Top 5 Essential Words and Phrases for Visitors to Turkey

We are all looking forward to the day when travel resumes to like it was in the "good ol' days" before Covid-19. Of course, I have my suspicions that travel will never look like pre-pandemic conditions again. And in a way, that makes sense. The world has changed because of Covid. There have been some good changes--some good lessons learned, as I wrote about in my post here. And there have been some negative changes, which we all know too well.

But for those of you dreaming of the day you can travel and come visit this beautiful land of Turkey, you can start preparing now by learning a few survival words and phrases to use during your visit! Here are our top 5 essential words and phrases for you to know:

1) Merhaba (Mehr-hah-bah): "Hello"

There are many ways to greet others in Turkish, depending on age, station in life, gender, etc. But you can't go wrong with a standard merhaba.

2) Teşekkürler (teh-sheh-kyu-lehr): "Thank you" or "Thanks"

One of the things that makes Turkish such a difficult one for English speakers to learn is the fact that it isn't rooted in Latin--there isn't any such thing as "sort-of" recognizing a root and then "kind-of" figuring out what it might mean. It is utterly different. Usually when someone asks me what thank you is in Turkish and I respond with this word their eyes go big! But with a little practice you can get it down.

3) Pardon (par-dohn): "Excuse me" or "I'm sorry"

Like merhaba, there are multiple ways to say excuse me or I'm sorry in Turkish, and they vary depending on the circumstance at hand. Pardon can be used in a variety of situations, whether trying to get someone's attention or accidentally jostling someone in a crowded place, but mostly this French-rooted word is just a great deal easier to say than any of the other options!

4) Kolay Gelsin (Koh-lai gel-sihn): "May it come easy"

As you can see, this phrase doesn't really have an English equivalent. There are all sorts of phrases like this in Turkish that are applied in different situations as words of peace and goodwill. This particular phrase is spoken to someone who is working. It can be said to people in shops or restaurants, students working on a project, or the person behind your hotel counter, and can be used in place of merhaba as you enter a place of business.

5) Afiyet Olsun (ah-fee-yet ol-soon): "Enjoy your meal"

The above translation isn't literal--this phrase actually literally means something like "may you have good welfare." Like kolay gelsin this is a phrase used in a particular situation, that is, of dining! When being served anything, from coffee, to a snack, to a meal, they will use this phrase to wish you well in your dining experience.

Learning a bit of the local language will greatly enhance your time in Turkey. I love the surprised and pleased looks on people's faces when I bust out a teşekkürler or a kolay gelsin. And of course I've had a lot of good laughs with people here over my butchering of a pronunciation. The ability to interact, even in a small way, with shopkeepers, restaurant workers, museum guards and others provides a personal connection that will take you just a little further into Turkey's heart, and maybe even take Turkey a little further into your own heart.