False friends: Turkish–English
53 traps for English speakers: loanwords that mean something different in Turkish, short words that sound like an English one, and English words for which Turkish has two. This list is built the other way round from the usual ones: on the left is what you want to say, next to it the Turkish word for it — and only then the trap. If all you know is what a word does not mean, you are still stuck in the conversation.
Loanwords with a different meaning
Words from French and English that look familiar and mean something else in Turkish.
| You mean | That is | Not this one | Because that means |
|---|---|---|---|
| pasta (noodles) | makarna | pasta | a cream cake, a gateau |
| Doğum günü için çikolatalı bir pasta aldık.We bought a chocolate cake for the birthday.Pasta of every kind is makarna. The cake shop where you buy a pasta is a pastane. | |||
| fabric | kumaş | fabrika | a factory |
| Babam otuz yıl bir tekstil fabrikasında çalıştı.My father worked in a textile factory for thirty years.Fabric is kumaş; the shop that sells it is a kumaşçı. | |||
| Roman (from Rome) | Romalı | roman | a novel |
| Bu yaz üç roman okudum.I read three novels this summer.Before a noun, “Roman” is simply Roma: Roma dönemi “the Roman period”. A novelist is a romancı. | |||
| actual, real | gerçek | aktüel | current, topical |
| Akşam haberlerinde aktüel konular konuşuluyor.Current affairs are discussed on the evening news.“Actually” in the sense of “in fact” is aslında. | |||
| sympathetic (understanding) | anlayışlı | sempatik | likeable, pleasant |
| Yeni komşumuz çok sempatik bir adam.Our new neighbour is a very likeable man.To show sympathy is anlayış göstermek; after a death you say Başınız sağ olsun. | |||
| magazine | dergi | magazin | celebrity news, gossip |
| Annem televizyonda magazin programlarını seviyor.My mother likes celebrity gossip shows on TV.A monthly magazine is aylık dergi. | |||
| pension (retirement money) | emekli maaşı | pansiyon | a guesthouse, a small hotel |
| Tatilde denize yakın küçük bir pansiyonda kaldık.On holiday we stayed in a small guesthouse near the sea.Someone who is retired is emekli; the pension itself is literally “a retired person’s salary”. | |||
| toast (toasted bread) | kızarmış ekmek | tost | a toasted sandwich |
| Kahvaltıda kaşarlı tost yedim.I had a cheese toastie for breakfast.A tost always has a filling and is pressed in a grill. The sliced bread for it is tost ekmeği. | |||
| mayo (mayonnaise) | mayonez | mayo | a swimsuit, swimming trunks |
| Mayomu unuttum, denize giremem.I forgot my swimsuit, I can’t go in the sea.From French “maillot”. | |||
| apartment, flat | daire | apartman | a block of flats, the whole building |
| Bizim apartmanda on iki daire var.There are twelve flats in our building.A single flat is daire; a studio flat stüdyo daire. | |||
| building site | şantiye | site | a gated housing complex; a website |
| Bizim sitede çocuklar için bir oyun parkı var.There is a playground for the children in our housing complex.A website is also web sitesi; a page on it is sayfa. | |||
| recipe | tarif | reçete | a (doctor’s) prescription |
| Bu ilacı reçetesiz alamazsınız.You can’t get this medicine without a prescription.The doctor writes a reçete; grandmother passes on a tarif. | |||
| tariff (rate, price list) | tarife | tarif | a recipe; directions |
| Mercimek çorbasının tarifini bana yazar mısın?Will you write down the recipe for lentil soup for me?One letter makes the difference: tarifis the recipetarifethe tariff or the timetable | |||
| bank (for money) | banka | bank | a bench |
| Parktaki bankta biraz dinlendik.We rested for a while on the bench in the park.One vowel makes the difference: the bench is bank, the bank banka. | |||
| cigar | puro | sigara | a cigarette |
| Babam sigarayı geçen yıl bıraktı.My father gave up smoking last year.To smoke is sigara içmek, literally “to drink a cigarette”. | |||
| kiosk | büfe | köşk | a mansion, a pavilion |
| Eski köşk şimdi bir müze.The old mansion is now a museum.English “kiosk” comes from exactly this word. But the stand on the corner selling newspapers and snacks is a büfe. | |||
