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jewel
Member
Do you speak Turkish?
Much to my shame I only speak limited Turkish,however our gardener Erdal spoke no English and I spoke no Turkish,so.... as he lived under the pool area,each night when we used to sit on our patio (my Hubby and I ) we used to ask him to come and join us.In the space of a season Erdal learnt enough English from me and I learnt lots of Turkish of him......the problem being whilst I know so many words it is the stringing it all together that I struggle with.Point to something and I could probably tell you the Turkish word as could he in English. I used to get really mad when we would go into a bar and I would try to order in Turkish and then the Turkish Guy would answer me back in English and laugh at my atempt in Turkish even though he had understood me. I truly think the English are a lazy nation where languages are concerned, we just assume people will know English and in most cases they do !!. jewel x
Do you speak Turkish?
Yes, after 10 years of courses and lots of practising! I can recommend anyone to persevere; it is so rewarding to be able to have a conversation with people in Turkish and your efforts will be much appreciated as well. It does not come easy though, and I often felt I would never get the hang of it, but don't give up and you will succeed in the end!
I think the best way though is to do some sort of course first so you learn some basic grammar, otherwise you will always be just stringing words together rather than making sentences. Still, even if you can only do that it is endlessly better than all these people who insist that everyone should be able to speak English and therefore don't bother to learn even a few simple words of Turkish.
I think the best way though is to do some sort of course first so you learn some basic grammar, otherwise you will always be just stringing words together rather than making sentences. Still, even if you can only do that it is endlessly better than all these people who insist that everyone should be able to speak English and therefore don't bother to learn even a few simple words of Turkish.
culturevulture
Member
Do you speak Turkish?
Just a few basic words. Am not too bad at the Spanish. Absolute cr@p at Gealige(Irish)-not even sure that is spelled right.
How's that from an Irish woman!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mary.
How's that from an Irish woman!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mary.
mrkeith
Member
Do you speak Turkish?
Sorry but if you live in Turkey and don't speak Turkish or are not trying then you should be ashamed of yourselves. Ask yourself if you have ever said or agreed with the phrase " bloody foriegners coming over here can't even speak our language" when you lived in the U.K.
You will get a lot more respect for at least trying to say some turkish even badly, you don't even need the grammar if you listen to locals
You will get a lot more respect for at least trying to say some turkish even badly, you don't even need the grammar if you listen to locals
babsgood
Deemon in disguise
Do you speak Turkish?
not a very nice response mrkeith, Turkish is quite hard to learn, a lot of people try and fail, plus if you live in a holiday resort most Turks speak English and really do not want you to speak Turkish as they want to practice their English.................by the way I DO speak Turkish so I am not defending myself.
I think that people should try and that they should at least have basic skills but as I said for a lot of people its very hard, I was lucky that my Turkish friend spared me 6 hours a week for 2 winters, not everyone is that lucky. And sorry but you do need grammer and sentence formation unless you want to speak pigeon Turkish
not a very nice response mrkeith, Turkish is quite hard to learn, a lot of people try and fail, plus if you live in a holiday resort most Turks speak English and really do not want you to speak Turkish as they want to practice their English.................by the way I DO speak Turkish so I am not defending myself.
I think that people should try and that they should at least have basic skills but as I said for a lot of people its very hard, I was lucky that my Turkish friend spared me 6 hours a week for 2 winters, not everyone is that lucky. And sorry but you do need grammer and sentence formation unless you want to speak pigeon Turkish
mrkeith
Member
Do you speak Turkish?
Sorry It's my opinion, I have sympathy for people that try and learn but struggle, but there are plenty that don't learn even try to, and plenty that use the excuse that all Turks speak English in resort areas. Well i have lived in such areas for 5+ plus and can assure you when the lights go out for winter so does the English, yes you can get by but you need a grasp of the basics even if it is pigeon Turkish. I have sat with Turks and they order tea "çay ver" not much grammar it that not hard to learn either really just put please on the end. People need an understanding of the language of the country they are living in or spending half their year in. if a Turk calls you a "yalanci" or tells you to "defol" you need to know you don't need to use these things yourself but you need to know what people are saying about you, how can people expect to shop without knowing how to ask for the best price or cash price, you gain more respect with a little effort.
I am sorry if you think my reply sounds un-nice is because in a lot of cases it's the truth, it annoys me to see people that have been here longer than me and "can't be arsed" to learn. I am not having a dig at any one person or looking for an argument just giving my opinion.
I am sorry if you think my reply sounds un-nice is because in a lot of cases it's the truth, it annoys me to see people that have been here longer than me and "can't be arsed" to learn. I am not having a dig at any one person or looking for an argument just giving my opinion.
