Turkish at the office, the bank and the doctor’s

Appointment, form, account, prescription: Turkish for the things you have to sort out when you live in Turkey for a while.

32 sentences · 2 dialogues · 16 words

Why this field

Live in Turkey for a while and sooner or later you will be sitting in a waiting room, at a counter or in a bank. Turkish is spoken there, fast and with words of its own: belge, imza, reçete.

The good news: these conversations follow a pattern. If you know what is going to be asked, you will understand the quick answer too.

What you will be able to do

Goals by level. Tick what you can already do — the tick stays in this browser only.

A1I can say where it hurts and that I have a temperature.
A2I can make a doctor’s appointment and ask for a medicine at the chemist’s.
A2I can say at a counter what I want and show my ID.
B1I can ask which documents an application needs and fill in a form.
B1I can open a bank account and explain a transfer.

Core vocabulary

16 words from the word lists, ordered by level. A coloured edge shows what you have already practised.

doktordoctorA1
hastaill, sick; patientA1
ilaçmedicineA1
eczanechemist’s, pharmacyA1
ateştemperature, fever; fireA1
randevuappointmentA2
kimlikidentity cardA2
formformB1
imzasignatureB1
belgedocument, certificateB1
oturma izniresidence permitB1
reçeteprescriptionB1
muayeneexaminationB1
banka hesabıbank accountB1
havalebank transferB1
sigortainsuranceB1

Practise as flashcards Card box Mixed round

Typical situations

Short dialogues to read along and repeat. Say one part first, then the other.

At the doctor’s

You have had a sore throat for two days and go to the doctor.

Doctor
Buyurun, şikâyetiniz nedir?Come in — what seems to be the problem?
Patient
İki gündür boğazım ağrıyor. Dün akşam ateşim de vardı.I’ve had a sore throat for two days. Last night I had a temperature as well.
Doctor
Ağzınızı açın, lütfen. Evet, boğazınız biraz kırmızı.Open your mouth, please. Yes, your throat is a bit red.
Patient
Bir ilaç almam gerekiyor mu?Do I need to take any medicine?
Doctor
Size bir ilaç yazıyorum. Günde iki kere, yemekten sonra alın.I’m prescribing you something. Take it twice a day after meals.
Patient
Teşekkür ederim.Thank you.
Doctor
Geçmiş olsun!Get well soon!

Opening an account

You have recently moved to Turkey and want a bank account.

Customer
Merhaba, bir banka hesabı açmak istiyorum.Hello, I’d like to open a bank account.
Bank clerk
Tabii. Pasaportunuz ve oturma izniniz yanınızda mı?Certainly. Do you have your passport and residence permit with you?
Customer
Evet, buyurun. Adres belgesi de lazım mı?Yes, here you are. Do you need proof of address as well?
Bank clerk
Evet, son bir aylık bir fatura yeterli. Şu formu doldurup imzalar mısınız?Yes, a bill from the last month is enough. Could you fill in this form and sign it?
Customer
Almanya'dan bu hesaba havale yapılabilir mi?Can money be transferred to this account from Germany?
Bank clerk
Evet, ama banka ücret alabilir. Bilgileri size yazılı olarak veririm.Yes, but the bank may charge a fee. I’ll give you the details in writing.

Sentences to say aloud

The label says where a sentence belongs. The speaker next to it reads it aloud.

