Those who have been to Turkey probably know that almost all major hotels and retail outlets have English- or Russian-speaking staff. Therefore, during a vacation and buying souvenirs, no language barrier or discomfort should arise. Nevertheless, a tourist should have at least a minimal set of Turkish expressions in his vocabulary.
Why should a tourist know Turkish?
If you want to not only sunbathe and swim enough in the warm sea, but also to learn the culture and features of the country, you will certainly need to know the Turkish language at least to a minimum. The basics for a tourist include not so much information that will allow you to chat with the local population.
Another factor that speaks in favor of having to take a Turkish language course is that unforeseen situations may arise during the trip. Faced with the staff of hospitals, police or other services, you are unlikely to meet a person who is fluent in English, and even more so, in Russian.
Features of the Turkish language
First you need to understand what is the Turkish language. The basics for a tourist may seem quite complicated, but this is only at first glance. The thing is that in grammar it is very different from Russian. Also, some difficulties can cause pronunciation. So, we can distinguish the following features of the Turkish language that are useful to tourists:
- in 90% of cases, stress falls on the last syllable;
- most of the concepts associated with scientific and technological progress are borrowed, therefore, do not cause difficulties in understanding;
- Turkish speech is filled with many enduring expressions that are associated with traditions of politeness, superstition, and religion;
- no matter how long the sentence, the predicate is always put to an end;
- Turks often violate syntax rules when it comes to emotional speech or poetry;
- Despite the fact that the alphabet is based on Latin, some letters can cause difficulties for tourists. Here is some of them:
| C c | has nothing to do with the English "si", but reads like "jae" |
| Ç ç | similar to the Russian letter "H" |
| Ğ ğ | soft "G". Not pronounced, but only lengthens the previous vowel |
| I ı | similar to the Russian letter "Y" |
| Ö ö | the sound is the same as in the word "maple" |
| R r | similar to the Russian "P", but pronounced softer, sometimes with a hiss |
| Ş ş | similar to the Russian letter "W" |
| Ü ü | the sound is the same as in the word "hatch" |
How to learn Turkish?
Of course, in a short time it is simply impossible to learn the Turkish language. The basics for a tourist include a minimal set of rules and words that will allow him to at least superficially communicate with the local population. In this case, you can go in several ways:
- take a Turkish language course at a linguistic center or school (this is one of the best options that give the fastest results);
- hire a tutor or take lessons on skype;
- engage with a tutorial, as well as materials posted on the Internet.
Whatever method you choose, it is important to proceed from the purpose for which you are learning Turkish. The basics for a tourist should include elementary foundations that will allow them to communicate politely and competently in the most common life situations.
How to understand Turkish by ear?
Communication involves not only speech, but also auditory perception. It is not so easy to understand any foreign language, and even more so Turkish. To learn to understand fluent speech, theoretical knowledge alone is not enough. Need to use additional tricks:
- Listen to songs in Turkish. And do not just listen, but try to recognize and translate individual words and sentences. If the task turned out to be impossible for you, find the lyrics on the Internet and read it while listening to the song.
- Watch Turkish films. Thanks to them, you will not only learn to perceive speech by ear, but also get acquainted with its main intonations. Ideally, you need to use the video without translation (in extreme cases - with subtitles).
Sign language
One of the most mysterious countries is Turkey. Sign language for tourists is very important to know, so as not to get into an awkward or even conflict situation. Here are the highlights:
- Thumb raised up means approval. But it’s better for girls not to use it, and even more so - not to catch a car in this way. Such a gesture could be misinterpreted by hot Turkish men.
- Do not use crossed fingers if you wish good luck. The Turk may think that you do not want to continue communication.
- A clenched fist with an extended little finger symbolizes resentment against a person.
- If the Turk pulls the lower eyelid with his finger, this means that he noticed a fraud. This is a kind of distrust.
- Never use the OK gesture. In Turkey, he is associated with homosexuality.
- “Dule”, which is considered a rather harmless gesture in our country, is equal in Turkey to the middle finger raised up.
- A nod of your head means denial.
Sign language is quite insidious, so if you do not know their meanings thoroughly, it is better to behave as discreetly as possible.
Some common phrases
Going on a trip, many take with them the Russian-Turkish phrasebook. This is an important acquisition for a tourist, but you also need to learn the most popular phrases in Turkish:
| Merhaba | Hi |
| Hoşça kal | Goodbye (happy to stay) |
| Iyi geceler | Good night |
| Hoş geldiniz! | Welcome! |
| Hoş bulduk! | Mandatory answer to the previous phrase |
| Evet | Yes |
| Hayır | Not |
| Tamam | Alright alright |
| Kaç para? | How much is? |
| Hesap lütfen! | The check, please! |
| Indirim yok mu? | Will there be a discount? |
| Teşekkür ederim! | Thanks! |
| Bir şey değil! | It's my pleasure! |
| Adınız ne? | What is your name? |
| Benim adım ... | My name is... |
| Memnun oldum! | Nice to meet you! |
| Saat kaç? | What time is it now? |
| Anlamıyorum | I do not understand |
This, of course, is far from all the words a tourist needs. Start small, and Turkish will certainly succumb to you!