Turkish Language - How to say

VOWEL HARMONY REFERENCE
For -a or -e suffixes
a, ı, o, u	add	-a
e, i, ö, ü	add	-e
For -ı or -u suffixes
a or ı	add	-ı
o or u	add	-u
For -i or -ü suffixes
e or i	add	-i
ö or ü	add	-ü

CONSONANT MUTATION REFERENCE
The Unvoiced Consonants
ç	f	h	k	p	s	ş	t

Consonant Equivalents
k < ğ	t < d	ç < c	p < b

Suffix Equivalents
-de/-da < -te/-ta
-den/-dan < -ten/-tan
-dı/-di < -tı/-ti
-du/dü < -tu/tü
-cı/-ci < -çı/-çi
-cu/cü < -çu/çü

POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVE REFERENCE
my -ım -im -um -üm and after vowels -m
your -ın -in -un -ün and after vowels -n
his/her/its -ı -i -u -ü and after vowels -sı -si -su- -sü
our -ımız -imiz -umuz -ümüz and after vowels -mız- miz -muz -müz
your -ınız -iniz -unuz -ünüz and after vowels -nız -niz -nuz -nüz
their -ları -leri and after vowels -ları -leri (no change)

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How to say - "Thanks.."

Here we point out the difference in usage of - teşekkür ederim - and the more sincere - sağ olun

What are the services being rendered to us..?

sağ olun - be healthy, be strong - is used as - thank you.. - for a service which:

(1) WAS NOT NECESSARILY NEEDED TO BE PERFORMED..
or
(2) FOR WHICH SOMEONE HAS GONE OUT OF HIS WAY TO HELP YOU...

While teşekkür ederim - thank you.. - (Lit: a thanking perform I - [from Arabic]) - is used in normal circumstances and recieving presents.

Some Examples of Use

Senario (1)

The waiter puts a nice meal in front of you. Your - thankyou - is - teşekkür ederim - it is his job...

The waiter puts a bottle of wine in front of you. Your - thankyou - is - teşekkür ederim - it is his job...

Then:

The waiter uncorks the bottle of wine and pours it in your glass. Your - thankyou - is - sağ olun - he need not have performed this service.

The recipient of your gratitude will often answer your - sağ olun - with the rejoinder - siz de sağ olun - health to you (too).. - (the Polite Version said to to stranger)

Ofther forms are - sen de sağ ol - or quite short - siz de - or - sen de - you too..

Senario (2)

You ask someone the time. He looks at his watch and says - Half past three. Your answer is - sağ olun - (You have caused him to perform a service to you)

Senario (3)

You drop your handkerchief - a stranger picks it up and hand it to you - Your answer is - sağ olun - (He need not have done it)

Note: that many tourists use - sağ olun - wrongly instead of using - teşekkür ederim - as they copy the boy waiter's way of thanking - as the waiters often use - sağ olun - for misguided effect.

The rule is - If in doubt then use - teşekkür ederim...

The answer to teşekkür ederim... is - bir şey değil - It is not a thing - or - rica ederim - I request..! - [same as "bitte schön" in German]

Also used is - ne demek? - what does it mean?. This expression - ne demek? - sounds quite comical in English. But it actually means something like: - It doesn't matter at all..

The answer - Rica ederim - is the politest one.

Other forms in daily use

The recipient of your gratitude will often answer your - sağ olun - with the rejoinder - sana sağ olun - health to you (too)..

Other Versions are:
sağ ol - familiar
sağ olunuz - public and plural

A simple - teşekkürler.. also means a very informal - thanks.. and is used in shops and for small duties performed.

A little "caveat" - or - "take care.."

Many people when first learning Turkish are tempted to use the Present Continuous Tense form - teşekkür ediyorum... - we would advise you that this form sounds quite comical to the Turkish ear and can also be construed as being sarcastic, so one should always use the Present Simple form - teşekkür ederim... - and you will not go wrong or be misunderstood.

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