Hiya,

Thats brilliant that you are still regularly going to lessons - has the lightbulb come on at all yet ?
I haven't progressed at all really, but then the only time I actually use the language nowadays is if I'm translating for my daughter when one of my husband's colleagues insist on asking her questions in Turkish, so its pretty basic stuff.
I need an excuse to get back out to Turkey and be surrounded by the language.

Continued good luck to you with it,

Elaine

Hi Christabel

I am still going to the Turkish lessons every week and I am also struggling with the grammar side of things.

The lightbulb hasn't come on yet. Hopefully I will find the switch in Turkey while on holiday!! Just by hearing the language daily.

Keep going and i'm sure it will all come together soon.

Diane

Hi I would love to learn some Turkish at least........I come across this site the other day and have spent a bit of time on it . http://www.turkishclass.com
I know its going to be a difficult task.........certainly alot more difficult than Spanish!!

best of luck to you all!

Tina

Hi Tina, if you look at my response above, I made reference to website - English girlfriends of Turkish Men. We downloaded 10 pages of phrases to help get us started - must really start to make an effort, we go back out in May !!

I have been learning turkish for a while, started of having private lessons which got a bit expensive but very good, and now use the internet, try and do some translations on another forum, listen to my learn turkish cds in the car ( you do get a few funny looks at the traffic lights ) , listen to turkish music and of course visit turkey. Have just come back from Izmir and was quiet shoked on how much i did understand.

I sure your all doing well!!

Gorusuruz

Louise xx

İZMİR ' DE NERELERİ GEZDİN ?

Hıı louıse
ı ask one guestıon ? you try to wrıte turkısh answer.

ıf you want ? Thanks .

tesekurler.

Hi Louise

I am finding it a lot easier to to understand what I see written in Turkish now but when someone actually talks to me in Turkish my brain shuts off or something!!!! Definately need some practice in May or Mayıs should I say!

Christabel

Hi Christabel

I have got to the same stage as you. I can understand written Turkish and can write a little in Turkish. BUT if somebody talks to me in turkish my brain also shuts off.

Probably because we don't get to hear many people speaking Turkish over here.

Im sure it won't be long for that lightbulb to come on and then it will all come together.

Diane

Hi Diane,

The thought of that "light bulb" coming on keeps me going otherwise I would probably have given up. I start to really dread going to my lesson just beforehand but then when I am there I enjoy it. Our tutor Esra is really lovely and has such patience with me.

Christabel

Christabel

Sometimes I dread the thought of another lesson, but our tutor Ceren is very good and keeps us going, reminding us just how far we have come.

Our class has 3 students now including me!! We had over 20 in the begining. Has your class got smaller as the months have gone on?

Diane

Hi Diane,

Yes we started off with about 15 I think and now it is down to 7. I nuch prefer a small class though.

Christine

Would someone like to practice their Turkish by translating this for me please..... I have been on to the website of the hotel I'm going to this year - but its all in turkish. I need to know what the following words mean: Sac kurutmna kasasi
klima
emanet kasasi

To give you a clue, these should all be things you would find in a hotel room . Would be nice to know what they are!
Thanks

klima = air conditioning
emanet kasasi = left luggage room
sac kurutma kasasi - this is something to do with hair drying - hair salon?

Elaine

Thanks Elaine. I reckon that means there is a hairdryer in the room then.
All I need to find out now is if they have a laundry service.!

Sandie - Laundry is çamasır (I think).

Christine

Oh lovely. Thanks Christine. Will go back on the website & hopefully find that word - which will mean I take a lighter suitcase!

The Language

Turkish can be a difficult language for the English tongue to master, but we find that a few choice words here and there go long way when talking with locals. What of those odd characters in Turkish writing though? Even the name Ã"¡alis looks difficult to say. Well, the easiest thing to do is learn a few words phonetically and not worry too much about the individual letters. Also, some of the sounds in Turkish can be quite difficult for English speakers to say, so approximations can be used and will be understood. For example, Ã"¡alis should be pronounced as follows:

Ã"¡ - ch as in chair
a - u as in ugly
l - l
i - er as in number
s - sh as in shelf

but Cha-lish is a good approximation. Here are some words and phrases that you may find useful:

Greetings
Hello - mehr-hah-bah
Goodbye - goo-leh goo-leh
Niceties
Please - loot-fen
Thank you - sah-ohl
Yes - eh-veht
No - hah-yihr
Ok - tah-mahm
Eating Out
Beer - bee-rah
Red wine - kihr-mih-zir shah-rahp
White wine - beh-yahz shah-rahp
Water - soo
Milk - soot
Bread - ehk-mehk
Cheese - pehy-neer
Chicken - tah-vook
Lamb - koo-zoo
Beef - sih-ihr
The bill please - heh-sahp loot-fen
Numbers
1 beer
2 ee-kee
3 oooch
4 derrt
5 besh
6 ahl-tih
7 yeh-dee
8 seh-keez
9 doh-kooz
10 on

For those who you who have an ipod I noticed that itunes have an audio book called 'In flight Turkish' which you can download for a fiver. It's in the Book/ launguges section.
Laurence

Thanks Laurence, I will have a look. It wil help pass the 4 hours on the plane!

Christine