Learn how to introduce yourself
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Gabriella: Hello and welcome back to TurkishClass101.com. This is Absolute Beginner, season 1, lesson 2, Introducing Yourself in Turkish. I’m Gabriella. |
| Feyza: Merhaba And I’m Feyza! |
| Gabriella: In this lesson you’ll learn how to introduce yourself in Turkish. |
| Feyza: That’s right! One of the most important and basic things when you’re learning new languages and meeting new people, is to know how to introduce yourself. |
| Gabriella: So let’s get started! |
| Feyza: The conversation takes place at a party, where two people are meeting and introducing themselves to each other. |
| Gabriella: The conversation is between Merve and Hakan. They don’t know each other yet, but they want to get to know each other, and become friends. |
| Feyza: So they use informal language, but the overall formality level is applicable to both formal and informal situations. Ok, let’s listen to the conversation. |
| DIALOGUE |
| Hakan: Merhaba. Benim adım Hakan. |
| Merve: Merhaba. Ben de Merve. |
| Hakan: Tanıştığıma çok memnun oldum. |
| Merve: Ben de memnun oldum. |
| Hakan: Bora sizden çok bahsetti. |
| Merve: Evet, sizden de. Sonunda tanışabildik. |
| Gabriella: Let’s hear the conversation one time slowly. |
| Hakan: Merhaba. Benim adım Hakan. |
| Merve: Merhaba. Ben de Merve. |
| Hakan: Tanıştığıma çok memnun oldum. |
| Merve: Ben de memnun oldum. |
| Hakan: Bora sizden çok bahsetti. |
| Merve: Evet, sizden de. Sonunda tanışabildik. |
| Gabriella: Now, let’s hear it with the English translation. |
| Hakan: Merhaba. Benim adım Hakan. |
| Hakan: Hello. My name is Hakan. |
| Merve: Merhaba. Ben de Merve. |
| Merve: Hi. I’m Merve. |
| Hakan: Tanıştığıma çok memnun oldum. |
| Hakan:It's a pleasure to meet (you). |
| Merve: Ben de memnun oldum. |
| Merve:It's a pleasure to meet (you) too. |
| Hakan: Bora sizden çok bahsetti. |
| Hakan: Bora has told (me) a lot about you. |
| Merve: Evet, sizden de. Sonunda tanışabildik. |
| Merve: Yes, (I heard) about you as well. Finally, we’re able to meet. |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| Gabriella: So Feyza, what are some important things listeners should know when they’re introducing themselves in Turkey? |
| Feyza: Well, in very formal situations such as business meetings, Turkish people usually introduce themselves with both their given name and then their surname, in that order. For example: Ben Ece Öyken means “I’m Ece Öyken.” |
| Gabriella: And in business environments, people will usually address each other with their family names, right? |
| Feyza: That’s right. But in informal situations, like close friend circles or parties for example, you should use the given name and the second person singular verb form, because that’s how it goes with informal cases. |
| Gabriella: I’ve heard that Turkish people love parties! |
| Feyza: Well, who doesn't! But I think Turkish people are known for being very pleasant and approachable. |
| Gabriella: So listeners, if you visit Turkey, don’t hesitate to make the first move to get to know someone. |
| Feyza: Well yes, but keep in mind that Turkey is home to a diverse society, so I’d recommend hanging out with friends that lead a similar lifestyle to you. |
| Gabriella: Hmm, what are these safe zones? |
| Feyza: Close friends’ parties, after-work events with colleagues, and a friendship circle of an already close friend for example. Turkish people like to hang out in large groups, and usually the bonds and connections are very close and personal. But don’t be overwhelmed and discouraged by this, because people are still quite flexible when it comes to friendships and getting to know non-Turkish people. |
| Gabriella: Of course, just like everywhere in the world, mannerisms and body language are quite important. |
| Feyza: That’s true, for example - Turkish women are not very shy, but since coyness is a valued trait, they may seem impossible to approach. |