| jest (a joke) | şaka | jest | a gesture |
| Bu güzel bir jestti, çok teşekkür ederim.That was a nice gesture, thank you very much.“I’m only joking” is Şaka yapıyorum. | |||
| scarf (a warm one) | atkı | eşarp | a headscarf, a silk scarf |
| Annem başına mavi bir eşarp bağladı.My mother tied a blue headscarf on her head.From French “écharpe”. The woollen scarf round your neck is atkı. | |||
| chance (an opportunity) | fırsat | şans | luck; a chance of luck |
| Sınavda bol şans!Good luck in the exam!An opportunity you should not miss is a fırsat. Şansım yok means “I’m out of luck”. | |||
| promotion (at work) | terfi | promosyon | a free gift, a giveaway |
| Kahve alana promosyon olarak bir fincan veriyorlar.They give a free cup to anyone who buys coffee.To be promoted is terfi etmek. | |||
| agenda (of a meeting) | gündem | ajanda | a diary, a planner |
| Toplantı tarihini ajandama yazdım.I wrote the date of the meeting in my diary.Gündem is also the news agenda: gündemdeki konular, “the topics of the day”. | |||
| expert | uzman | eksper | an (insurance) assessor |
| Kazadan sonra sigorta şirketi bir eksper gönderdi.After the accident the insurance company sent an assessor.A specialist doctor is uzman doktor. | |||
| jacket (for winter) | mont | ceket | a blazer, a suit jacket, a light jacket |
| Düğün için lacivert bir ceket aldım.I bought a navy blazer for the wedding.The thick jacket for outdoors is mont; a coat is palto or kaban. | |||
Sounds English, but isn’t
Short everyday words that only sound like an English word.
| You mean | That is | Not this one | Because that means |
|---|---|---|---|
| car | araba | kar | snow |
| Dün gece çok kar yağdı.It snowed a lot last night.A car is araba or, more formally, otomobil. | |||
| bin (for rubbish) | çöp kutusu | bin | a thousand |
| Bu telefon bin lira.This phone costs a thousand lira.Rubbish is çöp, the bin çöp kutusu. | |||
| on (on top of) | üstünde | on | ten |
| Saat on.It is ten o’clock.“On the table” is masada or masanın üstünde. | |||
| ball | top | bal | honey |
| Kahvaltıda ekmeğe bal sürüyorum.At breakfast I spread honey on my bread.A ball is top — which is the next trap. | |||
| top (the upper part) | üst | top | a ball |
| Çocuklar bahçede top oynuyor.The children are playing ball in the garden.“On top of the cupboard” is dolabın üstünde. | |||
| bay (on the coast) | körfez | bay | Mr; a gentleman |
| Bay Yılmaz sizi bekliyor.Mr Yılmaz is waiting for you.On toilet doors you read Bay and Bayan: gentlemen and ladies. | |||
| cash | nakit | kaş | an eyebrow |
| Kızın kaşları çok kalın.The girl’s eyebrows are very thick.To pay in cash is nakit ödemek; in a shop you also hear peşin. | |||
| pull | çekmek | pul | a postage stamp |
| Mektuba pul yapıştırmayı unutma.Don’t forget to stick a stamp on the letter.On doors you read Çekiniz “pull” and İtiniz “push”. | |||
| a bit, a little | biraz | bit | a louse |
| Okulda bazı çocuklarda bit çıktı.Some children at school had head lice.“Just a little” is biraz or azıcık. | |||
| goal (in football) | gol | göl | a lake |
| Hafta sonu göl kenarında piknik yaptık.At the weekend we had a picnic by the lake.The vowel matters: golwith o is the goalgölwith ö the lake | |||
| come | gelmek | kum | sand |
| Çocuklar sahilde kumdan kale yapıyor.The children are building a sandcastle on the beach.“Come here!” is Buraya gel! | |||
| year | yıl | yer | a place, a seat; the floor, the ground |
| Otobüste boş yer yok.There are no free seats on the bus.“Year” is yıl or sene. | |||
| deal (an agreement) | anlaşma | dil | a language; the tongue |
| Kaç dil biliyorsun?How many languages do you know?“It’s a deal!” is Anlaştık!, “we have agreed”. | |||
| back (go back) | geri | bak | look! (from bakmak) |
| Bak, kar yağıyor!Look, it’s snowing!“Come back!” is Geri gel!; “behind the house” is evin arkasında. | |||
| done, finished | bitmiş | dün | yesterday |
| Dün çok yorgundum.I was very tired yesterday.“I’m done” is Bitirdim; “It’s over” is Bitti. | |||
One English word, two Turkish ones
Where English has one word and Turkish two — and it is easy to reach for the wrong one.
