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Turkish at work

Colleagues, meetings, calling in sick and applying for a job: Turkish for everyday working life in Turkey and with Turkish colleagues.

34 sentences · 3 dialogues · 15 words

Why this field

Many people work with colleagues, customers or partner firms in Turkey, and others move there for a job. Technical discussions often take place in English — but the everyday life around them, the break, the phone call, the greeting in the morning, happens in Turkish.

At the office the way you address people matters more than the grammar: say Ayşe Hanım and Mehmet Bey, know when siz is right, and you are already halfway there.

What you will be able to do

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

Core vocabulary

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

  • işwork, job; matterA1
  • ofisofficeA2
  • toplantımeetingA2
  • maaşsalary, wagesA2
  • patronbossA2
  • iş arkadaşıcolleagueA2
  • molabreakA2
  • izinleave (from work); permissionA2
  • şirketcompany, firmA2
  • mesaiworking hours, shiftA2
  • sözleşmecontractB1
  • deneyimexperienceB1
  • başvuruapplicationB1
  • özgeçmişCV, résuméB1
  • iş görüşmesijob interviewB1

Typical situations

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

Calling in sick

A2

You ring your manager in the morning.

  1. Employee

    Günaydın Selin Hanım, ben Jonas.Good morning, Selin Hanım, it’s Jonas.

  2. Manager

    Günaydın Jonas, buyurun.Good morning, Jonas, go ahead.

  3. Employee

    Maalesef hastayım, bugün işe gelemeyeceğim.I’m afraid I’m ill — I won’t be able to come in today.

  4. Manager

    Geçmiş olsun! Doktora gidecek misiniz?Get well soon! Are you going to the doctor’s?

  5. Employee

    Evet, saat onda randevum var.Yes, I have an appointment at ten.

  6. Manager

    Tamam, iyi dinlenin. Toplantıyı yarına erteleriz.All right, get some rest. We’ll put the meeting off until tomorrow.

In the coffee break

A2

A colleague talks to you in the office kitchen.

  1. Colleague

    Kolay gelsin! Çay ister misin?Hope work’s going well! Would you like a tea?

  2. Colleague

    Sağ ol, çok iyi olur. Bugün çok yoğunum.Thanks, that would be great. I’m really busy today.

  3. Colleague

    Öğle arasında birlikte yemeğe çıkalım mı?Shall we go out for lunch together at lunchtime?

  4. Colleague

    Olur. Saat birde toplantım bitiyor.Sure. My meeting finishes at one.

  5. Colleague

    Tamam, birde kapının önünde buluşalım.Fine, let’s meet outside the door at one.

At a job interview

B1

A company in İstanbul has invited you for an interview.

  1. Head of HR

    Bize biraz kendinizden bahseder misiniz?Could you tell us a little about yourself?

  2. Applicant

    Tabii. Beş yıldır bir şirkette proje yöneticisi olarak çalışıyorum.Of course. I’ve been working as a project manager at a company for five years.

  3. Head of HR

    Neden İstanbul'da çalışmak istiyorsunuz?Why do you want to work in İstanbul?

  4. Applicant

    Eşimin ailesi burada yaşıyor. Ayrıca Türkçemi geliştirmek istiyorum.My husband’s family lives here. And I want to improve my Turkish.

  5. Head of HR

    Deneme süresi üç ay. Bu sizin için uygun mu?The probation period is three months. Is that all right for you?

  6. Applicant

    Evet, uygun. Ne zaman bir cevap bekleyebilirim?Yes, that’s fine. When can I expect an answer?

  7. Head of HR

    Gelecek hafta size haber vereceğiz.We’ll let you know next week.

Sentences to say aloud

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

  1. Ben mühendisim.I’m an engineer.

    A1neutral “Am” is an ending: mühendis-im. And there is no “a” before a job.

  2. Ne iş yapıyorsunuz?What do you do for a living?

    A1polite

  3. Nerede çalışıyorsun?Where do you work?

    A1casual

  4. Bir bankada çalışıyorum.I work at a bank.

    A1neutral

  5. Saat dokuzda başlıyorum.I start at nine.

    A1neutral

  6. Bugün çok yorgunum.I’m very tired today.

    A1neutral

  7. Kolay gelsin!Hope it’s going well!

    A1neutral A greeting to someone who is working — literally “may it come easy”. The reply is Sağ ol! or Teşekkürler!

  8. İşim ilginç ama zor.My job is interesting but hard.