| Gabriella: What if you’re approaching them with confidence, intelligence, a fashionable outfit and a big, warm smile? |
| Feyza: (laughs) Then you’ll be a winner! |
| VOCAB LIST |
| Gabriella: The first word we shall see is... |
| Feyza: ben [natural native speed] |
| Gabriella: I; me |
| Feyza: ben [slowly - broken down by syllable] ben [natural native speed] |
| Gabriella: Next |
| Feyza: ad [natural native speed] |
| Gabriella: name |
| Feyza: ad [slowly - broken down by syllable] ad [natural native speed] |
| Gabriella: Next |
| Feyza: tanışmak [natural native speed] |
| Gabriella: to meet |
| Feyza: tanışmak [slowly - broken down by syllable] tanışmak [natural native speed] |
| Gabriella: Next |
| Feyza: memnun olmak [natural native speed] |
| Gabriella: to be pleased to |
| Feyza: memnun olmak [slowly - broken down by syllable] memnun olmak [natural native speed] |
| Gabriella: Next |
| Feyza: siz [natural native speed] |
| Gabriella: you (second person plural / second person singular polite) |
| Feyza: siz [slowly - broken down by syllable] siz [natural native speed] |
| Gabriella: Next |
| Feyza: son [natural native speed] |
| Gabriella: end, final, last |
| Feyza: son [slowly - broken down by syllable] son [natural native speed] |
| KEY VOCAB AND PHRASES |
| Gabriella: Let’s take a closer look at some of the words and phrases from this lesson. |
| Feyza: This time, we have a few phrases and basic words that are used a lot, so listen carefully and try to remember how they are used! |
| Gabriella: The first one is… |
| Feyza: “ben” |
| Gabriella: Listen carefully listeners, “ben” is a first person singular pronoun that corresponds to “I” or “me” in English. |
| Feyza: In Turkish, we usually skip personal pronouns in daily language, because their meanings are already embedded in the sentence via the suffixes at the end of the verbs. |
| Gabriella: Interesting... could you give us an example? |
| Feyza: Certainly. For example: “Ben öğrenciyim” meaning “I am a student” can be shortened to “Öğrenciyim” |
| Gabriella: And it won’t lose meaning, will it? |
| Feyza: Exactly, and it will still be grammatically correct. One thing to remember is that the root of the verb is “öğrenci” meaning “student” - this is of course a noun. But if you add the letter 'y', the buffer letter, followed by -im which indicates the first person singular, the word then functions as a verb. The direct translation of ‘Öğrenciyim’ would be : “Student I am”. |
| Gabriella: Got it! So what’s our next word? |
| Feyza: ‘ad’ meaning ‘name’. |
| Gabriella: But I thought it was also called ‘isim’... |
| Feyza: Ah yes, Turkish has many synonyms, homonyms and antonyms. |
| Gabriella: How about loanwords? |
| Feyza: Those too! Turkey has been the cradle of civilization for thousands of years. The Ottoman Empire which reigned until the early 20th century had lands from the Balkans to North Africa, so the language has been influenced by many different cultures, and some of these influences still remain. |
| Gabriella: Can you give us an example? |
| Feyza: Well actually, the previous example illustrates this well. ‘isim’ is of Arabic origin and ‘ad’ is Turkish. |
| Gabriella: So which one of them is more common? |
| Feyza: That’s hard to say... but for example, in the official documents, “ad” is more commonly used. |
| Gabriella: Good to know. Listeners, keep that in mind that when you’re filling in applications, registration forms, or when you’re attending doctor’s appointments, receiving postal deliveries, or doing any governmental procedures. For more information on loan-words, including useful links, please check out the lesson notes. Ok, what is our last one Feyza? |
| Feyza: ‘memnun olmak’ |
| Gabriella: So this one is a phrase? |
| Feyza: Actually it is a verbal expression that means “to be pleased to do something.” |
| Gabriella: ‘memnun’ sounds Arabic as well. |
| Feyza: Well spotted, Gabriella. Indeed, “memnun” is of Arabic origin and it means “glad, content, pleased”. And “Olmak” is a very common verb meaning “to become, to be”. |
