Learn about Turkish honorifics
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Intro |
|---|
| Michael: Does Turkish have honorifics? |
| Dilek: And how do you speak politely in Turkish? |
| Michael: At TurkishClass101.com, we hear these questions often. Imagine the following situation: Karen Lee is at a restaurant and addressing the waiter asks, |
| "Excuse me, can I have the menu?" |
| Karen Lee: Afedersiniz, menü alabilir miyim? |
| Dialogue |
| Karen Lee: Afedersiniz, menü alabilir miyim? |
| Umut Unlu: Evet hanımefendi. |
| Michael: Once more with the English translation. |
| Karen Lee: Afedersiniz, menü alabilir miyim? |
| Michael: "Excuse me, can I have the menu?" |
| Umut Unlu: Evet hanımefendi. |
| Michael: "Yes, ma'am." |
Lesson focus |
| Michael: About every language in the world has a set code used to show respect and acknowledge others' positions and Turkish is no exception. These tools are often referred to as honorifics, though the term can be understood in two ways. In the broader sense, honorifics may be used to denote any manner in which the speaker shows respect to the listener and acknowledges their status. In this lesson, we'll introduce both. |
| First of all, in Turkish, when addressing someone politely, you never address them with the second singular person "you" or |
| Dilek: sen. |
| Michael: To address someone politely, you have to use the second plural person or |
| Dilek: siz. |
| Michael: To understand this better, let’s go back to the dialogue. |
| Do you remember how Karen asks, "Excuse me, can I have the menu?" |
| (pause 4 seconds) |
| Dilek as Karen Lee: Afedersiniz, menü alabilir miyim? |
| Michael: Here, Karen calls for the waiter's attention by using the word: |
| Dilek: Afedersiniz. |
| Michael: The word is in second person plural. You can safely use it with strangers, elders, or colleagues. When formality isn't needed, you can use |
| Dilek: Afedersin. |
| Michael: Let's see another example. If you want to say "Would you like some tea?" in a formal situation, you'll say |
| Dilek: Çay içer misiniz? |
| Michael: However, if you are talking to a friend, you can say: |
| Dilek: Çay içer misin? |
| Michael: Let’s go back to the dialogue. Do you remember how the waiter answered "Yes, ma'am?" |
| (pause 4 seconds) |
| Dilek as Umut Unlu: Evet hanımefendi. |
| Michael: Here, the waiter address Karen by saying |
| Dilek: hanımefendi, |
| Michael: which is the combination of |
| Dilek: hanım |
| Michael: "lady" and |
| Dilek: efendi, |
| Michael: literally "master." It’s an old-fashioned but polite way to refer to women of all ages. When talking to a man, the honorific is |
| Dilek: beyefendi. |
| Michael: These two honorifics are never used together with a name, so they're perfect in the context of a waiter–customer conversation. Let's see other titles. For example, "Mr." is |
| Dilek: Bey |
| Michael: and "Ms." is |
| Dilek: Hanım |
| Michael: These two can be paired to a noun, for example |
| Dilek: Lee Hanım |
| Michael: which means "Ms. Lee." In Turkish, some job titles can also be used as honorifics and can even be combined with other honorifics. Let's see a couple of examples, |
| Dilek: öğretmen hanım |
| Michael: “teacher ma'am” |
| Dilek: avukat bey |
| Michael: “Mr. Lawyer,” which might sound strange in English, but they're commonly used in Turkish. In bureaucratic circles, superior officers are usually referred to as |
| Dilek: sayın, |
| Michael: for example |
| Dilek: Sayın Belediye Başkanı, |
| Michael: meaning "Honorable Mr. or Ms. Mayor." Finally, let's look at the titles originally related to blood or family ties. First is |
| Dilek: ağabey, |
| Michael: "elder brother." This can be used to address someone you're not related to, but it's like addressing someone as "bro" in English. The same goes for |
| Dilek: abla |
| Michael: "older sister." Next is |
| Dilek: teyze |
| Michael: “aunt,” you could use it when addressing a woman who is about your mother's age, but, be careful, because it's very casual. The masculine counterpart is |
| Dilek: amca |
| Michael: meaning "uncle." Again, when you use these words with people you're not related to, your speech will result in being very casual and direct, so, if your intent is to sound polite, you should use |
| Dilek: bey |
| Michael: and |
| Dilek: hanım |
| Michael: or |
| Dilek: efendim. |
| Michael: In this lesson, you learned that, when talking to someone politely in Turkish, you need to address them with the second plural person or |
| Dilek: siz. |
| Michael: Moreover, in many circumstances, it might be better to use polite titles, especially when talking to someone you don't know well or who is older than you. You also learned that Turkish uses family related titles to address someone in a more casual and direct way. |
| Review |
| Michael: Let's review. Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. Then, repeat after the native speaker focusing on pronunciation. |
| Do you remember how to say "Excuse me, can I have the menu?" |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Dilek as Karen Lee: Afedersiniz, menü alabilir miyim? |
| Michael: Listen again and repeat. |
| Dilek as Karen Lee: Afedersiniz, menü alabilir miyim? |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Dilek as Karen Lee: Afedersiniz, menü alabilir miyim? |
| Michael: And do you remember how to say "Yes, ma'am?" |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Dilek as Umut Unlu: Evet hanımefendi. |
| Michael: Listen again and repeat. |
| Dilek as Umut Unlu: Evet hanımefendi. |
| [Beep. Pause 5 seconds.] |
| Dilek as Umut Unlu: Evet hanımefendi. |
Outro |
| Michael: Do you have any more questions? We’re here to answer them! |
| Dilek: Hoşçakalın! |
| Michael: See you soon! |
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