| You mean | That is | Not this one | Because that means |
|---|---|---|---|
| you (to a stranger) | siz | sen | you (familiar, one person) |
| Sen ne içiyorsun, Can?What are you drinking, Can?English has one “you”. To a friend or a child you say sen; to a stranger, an older person or a group siz. | |||
| uncle (your mother’s brother) | dayı | amca | an uncle on your father’s side |
| Amcam babamdan iki yaş büyük.My uncle is two years older than my father, his brother.Turkish separates the two sides of the family: amcais your father’s brotherdayıyour mother’s | |||
| aunt (your mother’s sister) | teyze | hala | an aunt on your father’s side |
| Halam İzmir'de oturuyor.My aunt, my father’s sister, lives in İzmir.teyze is also how children address any older woman. | |||
| grandmother (your mother’s mother) | anneanne | babaanne | a grandmother on your father’s side |
| Babaannem bize her yaz reçel yapar.My grandmother, my father’s mother, makes jam for us every summer.Literally “mother-mother” and “father-mother”. Many children simply say nine. | |||
| to play (an instrument) | çalmak | oynamak | to play (a game, a sport) |
| Çocuklar bahçede futbol oynuyor.The children are playing football in the garden.“She plays the piano” is Piyano çalıyor. çalmak also means “to ring” and “to steal”. | |||
| to wear (glasses, a ring) | takmak | giymek | to put on, to wear (clothes) |
| Bugün hava soğuk, kalın bir kazak giydim.It’s cold today, I put on a thick jumper.Things you attach — glasses, earrings, a watch, a tie — go with takmak. | |||
| to know (a person) | tanımak | bilmek | to know (a fact); to know how to |
| Cevabı biliyorum.I know the answer.“Do you know Ayşe?” is Ayşe'yi tanıyor musun? | |||
| old (of a person) | yaşlı | eski | old (of a thing); former |
| Bu çok eski bir ev.This is a very old house.For people say yaşlı. Eski with a person means “former”: eski kocası “her ex-husband”. | |||
| time (as in “three times”) | kez | zaman | time (as it passes); when |
| Hiç zamanım yok.I have no time at all.“Three times” is üç kez or üç kere; “for the first time” ilk kez. | |||
| to ask for (something) | istemek | sormak | to ask (a question) |
| Öğretmene bir soru sordum.I asked the teacher a question.“I asked for the bill” is Hesabı istedim. | |||
| to take (someone somewhere) | götürmek | almak | to take (in your hand); to buy |
| Markette ekmek aldım.I bought bread at the supermarket.“I’ll take you to the station” is Seni istasyona götürürüm. | |||
| tall (of a building) | yüksek | uzun | long; tall (of a person) |
| Kardeşim çok uzun.My brother is very tall.A tall building or a high mountain is yüksek; a tall person is uzun or uzun boylu. | |||
| room (space) | yer | oda | a room (in a house) |
| Evimizde üç oda var.There are three rooms in our flat.“Is there room for me?” is Bana yer var mı? | |||
| date (with a friend) | buluşma | randevu | an appointment (doctor, hairdresser) |
| Yarın saat onda doktordan randevum var.I have a doctor’s appointment at ten tomorrow.Meeting up with friends is buluşmak; a romantic date can be randevu too. | |||
| to study (for an exam) | ders çalışmak | okumak | to read; to study (at school or university) |
| Kızım İstanbul'da tıp okuyor.My daughter is studying medicine in İstanbul.Sitting down with your books is ders çalışmak: Sınav için ders çalışıyorum. | |||