ediniz. Please pay attention to the teacher.
dikkat çekmek, to attract attention
dil tongue or
language dillere destan olmak, to be reknowned...Baba, sizin dillere destan olmuş varlığınız benim harcadığım üç beş kese altınla
tükenir mi? Will my spending of some of your gold money-bags [really]
exhaust your reknowned wealth, father? [from a Turkish folktale]
-dim [-dım, -dum, - düm]
A verbal suffix that denotes the 'first person singular' of a 'past' tense, e.g., Past Continuous Compound Narrative Tense -- Geliyordum.
I was coming.
Other past-tense suffixes:
-din you, in the past -di he/she/it, in the past -dik we...
-diniz you [plural]...
-diler they ...
[along with all their spelling variances!]
See our website for complete 'Past Tense' examples of Gelmek, to come - - on the Conjugations Index page.
din religion
dinlemek to listen dinlenmek, to rest; Şu ceviz ağacının gölgesinde dinlenip biraz
nefes alalım. Let's rest in the shade of this walnut tree and take a little break [breath].
-(dir), -(dır), -(dur), -(dür)
Suffixes for
"He/she/it is"...
Yorgun(dur); She is tired...
-(dir)ler, -(dır)lar, -(dur)lar, -(dür)ler
Suffixes for
"They are"...
Yorgun(dur)lar; They're tired...
doğu east
doğru true, correct, straight
Doğru değil mi? Isn't that right?
dolayı surroundings -dan dolayı, because of, due to
dolu full or hail [pellets of frozen rain]
O dolu mu, yoksa boş mudur? Is it full or empty?
dolmak, to get filled
doldurmak, to fill, to charge [a battery], to load [a gun], to fill out [a form]
dönmek to turn, to return
dönme, a turning, a rotation, a religious convert, a transvestite dönüş, a turning, a return
duman smoke, or
hopeless (situation)
dumanlı hava, [a] difficult situation duman etmek, to harm, to destroy
durmak to stop, to stand
…also, used as a helper with other verbs -- to express continuous action
durum situation, condition, state
durumunda, in the event that
duymak to hear or to feel
duyum, sensation duygu, feeling, emotion
dün yesterday
dünya the world İkinci Dünya Savaşı hangi devletler arasında olmuştur? Which countries were involved in the Second World War? [...between which countries...]
Used in numerous Turkish idioms,
phrases, and compound word constructions, such as:
dünya görüşü, one's general philosopy of life
dünya kadar, a whole lot
Dünya varmış! Ah...How wonderful!
[The world exists!]
dürüst honest
düş dream, hope,
aspiration
düşün, thought düşünmek, to think düşmek, to fall
düşük, fallen, low (quality)
E
-e/-a [or -ye/- ya after a vowel]
Suffix
denoting the
‘To, For Case’
of a noun...
sinemaya, to the sinema bahçeye, to the garden
futbol maçlarına abone olmak, to have a season ticket for the football matches
-ebil/
-abil
A suffix to denote 'can'...
Gelebilirim I can come.
Yapabilir misin? Can you do (it)?
eczane chemist, pharmacy, drug store
eczacı, pharmacist, chemist
edebiyat literature
Efendim and its uses...
To be respectful -- and uh...
The word 'Efendim' (pronounced as it looks) and it's used when Turkish speakers answer the phone. In that case it has the effect of saying
"Hello" -- in a very respectful (polite) manner. It literally means "my master".
It has another use, too...as a meaningless filler -- when you are speaking and you are in mid-sentence and you need to pause for some reason.
Maybe you want to take a breath, maybe you momentarily forget the next word you want to use...
For example...In English, we might speak a sentence like, "Yesterday was the first day of, uh, October." [We said 'uh' because we
momentarily forgot which month it was.] In Turkish, in place of the 'uh' -- you'd hear 'Efendim', if the speaker was being polite...[And if he wasn't being polite? Well, you'd problee hear "uhhh" -- just like us!]
And the complete spoken-Turkish sentence might look something like:
Ne söylesem efendim...Dün Ekimin birinci günü, efendim...;
How can I say this, uhhh...Yesterday was the first day of October, uhhh...
BTW -- If the Turkish speaker of the above sentence is being especially refined, he'll even eliminate the 'd' sound. So, if he's really out to
smooth-talk you, you'll only hear "Efenim" . [Note: Elimination of the 'd' is only done in this instance -- with 'uhhh' replacement. The full word, "Efendim" is used in all other cases mentioned in this sidebar.]
And yet another use...If you ask a polite Turk a question, and she
doesn't hear or understand you well enough, she will reply, "Efendim?"
-- meaning, "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you well. Could you repeat please?"
One final use...If you enter a room and call out the name of your polite Turkish friend, he will turn to you with a smile and say, "Efendim..." -- meaning, "Yes, I'm here. You've got my attention. I'm ready to listen to your next words..."
eğer A word with no meaning by itself, used to establish the boundaries of an 'if'
(conditional statement).
Such as,
Eğer John Mary'i severse evlenecekler.
If John loves Mary, they will marry.
Note that the sentence means the same thing, with or without the presence of the word Eğer.
eğitim education
eğlence fun,
amusement, entertainment
ek an addition, a supplement
eklem, a joint, eklemek, to add, eklenti, addition
ekmek bread Türkler çok ekmek yerler. Turks eat a lot of bread.
eksi minus eksik, missing, lacking, absent
el hand Elinizde ne var? What's that you've got in your hand?
Used in numerous Turkish idioms, phrases, and compound word constructions, such as:
el altında, handy
el altından, in an underhanded way
elçi ambassador
eleştirmek to criticize İşleri berbat ettikleri için sık sık eleştirdiğimiz politikacıların arasında kaliteli insanlar da vardır. There are some quality people among the
politicians that we often criticize because of the lousy jobs they do.
[Gözcü Gazetesi, 12 Nov 2001]
emekli retired, pensioner
emin sure,
confident Emin misin? Are you sure?
Eminim! I'm sure!
emniyet, safety, security
emniyetli, safe, secure, trustworthy
emir an order,
command
emretmek, to order
Emrin olur. As you wish. Whatever you say.
-en/-an A verbal suffix used to form present- participles.
Çağıran adam çıkarıldı. The shouting man was thrown out.
en the highest/
lowest degree of
Used to construct ‘superlatives’:
iyi, good; en iyi, best;
kötü, bad; en kötü; worst
endişe worry, anxiety
endişelenmek, to worry (about someone)
engel barrier, hindrance
engellemek, to prevent, to hinder
enteresan interesting enteresan bir konu, an interesting subject
-er/-ir ...
-mez (-ar/-ır ...
-maz)
Verbal
suffixes used to express 'as soon as --'.
Her sabah yatağından kalkar kalkmaz o aynaya bakmadan yere basmazmış. He wouldn't set his foot on the floor without looking in the mirror as soon as he arose every morning.
erkek man
erken early Ben sabahleyin erken kalkarım. I get up early in the morning.
ertesi next,
following
ertesi gün, the day after
eski old, ancient [refers to things, not people]
eskiden, in the past formerly
A modest Estağfurullah...
Estağfurullah --- Don't mention it; don't say so; not at all.
Pronounced: eh-STAH-foo-rool-lah
Around where we live it's used [modestly] by Person B in response to Person A's expression of (excessive) thanks or (high) praise
or by Person B in response to Person A's self-critical remarks…
Person A: I can't thank you enough, Person B...
You saved my life!
Person B: Estağfurullah, Person A. Don't mention it.
I'm glad I could help...
Ahmet: You speak Turkish like a native, Maureen...