Hastayım.I’m ill.
A1neutral
Başım ağrıyor.I’ve got a headache.
A1neutral Literally “my head aches”: the part of the body takes the possessive ending, and the verb is ağrımak. There is no “I have”.
Ateşim var.I’ve got a temperature.
A1neutral
Eczane nerede?Where is the chemist’s?
A1neutral
Bir doktor lazım.I need a doctor.
A1neutral
Bu ilaç ne kadar?How much is this medicine?
A1neutral
Hastane uzak mı?Is the hospital far?
A1neutral
Banka saat kaçta açık?What time is the bank open?
A1neutral
Midem çok kötü.My stomach is really bad.
A1neutral
Doktordan randevu almak istiyorum.I’d like a doctor’s appointment.
A2neutral
Yarın saat üçte randevunuz var.You have an appointment tomorrow at three.
A2neutral
Kimliğinizi görebilir miyim?May I see your ID?
A2polite
Reçetesiz bir ağrı ilacı var mı?Is there a painkiller I can get without a prescription?
A2neutral
Bu ilacı günde kaç kere almalıyım?How many times a day should I take this medicine?
A2neutral
Üç gündür öksürüyorum.I’ve been coughing for three days.
A2neutral
Bu mektubu Almanya'ya göndermek istiyorum.I’d like to send this letter to Germany.
A2neutral
Hesabımda ne kadar para var?How much money is in my account?
A2neutral
Sıra numarası nereden alınıyor?Where do you get a ticket for the queue?
A2neutral The passive in -ın: alınıyor, “is taken” — this is how you ask how something is done without a “you” or “one”.
Lütfen burada bekleyin, sizi çağıracağız.Please wait here — we’ll call you.
A2formal
Geçmiş olsun, çabuk iyileşin!I’m sorry you’re ill — get well soon!
A2polite
Postanede çok kalabalık vardı.The post office was very crowded.
A2neutral
Formu doldurdum. Nereyi imzalamam gerekiyor?I’ve filled in the form. Where do I need to sign?
B1neutral
Oturma izni başvurusu için hangi belgeler gerekiyor?Which documents are needed to apply for a residence permit?
B1formal
Belgelerimin fotokopisi yeterli mi, yoksa asılları da lazım mı?Are photocopies of my documents enough, or do you need the originals too?
B1neutral
Bu ilaç reçeteyle mi satılıyor?Is this medicine only sold on prescription?
B1neutral
Muayeneden sonra kan tahlili yapılacak.After the examination there’ll be a blood test.
B1neutral
Sağlık sigortam bu tedaviyi ödüyor mu?Does my health insurance pay for this treatment?
B1neutral
Almanya'daki banka hesabıma havale yapmak istiyorum.I’d like to make a transfer to my bank account in Germany.
B1neutral
İlacı aç karnına mı almalıyım, yemekten sonra mı?Should I take the medicine on an empty stomach or after a meal?
B1neutral
Belgenin süresi dolduğu için yenilemem gerekiyor.Because the document has expired, I need to renew it.
B1neutral -diği için means “because”: dolduğu için, “because it has run out”.
Kargo şirketi paketin hasarlı geldiğini kabul etti.The courier company accepted that the parcel arrived damaged.
B1neutral
Randevumu iptal etmek istiyorum; başka bir gün için yer var mı?I’d like to cancel my appointment; is there a slot on another day?
B1neutral

What matters here

At the counter and at the doctor’s people use siz.
Bir şey sorabilir miyim? (“May I ask something?”) is a polite way to begin.
sizBir şey sorabilir miyim?
Geçmiş olsun is what everybody says to someone who is ill — the doctor, the chemist, the neighbour.
Geçmiş olsun
In many offices, banks and surgeries you first take a number (sıra numarası) and wait until it is called.
sıra numarası
Which documents an office asks for changes.
The sentences here show how to ask — only the office itself, or the responsible authority, can give the answer.

Quick quiz

6 questions on the words and sentences of this field. The word questions count in your progress like any other exercise.

Try it yourself

Read the meaning, say the sentence aloud in Turkish, then open it to compare.

I’m ill.
Hastayım.
My stomach is really bad.
Midem çok kötü.
How much money is in my account?
Hesabımda ne kadar para var?
Is this medicine only sold on prescription?
Bu ilaç reçeteyle mi satılıyor?

Keep learning

The grammar behind it

Word lists that go with it

Reading texts

Reading texts on this topic (4)

Practise

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Every sentence on this page was written for EveryLingua. There are no quotations from films, series, books or songs here, and no titles or names of artists — the page shows how people talk in this field, not what somebody once said.