Introducing yourself is one of the first thing you need to know in Turkish. Being able to greet someone politely and share basic personal information will help you interact with ease with locals. In this article, you will learn to greet someone, introduce yourself step by step, and ask simple personal questions. İyi okumalar dilerim.
1. Hello, how are you, nice to meet you
Saying hello
- Merhaba. (Hello.)
- Selam. (Hi, informal)
Merhaba is neutral and works in almost all situations, both formal and informal. Selam is common among friends, colleagues, or people of the same age. Read this article to discover 6 more ways to say ‘Hello’.
Examples:
- Merhaba, hoş geldiniz. (Hello, welcome.)
- Selam, nasılsın? (Hi, how are you?)
Asking how someone is
- Nasılsın? (How are you, informal)
- Nasılsınız? (How are you, formal or plural)
Turkish distinguishes between informal and formal speech. The ending -sın is used when speaking to one person informally. The ending -sınız is used when speaking formally or to more than one person.
To answer:
- İyiyim, teşekkürler. (I’m fine, thank you.)
- İyiyim. Sen? (I’m fine. And you?)
- Fena değilim. (Not bad.)
- Çok iyiyim. (I’m very well.)
It is polite to add teşekkürler or teşekkür ederim after answering.
Nice to meet you
- Memnun oldum. (Nice to meet you.)
- Tanıştığıma memnun oldum. (More formal)
You can add “çok” to make it stronger: Çok memnun oldum! (so happy to meet you!)
2. Introduce yourself
You can address someone properly in Turkish now. It’s time to introduce yourself.
2.1. My name is / What’s your name
My name is
- Ben Okan. (I’m Okan.)
- Benim adım Okan. (My name is Okan.)
- Benim ismim Kelly. (My name is Kelly.)
Benim means “my”. Ad and isim both mean “name”.
In spoken Turkish, Ben + name is the most natural and most frequently used form. The longer forms are more explicit and sometimes used in formal contexts or when speaking clearly to beginners.
While Ben + name doesn’t need the “to be” suffix (nominal sentences), Benim adım and Benim ismim use both the possessive form.
What’s your name?
- Adın ne? (informal)
- Adınız ne? (formal)
- İsmin ne? (informal)
Here, the three use the possesive form.
Example:
- Affedersiniz, adınız ne? Benim adım Okan. (Excuse me, what’s your name? My name is Okan.)
2.2. Nice to meet you / Me too
- Memnun oldum. (Nice to meet you.)
- Ben de. (Me too.)
- Ben de memnun oldum. (Me too, nice to meet you.)
- Tanıştığımıza sevindim. (I’m glad we met)
- Sizinle tanışmak çok güzel. (It’s good to meet you)
Ben de means “me too” or “so do I”. “De” is written separately and never attached to the previous word.
2.3. Where do you come from? / I am from…
Where are you from?
- Nerelisin? (informal)
- Nerelisiniz? (formal)
I am from…
- Ben Fransa’dan geliyorum. (I come from France.)
- (Ben) Fransızım. (I’m French.)
Both forms are common. The nationality form is shorter and doesn’t even require “Ben”. Read our full list of nationalities in Turkish.
Grammar note: in the first form, we use the ablative case (-dan/-den) indicating the origin (from).
Examples:
- Nerelisin? İspanyolum. (Where are you from? I’m Spanish.)
- Nerelisiniz? Almanya’dan geliyorum. (Where are you from? I come from Germany.)
2.4. Where do you live? / I live in…
Where do you live
- Nerede yaşıyorsun? (informal)
- Nerede yaşıyorsunuz? (formal)
I live in…
- İstanbul’da yaşıyorum. (I live in Istanbul.)
- Ankara’da oturuyorum. (I live in Ankara.)
Here, -da indicates location (locative case). Yaşamak and oturmak both mean to live, but yaşamak is slightly more general and more common in introductions.
Examples:
- Nerede yaşıyorsun? İstanbul’da yaşıyorum. (Where do you live? I live in Istanbul.)
- İstanbul’da yaşıyorum ama Ankara’da çalışıyorum. (I live in Istanbul but I work in Ankara.)
2.5. What’s your age? / My age is…
What’s your age
- Kaç yaşındasın? (informal)
- Kaç yaşındasınız? (formal)
My age is…
- 30 yaşındayım. (I’m 30 years old.)
Here, we use a combination of different suffixes:
- yaş → age
- -ın → possessive (“of”)
- -da → locative case
- -y- → buffer consonant
- -ım → copula (1st person singular – I am)
So literally: “I am in (the state of) 30 years.”
Examples:
- Kaç yaşındasın? 25 yaşındayım. (How old are you? I’m 25.)
- 75 yaşındayım ama genç hissediyorum. (I’m 75 years old but I feel young.)
2.6. What’s your job? / My profession is…
What’s your job?
- Ne iş yapıyorsun? (informal)
- Ne iş yapıyorsunuz? (formal)
My profession is
Here we need the profession + the personal ending:
- Öğretmenim. (I’m a teacher.)
- Mühendisim. (I’m an engineer.)
- Yazılımcıyım. (I’m a software developer.)
In Turkish, professions usually do not require ben. The personal ending already shows the subject, which makes sentences shorter and more natural.
Examples
- Ne iş yapıyorsun? Öğrenciyim. (What do you do? I’m a student.)
- Ne iş yapıyorsunuz? Mühendisim. (What do you do? I’m an engineer.)
2.7. I’m single, engaged, married
Question
- Evli misin? (informal)
- Evli misiniz? (formal)
-mi is the yes or no question particle. It is written separately and adapts to vowel harmony.
Marital status
- Bekârım. (I’m single.)
- Nişanlıyım. (I’m engaged.)
- Evliyim. (I’m married.)
- Boşanmışım. (I’m divorced.)
- Dul’um. (I’m a widow / widower.)
Examples
- Evli misiniz? Hayır, bekârım. (Are you married? No, I’m single.)
- Evliyim ve iki çocuğum var. (I’m married and I have two children.)
Learning these expressions is a good starting point on your Turkish learning journey. Do not hesitate to sign up for TurkishFluent to learn Turkish and quickly be able to communicate with Turkish native speakers.
