Survival Turkish for ESL Teachers

Posted by Robin Tim Day B.Sc. M.Sc. B.Ed.
cowboy4444@hotmail.com

These key expressions were collected thanks to Hussain Eser, a Turkish barber working in Kuwait. He says that Turkish has absorbed words and expressions from all around, French, Arabic, Italian. Turkish is basically a central Asian language derived from the ancient home range of the nomadic and settled Turks in the central and eastern Steppes, as in present Turkestan. The grammer is similar to Korean and several other Asian languages with the verb at the end of a sentence.

1. O-tur. Sit down.
2. Gyal. Come here.
3. Yap-ma. Don't do that.
4. Ya-vash. Slowly.
5. Ah-gel-ley. Hurry, faster.
6. Sus. Be quiet.
7. Dikkat. Be careful.
8. I love you. Sini-severum.
9. Bini-op. Give me a kiss.
10. Doss. Dirty.
11.Temeez. [It's] Clean.
12. Sil-gi. Eraser.
13. Gu-zal. Good or nice.
14. Nazik (feminine) kibar (masculine). Polite.
15. Terbiyesiz. Rude. Kaba. Very rude.
16. Burda. Here.
17. Orda. There.
18. Shim-di. Now.
19. Tekrar. Again.
20. Tekrar-la-mak. Repeat after me.
21. Tesheku (-aedaerim). Thank you.
22. Sira. [Make a] Line.
23. Halka. [Make a] ring or circle.
24. Hi-er. No.
25. Eh-vet. Yes.
26. Mer-ha-ba. (or Salam) Hello.
26. Geh-legula. Good bye.

ALTERNATIVE LIST PROVIDED BY SEVKET CRP (July 8, 2007):

1 OTUR Sit down
2 GEL BURAYA Come here
3 YAPMA Don't do that
4 YAVAS Slowly
5 CABUK OL Hurry, faster
6 SESSIZ OL Be quiet
7 DIKKAT ET Be careful
8 I love you SENI SEVIYORUM
9 OP BENI Give me a kiss
10 PISS Dirty
11 TEMIZ [It's] Clean
12 SILGI Eraser
13 GUZEL Good or nice
14 NAZIK (feminine) KIBAR (masculine) Polite
15 TERBIYESIZ Rude Kaba Very rude
16 BURADA Here
17 ORADA There
18 SIMDI Now
19 TEKRAR Again
20 TEKRARLAMAK Repeat after me
21 TESEKKUR EDERIM Thank you
22 SIRA [Make a] Line
23 HALKA [Make a] ring or circle
24 HAYIR No
25 EVET Yes
26 Mer-ha-ba (or Salam) Hello
26 Geh-legula Good bye