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 negociate in Turkish!

The following is some basic vocabulary you can learn on the plane trip over, including a phonetic pronunciation guide:

• Alphabet
• Numbers
• Days, Months, Seasons
• Time
• Quantity
• Greeting and leave-taking
• Colours

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:

Dublin Hotel Guides - Guide to hotel accommodation in Dublin, Ireland.
Twelve Pins Pub - London sports bar near Arsenal's Emirates stadium.