If you’re a Turkish beginner taking your first steps in the language, or visiting Turkey soon, it’s a good idea to understand basic greetings and phrases.
Let’s imagine you’ve just landed at Istanbul airport. You get into a taxi to take you into the city. Many taxi drivers in Istanbul speak a little English, but it’s never a bad time to practice a new language. Keep reading to learn more or discover online Turkish classeson Preply.
Turkish greetings (formal and informal)
Conversations in taxis are usually pretty informal, so start your conversation with:
- “Selam!” – This is a standard way to say hi in Turkish. You could also say:
- “Merhaba!” – This is how to say hello in Turkish – and is a little more formal.
You’ll want to say a little more than that to break the ice though. If you’ve landed on the early flight and you’re the first fare of the day, follow up with:
- “Günaydin”, or “good morning”.
If it’s any other time of the day, go for:
- “İyi günler” which means “good day”. It also means “have a good day”, so you can use it when you get out of the cab too!
Small talk
Give the driver your destination and make sure you’re fine with the fare. To work out these things, you’ll need to know Turkish numbers, and a few basic phrases.
What’s a common small talk topic in Istanbul? Well, Istanbul is home to three of the biggest soccer teams in the world, Beşiktaş J.K, Fenerbahçe S.K. and Galatasaray.
There’s a good chance that the driver supports one of these teams. He may say something or have something in the taxi indicating where his allegiances lie.
If his team recently lost, you could say:
- “Oh, üzgünüm!” This means something like, “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.”
But what if the defeat was at the hands of the team that you follow? And you just happen to be wearing their shirt today? Better keep him sweet and apologize.
- “Afedersin”. This is a common way to say sorry for something you’ve done and ask for forgiveness. You can also use the French loanword “pardon”.
Or you could go a little more apologetic if it was a really heavy defeat:
- “Kusura bakma!”, or literally, don’t look at what’s wrong. It means to not think badly of me for what’s happened, as if your team’s victory was a regrettable incident, and you wish the driver’s team every success in future. Remember, you want him to like you enough to take the fastest way to your hotel!
What if, however, you made the ultimate mistake? You saw a football team logo sticker on the dashboard and tried to bond by saying “Ohhh Beşiktaş!” – when it’s actually the logo for Galatasaray. That’s a serious offense! You’ll need a stronger apology:
- “Çok özur dilerim!” – I apologize very strongly!
Luckily, the driver can see the funny side of your Turkish faux-pas, and he forgives you!
Turkish farewells and thanks
You’ve got to where you need to go, and managed to leave on good terms with the driver. So now it’s time to say thanks and goodbye in Turkish. The safest way to thank him is:
- “Teşekkür ederim!” which literally means “I give my thanks”. This is the most common form of thanks.
Or if the driver was particularly nice to you, you could say:
- “Çok teşekkürler!” – “Thanks very much!” See how “çok” has been used here again to make the thanks stronger.
So now you’ve paid the fare and are ready to say bye bye to the driver, and “merhaba” to the next part of your Turkish adventure. Say farewell to your driver with:
- “Haydi güle güle. İyi günler!”, or “alright, bye. Have a good day!”. “Güle güle” literally translates to “laughing, laughing”, or “go happily”.
The driver might reply with the same, or with:
- “Görüşürüz”, which is another common way to say bye, or literally, “see you”.
And that’s it, your first Turkish conversation is done.
We have online tutors in more than 50 languages.
Preply is one of the leading educational platforms that provide 1-on-1 lessons with certified tutors via the exclusive video chat.
- Find my online tutor now
1456 reviews,“Excellent”
Useful tips for learning Turkish
When you’re speaking Turkish – try to be confident. First impressions matter and just pronouncing “merhaba” as if you’ve been studying for years can set the tone for the whole relationship.
As you’re learning Turkish, practice talking to yourself, repeating Turkish words and phrases as quickly as you can so that they become instinctive. Watch Turkish language lessons on YouTube and repeat what you hear to practice your pronunciation.
The more natural you sound, the more comfortable people will be talking to you. And if you need real-life speaking practice –and don’t have Turkish friends and family to practice with – check out Preply’s talented selection of online Turkish tutors.
