Compliments! Tell me who doesn’t like compliments. I believe that even those who say they don’t like compliments enjoy them deep inside.

Complimenting is a very human thing, and it can be done anywhere, anytime. However, you need to be very careful about it if you’re not a native speaker and you’re complimenting someone whose culture you’re not familiar with. You wouldn’t want to be embarrassed or hit with a purse, would you?

In this article, we’ll talk about how to compliment in Turkish, as well as when you should avoid complimenting. With the Turkish compliments in this article, you can bring a smile to anyone’s face!

Let’s start with the basics:

“Compliment”                                         – İltifat; kompliman; övgü

“Compliments” (plural)                          – İltifatlar; komplimanlar; övgüler

“Compliments” (as a separate word)      – Selamlar; saygılar; tebrikler

Now that you’ve learned the most important words related to compliments, it’s time to learn the top Turkish compliments you can use for different occasions to express your gratitude, appreciation, admiration, and likes.

Table of Contents

1. Compliments on Someone’s Look and Character
2. Praising Someone at Work
3. Kudos in Social Life
4. When and Where to Avoid Complimenting
5. What’s Expected After a Compliment
6. You Will Do Great!

1. Compliments on Someone’s Look and Character

In this section, we’ll talk about Turkish compliments you can use for someone’s physical appearance or his/her character.

1- Physical Characteristics

You’re fascinated with a Turkish woman’s beauty, and you would like to express your feelings. Here are some Turkish compliments for girls that you can use:

Ladies! You don’t have to worry, you’re also covered. Here comes the compliments for a handsome male:

2- Appearance

There might be times when you like someone’s clothes, accessories, shoes, or general appearance, and you might feel the urge to say so. Here are some Turkish compliments you can use in such situations:

3- Character

There will be times when you’d like to express your admiration for someone’s character, be it a friend, a colleague, or even your child. Below are some compliments in Turkish that you can use to compliment his or her character:

2. Praising Someone at Work

Let’s imagine you’re working with Turkish people and you want to give one of your colleagues a compliment in Turkish. Here’s how you can compliment someone about his or her work:

When it comes to complimenting someone’s skills at work, you can use the following Turkish compliments:

3. Kudos in Social Life

In social life, there may be cases where you’d like to give a compliment in Turkish. It could be at a gathering, a restaurant, or even a friend’s house. Here are the top Turkish compliments that can be used in social life:

4. When and Where to Avoid Complimenting

Compliments make most people happy. However, people like to hear real, sincere compliments; it doesn’t make any sense to give fake compliments. In order to sound sincere, you should look the person in the eyes and say your compliment in a tone that reflects how you really feel.

Don’t forget that every culture is different. When you’re using Turkish compliments for girls, make sure to do it under appropriate conditions, at the right time, and in a suitable environment.

If you want to compliment a Turkish girl, you need to be very careful if there’s a boyfriend, a brother, or a husband around. Turkish men are usually overprotective when it comes to the women in their lives. Even if you approach her in a friendly manner, you can be misunderstood. It might be a good idea not to compliment her physical characteristics or appearance, in this case.

If you’re using Turkish compliments for girls late at night in an uncrowded place, even if you’re sincere and have good intentions, it can be perceived badly (as is probably the case in most cultures).

If you’re complimenting someone of the opposite sex at work among other colleagues, you should also be careful about how you do so. You wouldn’t want to have your compliment perceived the wrong way and get in trouble for it.

Again, where, when, and how you compliment matters!

5. What’s Expected After a Compliment

As I indicated earlier, I think that even those who claim not to like compliments still enjoy them deep inside. However, you can’t know how they’ll react to them.

Some people may pleasantly accept compliments. Here are some sentences Turkish people might use when they feel positive about your compliments:

Some might feel uncomfortable and shy away from compliments. Others might suspect that you’re not sincere, and think you have bad intentions. Furthermore, some people might even think that you expect or want something in return.

Don’t forget that the tone and gestures you use when complimenting really matter!

6. You Will Do Great!

Did you enjoy reading about Turkish compliments? Now you know the top Turkish compliments and how to compliment in Turkish. Are you ready to compliment the girl or boy you like? How about your colleague for his collaboration? I’m sure you’ll do great!

However, this isn’t enough. You need to keep learning more! Make sure to utilize all of the free resources, including the dictionary, at TurkishClass101.com! You can also download the app for free and use it wherever you are. Don’t forget that there’s also the premium service MyTeacher, which allows you to practice with a private teacher.

We look forward to your feedback about your experience with the services offered at TurkishClass101. Good luck with your Turkish learning!