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alison09400
Moderator
Do you speak Turkish?
I learned turkish from my husband and my inlaws......I never went on a course or learned from a book. For the last 4 months of my hubbys National Service back in '92, I lived in their village. No one spoke a word of english and there were only turkish programmes on the TV; I learned without realising I was learning.
Nowadays I can sometimes see confusion on people's faces because what's coming out of my mouth doesn't match up with what I look like
On the phone people rarely know they're talking to a foreigner.
I certainly agree that foreigners living here should make the effort to learn turkish and not expect everyone to speak to them in english. As MrKeith says, once the season is over and places close down, you're just left with the locals.
Nowadays I can sometimes see confusion on people's faces because what's coming out of my mouth doesn't match up with what I look like
On the phone people rarely know they're talking to a foreigner. I certainly agree that foreigners living here should make the effort to learn turkish and not expect everyone to speak to them in english. As MrKeith says, once the season is over and places close down, you're just left with the locals.
babsgood
Deemon in disguise
Do you speak Turkish?
hmm not here, there are still loads of Turks who speak English in winter, I agree that people should try and I am totally against the 'I do need to speak Turkish' brigade the people who do not try, but I have friends who go to classes twice a week and have done for years and who really do want to learn but they cannot grasp more than the basics
Do you speak Turkish?
Well, I can write it, I can make sentences on paper, I'm able to have a simple conversation on messenger (well, you can always read what has been said afterwards) but I cannot speak it. It is not that I have not done much effort, I have and I still do but I lack practice, and even if I can make a correct sentence, I hardly ever understand the answer, grammar is not the problem (I like grammar) but pronounciation is, and if you don't pronounce it right yourself, you cannot understand the answers either because the sound is not familiar........ and that is the problem, I'm not familiar with Turkish, lack of practice.... but I do persevere because i love doing it and everytime I get something right or I understand what people say, I feel so happy about it, nothing can beat that
culturevulture
Member
Do you speak Turkish?
Hi,
I think anyone living or going to visit another country, should at least try to learn some of the basics like, please, thank you, how are you, how much is this, see you later, etc. I do believe it is a compliment to the people whose country you are in, and is always received with a smile and sometimes an element of surprise. I also find that you will receive better service. On my first visit ti Turkey, I was asked in my native language,Irish, by a Turkish barman, " cunas a ta tu", (how are you). Obviously he had many Irish clients and for him it broke the ice with his customers.
Even pigeon Turkish will delight. If they laugh, I don't think this is in any way malicious.
Turkish is a difficult language to learn as it is not Latin based. But no way as difficult as Irish to learn. Now that IS double dutch.
I was once asked by a young hotel receptionist in Mallorca, how to say good morning in Irish. I promptly told him it was "beiachas le dia" (spelling????????). A few hours later, I realised that it meant "thanks be to God". I had visions of him greeting late rising guests, with the greeting "thanks be to God" you are up!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sorry for going off topic,
Mary.
I think anyone living or going to visit another country, should at least try to learn some of the basics like, please, thank you, how are you, how much is this, see you later, etc. I do believe it is a compliment to the people whose country you are in, and is always received with a smile and sometimes an element of surprise. I also find that you will receive better service. On my first visit ti Turkey, I was asked in my native language,Irish, by a Turkish barman, " cunas a ta tu", (how are you). Obviously he had many Irish clients and for him it broke the ice with his customers.
Even pigeon Turkish will delight. If they laugh, I don't think this is in any way malicious.
Turkish is a difficult language to learn as it is not Latin based. But no way as difficult as Irish to learn. Now that IS double dutch.
I was once asked by a young hotel receptionist in Mallorca, how to say good morning in Irish. I promptly told him it was "beiachas le dia" (spelling????????). A few hours later, I realised that it meant "thanks be to God". I had visions of him greeting late rising guests, with the greeting "thanks be to God" you are up!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sorry for going off topic,
Mary.
SAMIMI
Member
Do you speak Turkish?
I love the challenge of learning a new language. It is so beneficial to the brain. Anything I can do to keep dementia away, I will do.
I did a short course of 8 classes 3 years ago and forgot most of it due to lack of practice. 2 years ago I bought 2 different courses with CD’s and books. I used to play the CD in the car or whilst I was preparing dinner when I came home from work. Some of it I heard and some I didn’t but I was learning it without realizing it.
Last November I started classes locally. I wrote everything down and went over them daily. We would get sentences and translations and this kept me motivated. Our classes finished in April and since then I have slackened again. I have put other things first, like doing the garden before the weather gets too hot.
