December 2nd, 2011 
Tushar Mathur Turkey has a lot to offer travelers – from ancient ruins of Bronze Age settlements to the cheerful hubbub of Istanbul, portal to the East. While English is spoken in most hotels, hostels, and tourist hotspots, travelers would be well-advised to keep a few choice phrases in their pockets. A little bit of Turkish can go a long way.
Knowing just a few basic phrases can help smooth the way with local residents and is a sign of respect and appreciation for local customs. Even if your pronunciation is terrible, locals will appreciate the effort. Travelers with allergies or medical needs should bring a list of their medications and allergies, with translation into Turkish. In the event of a medical visit or emergency, it can save valuable time and prevent misunderstandings with medical staff.
While at first glance Turkish might seem daunting – it has seven non-Latin characters and a subject-object-verb word order, the good news is that it is a phonetic language. Once you learn the pronunciation rules, you’ll be able to say nearly any word correctly. Turkish is part of the Ural-Altaic family of languages, and is pronounced quite differently than Indo-European languages like English.
It’s a good idea to bring a phrasebook along (most guidebooks have one in the back) in case a hotel or hostel staff do not speak English. Travelers venturing off the beaten path are likely to encounter locals who do not speak English, particularly in the mountainous East. A book or list of phrases will be very helpful in sorting out lodgings and meals.
Useful Turkish Phrases for Tourists
Hello Merhaba! mare-ha-ba
Goodbye Ho?çakal! hosh-cha-kal
How are you? Nas?ls?n? na-sel-sin
Yes/No Evet./Hay?r ev-et/hi-ear
Thank you Te?ekkür ederim te-sh-qu-err ed-err-im
Please Lütfen lut-fen
Excuse me Afedersiniz aff-ed-dar-san-iz
Do you speak English? ?ngilizce konu?ur musunuz? inn-gliz-je con-nush-or mus-un-uz
How much does this cost? Ne kadar? nay kad-ar
Where is the bathroom? Afedersiniz, tuvalet nerede?
aff-ed-der-sin-iz too-wa-let ner-rey-de
Pronunciation Cheatsheet for Turkish Alphabet
While the phonetic breakdown of the phrases above should give you an idea of how most vowels and consonants are pronounced.
Here is a quick explanation of how Turkish letters are pronounced, courtesy of TripAdvisor.
A – sounds like ah as in ” awful”
B – sounds like b as in ” bad”
C – sounds like j as in ” jump”
Ç – sounds like ch as in ” chapped”
D – sounds like d as in ” dog”
E – sounds like eh as in ” hey”
F – sounds like f as in ” food”
G – sounds like g as in ” gift”
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