| Gabriella: The verb ‘olmak’ is usually combined with other words and has many different meanings. Feyza, could you give us an example and then the listeners can check the lesson notes for further examples. |
| Feyza: Sure. For example: ‘Evimden memnunum’ meaning... |
| Gabriella: “I am happy with my home” OK, that’s a lot of information to take in! Let’s move onto the grammar. |
| GRAMMAR POINT |
| Gabriella: In this lesson, you’ll learn how to introduce yourself by saying your name when you meet for the first time, and how to express your appreciation and happiness when getting to know someone new in Turkey. |
| Feyza: Yes, that is definitely your first mission when you’re in a foreign country! |
| Gabriella: So, “My name is....” in Turkish is… |
| Feyza: “Benim adım + (your name).” |
| Gabriella: Can you tell us more about how to construct this phrase? |
| Feyza: Certainly. Although it’s not compulsory, you can form this phrase by using the pronoun “I”, then the Turkish noun meaning “name”. Then of course comes your name. |
| Gabriella: And altogether…? |
| Feyza: “Benim adım Feyza”. |
| Gabriella: And you can skip the pronoun here, right? |
| Feyza: Yes, and that’s because the complementary noun ‘adım’ has a possessive suffix that indicates that the whole sentence is in the first person singular. |
| Gabriella: So, how does it sound when you shorten it? |
| Feyza: “Adım Feyza.” or you can also simply say ‘Feyza’ or ‘Ben Feyza’, especially if you are in a group of friends who introduce themselves one by one. |
| Gabriella: You do it when you want to bring attention to yourself, right? |
| Feyza: Yes. Now, the next one is an expression that shows you’re happy to be getting to know the other person. It’s “Tanıştığımıza memnun oldum”. |
| Gabriella: Notice that this formal expression lacks the pronoun. |
| Feyza: In a sentence where the personal pronouns are missing, the suffix that’s added to the end of the indirect object shows the subject of the sentence. Dismissing the personal pronoun is the natural way of speaking Turkish in most cases. |
| Gabriella: What’s the function of the suffix that’s attached to the indirect object? |
| Feyza: The suffixes are -imiz and -ımız, and they vary according to the vowel harmony rules in Turkish. They indicate “we/us” in the second person plural. |
| Gabriella: Listeners, you can find more information on personal pronoun suffixes, and examples of how to use them in the lesson notes. |
| Feyza: So listeners... are you ready for a challenge? |
| Gabriella: Feyza: will start the dialogue we analyzed this lesson, and you should repeat after her, making sure you say your name instead. |
| Feyza: Don’t be shy. Be forward and friendly like a Turk! |
| Gabriella: Here goes! |
| Feyza: Merhaba benim adım Feyza: [pause] |
| Feyza: Tanıştığıma çok memnun oldum. [pause] |
| Gabriella: How did you go, listeners? Okay, we’ll leave it there for this lesson. |
| MARKETING PIECE |
| Feyza: Listeners, can you understand Turkish TV shows, movies or songs? |
| Gabriella: How about friends and loved ones’ conversations in Turkish? |
| Feyza: If you want to know what’s going on, we have a tool to help. |
| Gabriella: Line-by-line audio. |
| Feyza: Listen to the lesson conversations Line-By-Line, and learn to understand natural Turkish fast! |
| Gabriella: It’s simple really. |
| Feyza: With a click of a button, listen to each line of the conversation. |
| Gabriella: Listen again and again, and tune your ear to natural Turkish. |
| Feyza: Rapidly understand natural Turkish with this powerful tool. |
| Gabriella: Find this feature on the lesson page in the Lesson Materials section at www.TurkishClass101.com |
Outro |
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| Feyza: Don’t forget to check the lesson notes, and practice these expressions. |
| Gabriella: Until next time, thanks everyone! |
| Feyza: Hoşçakalın!! |
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