I need to get motivated again and set a specific time of the day for my Turkish lesson. I keep the radio on in the background. I listen for the sounds. I only know some of the words but I am hearing the pronunciation. I must get back to the on-line lessons.
Thanks to my very good teacher, I now know how sentences are constructed. He said to me, “keep it simple, there are many ways to say things in Turkish and pick the easy one”
I greet people and ask for things in Turkish. When they answer in English, I continue to speak in Turkish. We both smile, they continue to speak and practice their English and I continue to speak Turkish is very good.
I think we all try to learn everything at the start……I’ve learned to just listen and take in a little at a time. Then, repeat and repeat. Eventually it becomes familiar and you can move on to new stuff.
My father used always say to me “there’s no such thing as I can’t, I can and I will”.
So I’m going to do it, I’m going to learn and speak Turkish even if it takes me 10 years!
I did a short course of 8 classes 3 years ago and forgot most of it due to lack of practice. 2 years ago I bought 2 different courses with CD’s and books. I used to play the CD in the car or whilst I was preparing dinner when I came home from work. Some of it I heard and some I didn’t but I was learning it without realizing it.
Last November I started classes locally. I wrote everything down and went over them daily. We would get sentences and translations and this kept me motivated. Our classes finished in April and since then I have slackened again. I have put other things first, like doing the garden before the weather gets too hot.
I need to get motivated again and set a specific time of the day for my Turkish lesson. I keep the radio on in the background. I listen for the sounds. I only know some of the words but I am hearing the pronunciation. I must get back to the on-line lessons.
Thanks to my very good teacher, I now know how sentences are constructed. He said to me, “keep it simple, there are many ways to say things in Turkish and pick the easy one”
I greet people and ask for things in Turkish. When they answer in English, I continue to speak in Turkish. We both smile, they continue to speak and practice their English and I continue to speak Turkish is very good.
I think we all try to learn everything at the start……I’ve learned to just listen and take in a little at a time. Then, repeat and repeat. Eventually it becomes familiar and you can move on to new stuff.
My father used always say to me “there’s no such thing as I can’t, I can and I will”.
So I’m going to do it, I’m going to learn and speak Turkish even if it takes me 10 years!
shirleyanntr
Member
Do you speak Turkish?
Saying that when you try to speakTurkish you get the reply in English shouldnt become an excuse for not learning!
You have to ask yourself if it could be because you werent understood that they replied in English.
And this brings me to an important part of the language that needs looking at...pronunciation. İts not just the sounds of individual letters that you need to learn..its the way words are broken up into syllables that gives every language its own unique rythym.
for eg in Turkish syllables are either one two or three letters sometimes but rarely four.and each syllable begins with a consonant all vowels are short...when i have time i will do a basic about pronunciation..(we are down in Antakya today as Yusufs father isnt well.)
You have to ask yourself if it could be because you werent understood that they replied in English.
And this brings me to an important part of the language that needs looking at...pronunciation. İts not just the sounds of individual letters that you need to learn..its the way words are broken up into syllables that gives every language its own unique rythym.
for eg in Turkish syllables are either one two or three letters sometimes but rarely four.and each syllable begins with a consonant all vowels are short...when i have time i will do a basic about pronunciation..(we are down in Antakya today as Yusufs father isnt well.)
SAMIMI
Member
Do you speak Turkish?
Hi Shirley,
Sorry to hear Yusufs dad is unwell. It's hard when a parent is ill. Hope he will pull through. Keep strong.
What happens here in Turgutreis (a big tourist area) is all the young waiters are very anxious to pratice their English. We say to them, "but we want to speak Turkish" and they say, "well we want to speak English!"
I said to my friend from London "you are lucky, you can learn from your Turkish partner. She said "he will only speak english". However, she is very keen and is now getting private lessons. Like me she wants to keep at it and I feel sure she will be almost fluent in another year!
Most of us find neighbours are the best. They have no English and then we HAVE to speak in Turkish!
Sorry to hear Yusufs dad is unwell. It's hard when a parent is ill. Hope he will pull through. Keep strong.
What happens here in Turgutreis (a big tourist area) is all the young waiters are very anxious to pratice their English. We say to them, "but we want to speak Turkish" and they say, "well we want to speak English!"
I said to my friend from London "you are lucky, you can learn from your Turkish partner. She said "he will only speak english". However, she is very keen and is now getting private lessons. Like me she wants to keep at it and I feel sure she will be almost fluent in another year!
Most of us find neighbours are the best. They have no English and then we HAVE to speak in Turkish!