    A1neutral

  9. Toplantı saat kaçta?What time is the meeting?

    A2neutral

  10. Ofiste on kişi çalışıyoruz.There are ten of us working in the office.

    A2neutral

  11. Öğle arasında birlikte yemeğe çıkalım mı?Shall we go out for lunch together at lunchtime?

    A2casual -elim means “let’s”; with mı it becomes a suggestion, “shall we?”.

  12. Yarın izin almak istiyorum.I’d like to take tomorrow off.

    A2neutral

  13. Bu işi yarına kadar bitirmeliyim.I have to finish this by tomorrow.

    A2neutral

  14. Biraz mola verelim mi?Shall we take a short break?

    A2casual

  15. Bu şirkette üç yıldır çalışıyorum.I’ve been working at this company for three years.

    A2neutral “For” a length of time is the ending -dir on the time, and the verb stays in the present: üç yıldır çalışıyorum, where English says “have been working”.

  16. Patronum bugün ofiste değil.My boss isn’t in the office today.

    A2neutral

  17. Toplantıyı yarına erteleyebilir miyiz?Could we put the meeting off until tomorrow?

    A2polite

  18. Kusura bakmayın, geç kaldım. Yolda çok trafik vardı.Sorry I’m late. There was a lot of traffic.

    A2polite

  19. Mesai saat altıda bitiyor.Work finishes at six.

    A2neutral

  20. Maaşımı her ayın başında alıyorum.I get paid at the beginning of every month.

    A2neutral

  21. Bilgisayarım bozuldu. Bana yardım edebilir misin?My computer’s broken. Can you help me?

    A2casual

  22. İş arkadaşlarım çok kibar.My colleagues are very polite.

    A2neutral

  23. İlanınızdaki işe başvurmak istiyorum.I’d like to apply for the job in your advert.

    B1formal

  24. Özgeçmişimi e-postayla gönderdim.I sent my CV by email.

    B1neutral

  25. Başvuru için hangi belgeler gerekiyor?Which documents are needed for the application?

    B1neutral

  26. Bu alanda beş yıllık deneyimim var.I have five years’ experience in this field.

    B1neutral

  27. İş görüşmesi için zaman ayırdığınız için teşekkür ederim.Thank you for taking the time for the interview.

    B1formal

  28. Sözleşmeyi imzalamadan önce bir kez daha okumak istiyorum.I’d like to read the contract again before I sign it.

    B1neutral -meden önce means “before”; the verb in front of it takes no person: imzalamadan önce, “before signing”.

  29. Fazla mesai yaparsam ayrıca ücret alıyor muyum?If I work overtime, do I get paid extra?

    B1neutral

  30. Projenin ne zaman biteceğini henüz bilmiyoruz.We don’t know yet when the project will be finished.

    B1neutral A “that” or “when” clause becomes a noun: biteceğini, “its future finishing”, is the object of the verb.

  31. Müdürün söylediğine göre yeni bir ekip kurulacak.According to the manager, a new team is going to be set up.

    B1neutral

  32. Bu konuyu toplantıda konuşalım; e-postayla anlatmak zor.Let’s talk about this at the meeting; it’s hard to explain by email.

    B1neutral

  33. Yöneticinize genellikle adıyla ve “Bey” ya da “Hanım” diyerek seslenirsiniz.You usually address your manager by their first name with “Bey” or “Hanım”.

    B1neutral

  34. Deneme süresinde iki tarafın da sözleşmeyi bitirmesi daha kolaydır.During the probation period it is easier for either side to end the contract.

    B1neutral

What matters here

  • Colleagues and managers are addressed by their first name with Hanım or Bey: Selin Hanım, Burak Bey.

    The surname is hardly used in conversation.

    HanımBeySelin HanımBurak Bey

  • Kolay gelsin! — “may it come easy” — is what you say to anyone who is working:

    at a desk, in a shop, on a building site.

    Kolay gelsin!

  • For “I must” there is -meli (bitirmeliyim) and gerek/lazım; at the office you will hear both.

    -melibitirmeliyimgereklazım

  • Working conditions, contracts and rules differ from firm to firm.

    The sentences here are examples, not advice.

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.

  1. I’m an engineer.

    Ben mühendisim.

  2. What time is the meeting?

    Toplantı saat kaçta?

  3. Could we put the meeting off until tomorrow?

    Toplantıyı yarına erteleyebilir miyiz?

  4. Which documents are needed for the application?

    Başvuru için hangi belgeler gerekiyor?

Keep learning

More fields

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.