Time and days in Turkish
Now, later, tomorrow, what time it opens and one moment please. Play the ten Turkish words against the clock, with a note on how locals really use each one after every answer. All ten are written out below.
All 10 Turkish phrases in this lesson
- ŞimdiSHIM-dee
- Now
- SonraSON-rah
- Later
- Bugünboo-GEWN
- Today
- Yarınyah-RUHN
- Tomorrow
- Bu akşamboo ak-SHAM
- Tonight
- Ne zaman?neh za-MAN
- When?
- Saat kaçta açılıyor?sa-AT kach-TA a-chuh-luh-YOR
- What time does it open?
- Bir dakikabeer da-kee-KA
- One moment, please
- dakikada-kee-KA
- Minutes
- saatsa-AT
- Hours
"Hemen" (HEH-men, immediately) is used optimistically; how immediate it is depends entirely on context. "Birazdan" means in a moment.
"Sonra görüşürüz" (see you later). "Biraz sonra" is a bit later, "daha sonra" even later.
Bu (this) plus gün (day). Turkish time words are logical compounds: bu sabah (this morning), bu akşam (this evening).
"Yarın görüşürüz" (see you tomorrow). Plans can be relaxed, so confirming the day before is wise. Yesterday is "dün".
Literally "this evening", which is how Turks talk about tonight's plans. "Bu gece" (boo geh-JEH) is later, the night itself.
"Otobüs ne zaman kalkıyor?" (when does the bus leave?). Zaman means time.
Literally "at what hour does it open?". Swap in "kapanıyor" (ka-pa-nuh-YOR) for closing time. Museums often close one day a week, usually Monday.
Literally "one minute", what staff say when they need you to wait. "Bir saniye" (one second) is the same idea. Answer "tamam" (okay) and wait.
Turkish keeps the noun singular after a number: "beş dakika" (five minutes), never dakikalar.
Also singular after a number: "iki saat" (two hours). Saat is also the clock and the watch, so "saat kaç?" asks what time it is.