The Turkish Language
A quick guide for tourists
Before you jump into learning Turkish ask yourself first if you need it where you will be vacationing. If you are planning a holiday to a resort on the Western coast, you will not need to speak Turkish. The waiters, shopkeepers and guides all speak reasonable English. German is spoken very well by a lot of Turks. If you plan on travelling in eastern or central Turkey though you will need at least a few basic phrases of Turkish as it can be difficult to find an English speaker especially in the small towns and villages. Nevertheless, even if you are going to a well-known tourist city like Bodrum or Antalya some basic words of the language are always appreciated - if nothing else, learn the numbers as you will find it easier to get a better deal in the markets when you negotiate in Turkish! Some good bargaining will help you have great cheap holidays to Turkey.
The following
is some basic vocabulary you can learn on the plane trip over, including a
phonetic pronunciation guide:
Numbers
| Number | Turkish | Pronunciation |
| 1 | bir | beer |
| 2 | iki | ih-kih |
| 3 | üç | oo-ch |
| 4 | dört | dirt |
| 5 | beş | besh |
| 6 | altı | all-tuh |
| 7 | yedi | yed-ee |
| 8 | sekiz | sek-eez |
| 9 | dokuz | doh-kooz |
| 10 | on | on |
Greeting and saying goodbye
| English | Turkish | Pronunciation |
| Hello | Merhaba | Mera-ba |
| Good bye (formal) | Haşça Kalın | Hosh-chaw call-un |
| Goodbye (inormal) | Güle güle | Gool gool |
| How are you | Nasılsın | Noss-uhl-son |
Colours
| English | Turkish | Pronunciation |
| white | beyaz | bay-Oz |
| black | siyah | see-yah |
| yellow | sarı | saw-ruh |
| orange | turuncu | too-roon-ju |
| blue | mavi | maw-vee |
| red | kırmızı | kur-ma-zuh |
| grey | gri | gree |
| green | yeşil | yeh-sheel |
| purple | mor | mohr |
If you are interested in learning more of the language I would highly recommend the following books, all aimed at absolute beginners:
