Turkish/Greetings

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Grammar notes for beginners

 * I - ben //
 * we - biz //
 * you (singular) - sen //
 * you (plural and formal) - siz //
 * he/she/it - o //
 * they/them - onlar /

In Turkish, like in many other languages, when you're talking to someone you've never met before, rarely ever talk to or of great importance, you refer to them in the plural form (siz). As you can see in the conversation, rather than referring to each other as sen (you [singular]), they refer to each other as siz (you [plural]). Do not get frightened, this formality is not as complex as in Japanese!

And unlike many other languages, there is no grammatical gender in Turkish. So there is no distinction between he, she and it. There's only o. And like in Russian, there are no words like "am/is/are" and "the", and no need for them.

Greeting (Selamlaşma //)
Saying hello is a little bit more complex in Turkish, for there is more than one way of saying hello.


 * Hello! - [[Media:Merhaba.ogg|Merhaba]]! // (may be formal or informal)
 * Hello/Hi! - [[Media:Selam.ogg|Selam]]! // (informal)


 * How are you? - Nasılsınız? // (formal singular or plural)
 * How are you? - Nasılsın? // (informal singular)
 * How's it going? - [[Media:Nasıl gidiyor.ogg|Nasıl gidiyor]]? // (informal singular)
 * What's up? - Ne var, ne yok? //
 * What's up? - Ne haber? (often pronounced like Naber?) (lit. what's the news?, very informal)
 * I'm fine. - İyiyim. //
 * Me too... - Ben de... //
 * Good/fine - İyi //
 * And you? - Ya sen? // (informal)
 * And you? - Ya siz? // (formal or plural)

Note: "Ya" means "or" or "what/how about", not "and". "And" is "ve" (//).

This is an invariable greeting ritual. Turks are pleased when foreigners make an effort to learn and participate in it.
 * Good morning. - [[Media:Günaydın.ogg|Günaydın]]. //
 * Have a nice day. - İyi günler. // (lit. Good days)
 * Good evening. - [[Media:İyi akşamlar.ogg|İyi akşamlar]] //
 * Good night. - [[Media:İyi geceler.ogg|İyi geceler]]. //

Meeting (Tanışma //)

 * What's your name? - Adın ne? // (informal)
 * What's your name? - Adınız ne? // (formal or plural)
 * My name is... - Adım ... //
 * Name - Ad //
 * Surname - Soyadı //
 * Nice to meet you. - Tanıştığımıza memnun oldum. // (lit. I'm pleased to meet you)

Turkish honorifics come after the first name, unlike English Mr and Mrs. They are often translated as (//) and  (//). Examples; Bay Smith, Bayan Jenkins


 * Bey // (for men)
 * Hanım // (for women)

Examples; Burcu Hanım, Ahmet Bey (Burcu and Ahmet are first names, not surnames)

Thanking (Teşekkür etme //)
Several ways of saying thank you.


 * Thank you - Teşekkür ederim
 * Thank you - [[Media:Teşekkürler.ogg|teşekkürler]]
 * Thanks - Sağ ol (informal, singular)
 * Thanks - Sağ olun (informal, plural)
 * You're welcome - Bir şey değil (lit. it's not a thing)
 * You're welcome - Önemli değil (lit. it's not important)

Saying goodbye (Vedalaşma //)
Like in hello and thank you, there are more than one way of saying goodbye, but this time depending on situation. For this rules are a bit complex, some people may use English bye bye as a way of valediction. But it should not be used in formal situations, and you still have to learn Turkish ways of saying goodbye.


 * Goodbye. - Güle güle // (said by the remaining person to the leaving person)
 * Goodbye. - Hoşçakal // (informal, said by the leaving person to the remaining person)
 * Goodbye - Hoşçakalın // (formal, said by the leaving person to the remaining person)


 * See you (later). -(Sonra) Görüşürüz //
 * See you later. -Görüşmek üzere //

If you have to specify later meeting time, say the meeting time before "görüşürüz". For example; ,

Example (Örnek //)
Şevki: Ayşe:

Şevki:

Ayşe:

Şevki:

Ayşe:

Şevki:

Ayşe:

Şevki:

Exercises (Egzersizler //)
Exercising a language is an important part of learning it. Let's strengthen our Turkish with some exercises.

Translate the following into Turkish:

- Hello. I'm Anıl. And you?

- Hello, Anıl. I'm Gökhan. How are you?

- I'm fine, thanks.

- Good night.

Answer:

- Merhaba. Ben Anıl. Ya sen/siz?

- Merhaba, Anıl. Ben Gökhan. Nasılsın(ız)?

- İyiyim, teşekkürler.

- İyi geceler.

Turks/Les 1