Turkish Language — Lesson 1, Part 3 — Introduction

In Turkish, the word most commonly used for greeting is “Merhaba!”, which means “Hello!” or “Hi!”. The typical response to this greeting is the same: “Merhaba!”.

After meeting someone, it is customary to say: Memnun oldum! – Nice to meet you!

If someone says “Memnun oldum!” to you, the polite response is:
Ben de memnun oldum! – Nice to meet you too!

According to etiquette, after learning someone’s name, you should ask:
Nasılsınız? – How are you? (formal or polite)

If you are speaking informally or with someone your age, you say:
Nasılsın? – How are you? (informal)

The usual reply to either “Nasılsınız?” or “Nasılsın?” is:
İyiyim, teşekkür ederim. – I’m fine, thank you.

As part of polite conversation, after saying you’re fine, it is expected that you ask the same question in return to show interest in the other person’s well-being.

To say goodbye in Turkish, people usually say:

Görüşürüz! – See you!
Güle güle! – Bye-bye!

“Görüşürüz!” is a more formal or neutral way to say goodbye, while “Güle güle!” is a casual, everyday expression used among friends or in relaxed settings.

Other common ways to say goodbye include:

Hoşça kal! – Goodbye! / Take care! (literally: “Stay well”)
Hoşça kalın! – Goodbye! / Take care! (polite form used when addressing more than one person or someone formally)

Besides the basic greetings and farewells, there are also special expressions used depending on the time of day.

For example, when greeting someone in the morning, you can say:

Günaydın! – Good morning!
İyi sabahlar! – Good morning! (Used both for greeting and saying goodbye)

When greeting someone in the evening, you can say:

İyi geceler! – Good night! (Used both as a greeting and a farewell, especially when leaving or going to bed)
İyi akşamlar! – Good evening! (Used both as a greeting and a farewell)

When someone comes to visit you, you can say:

Hoş geldiniz! – Welcome! (formal or plural “you”)
Hoş geldin! – Welcome! (informal “you”)

The proper response to this greeting is:

Hoş bulduk! – (This phrase doesn’t have a direct translation in English, but it’s similar to saying “Thank you” in this context.)

Read the greeting words

Merhaba! – Hello!
Memnun oldum! – Nice to meet you!
Nasılsınız? – How are you? (formal)
İyiyim – I’m fine.
Teşekkür ederim – Thank you.
Güle güle! – Bye-bye!
Günaydın! – Good morning!
İyi sabahlar! – Good morning!
İyi akşamlar! – Good evening!
İyi geceler! – Good night!
Hoşça kalın! – Stay well! (formal goodbye)
Hoşça kal! – Stay well! (informal goodbye)
Hoş geldiniz! – Welcome! (formal/plural)
Hoş bulduk! – Response to “Hoş geldiniz” (literally: "We found [it] nice")
Sağ ol! – Thanks! (informal)
Sağ olun! – Thank you! (formal)

Read the phrases

• Good morning, Hakan! – Günaydın, Hakan!
• Good morning, Tom! – İyi sabahlar, Tom!
• Good night, Feride! – İyi geceler, Feride!
• Goodbye, Carlos! – Hoşça kal, Karlos!

In Turkish, polite forms of address are used in both formal and informal communication: men are addressed with “Bey” (Mr.), and women with “Hanım” (Ms. or Mrs.). These polite forms usually come immediately after the person’s first name.

Hakan Bey – Mr. Hakan
Zeki Bey – Mr. Zeki
Ayşe Hanım – Ms. Ayşe
Feride Hanım – Ms. Feride

In situations where the person’s name is unknown, it is common to say:

Hanımefendi – Madam / Dear lady
Beyefendi – Sir / Dear gentleman

Read and listen to the dialogue

Nerelisiniz, Ali?
Nereli → means "from where". It is used to ask about someone's origin (which city/country someone is from).
-siniz → this is a formal or plural suffix for "you" (second person).
Together, nerelisiniz means: "where are you from?" (formal).

Lesson 1

• Alphabet
• New Vocabulary
• Introduction
• Demonstrative Pronouns
• Vowel and Consonant Harmony
• Yes/No Questions
• Exercises
• Dialogue “At the Bazaar”