Turkish 101
So far I’ve been here over 4 weeks. Before I left I didnt even know if their alphabet was letters or squiggleys. Now I got a good few basics down. This may or may not be the case with English, but I’ve noticed they say the same 10 phrases about 200 times a day. If you ever must pretend you speak Turkish I got you covered. In a (premature) list from most said, here goes.
1. Çok guzel. choke goozel/goozar. Very beautiful, very nice, very good.
I cant believe how many times I say and hear this. It works in about every situation, its my fail safe. Constantly heard in the kitchen, so much so that you might mistake this phrase for another word for food.
2. Yok. No. There isnt any. None.
This one I’m still figuring out. People say this in such a wide variety of contexts its hard to realize how it translates. Its probably like saying ‘negative’.
3. Efendim. What was that? Excuse me? Hallo?
This one might be specific to this house since everyone talks casually to each other through multiple rooms and floors. Good to use when you pick up the phone, ha like I do much of that around here. The one and only time I picked up the phone Fatma came hauling ass downstairs, “Loda, no!” I thought it was funny, our conversation didnt get much past Hallo.
4. Inshallah. With Allah’s grace or help.
I would similarize this with ‘Good Luck’ or ‘I hope so’. Supposedly this is a special word that I was let in on. Ooh secret Muslim word..not.
5. Tamam. Alright. Okay. Uh huh
Almost equally used as ‘yes’ or ‘evet’. I love it when Ali tunes me out and this is all I get in response from him.
I felt proud of this one, discovered totally on my own: anything that ends in -ek means something related to food. Whether it be bread, the verb to eat, dinner, restaurant, soup..okay maybe not soup. But now this makes me want to tell you about this families eating habits. Prolly goes for all of turkey.
These people go to the market every day. I mean, every day. There is no doubt in mind right now the fridge is stocked with tomatoes, cucumbers, yogurt, lemons, and some weird tangerine/lime thing, cheese, soda, and milk. There is also at least one fresh loaf of bread in the cabinet. Bet you 5 lira. I cant believe how much bread and rice they eat. Its truly astonishing. Given it is quite delicious and at times Ive had more than my usual share but I cant compare to how these Turks put away their loaves.
You know those picturesque produce stands with tons of shining colorful fruits and veggies just waiting to be weighed and taken home? Everywhere. And ever heard that joke about the couple who met at starbucks, but not the same starbucks? When they met he was at one starbucks, and she was at another across the street. That joke could easily be translated, just switch out starbucks for produce stand. (Actually, doesn’t that sound like a terrific idea??) Fresh food is just about all they eat here. You cant really buy anything pre-made. I love trying to imagine how grandma will cook up all this food for us. With what looks like limited spices and ingredients, she’ll turn it into a masterpiece. And you wont even see her do it. If I could speak perfect Turkish for one day I would probably spend most of my time getting detailed recipes from this woman. Either that or kidnap her and make enough room in my suitcase.
