The hamam is a place for bathing and can also be a place to meet and talk. This lesson follows a visit through its objects and the language of asking for a service.
The idea
Distinguish the object from the treatment. A peştemal is a thin cloth wrapped around the body; the göbek taşı is the heated marble platform. A kese is a scrubbing mitt, while kese yaptırmak means having someone give you a scrub. Learn that expression as a whole: the visitor receives the service.
| Turkish | Meaning in the bath |
|---|---|
| hamam | Turkish bath |
| peştemal | thin body wrap |
| göbek taşı | heated marble platform |
| kese | scrubbing mitt |
Examples
- Peştemali belime sarıyorum.I am wrapping the bath cloth around my waist.
- Keseyi çantama koyuyorum.I am putting the scrubbing mitt in my bag.
- Bugün hamamda dinleniyoruz.We are relaxing at the Turkish bath today.
- Göbek taşı sıcak olduğu için burada biraz bekliyorum.I am waiting here for a while because the marble platform is hot.
- Bu kese cildi ovalamak için kullanılır.This mitt is used to scrub the skin.
- Kese yaptırmak istiyorum ama köpük masajı istemiyorum.I want to have a scrub, but I do not want a foam massage.
- Hamamdan çıktıktan sonra arkadaşlarımla buluşacağım.I will meet my friends after leaving the Turkish bath.
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Watch out
Kese istiyorum can refer to the mitt or, in context, the treatment. If you mean the service, Kese yaptırmak istiyorum makes that clear. Kese yapmak describes doing the scrubbing; it does not by itself say that someone else will scrub you.
Try it yourself
Complete: I got a thin cloth to wrap around my waist. Choose peştemal or kese.
Show answer or example answer
peştemal
peştemal: wrapping something around your waist calls for a cloth large enough to cover you. A mitt would not serve that purpose.
What is the heated marble platform in the hot section of a Turkish bath called? Write its Turkish name.
Show answer or example answer
göbek taşı
göbek taşı: the clues are a heated platform and marble. The answer names a fixed feature of the bath, rather than something carried in a bag.
Which item is used to scrub the skin? Choose kese or peştemal.
Show answer or example answer
kese
kese: rubbing the skin points to the mitt. The cloth in the other choice is used here as a body covering.
Complete the request for an attendant to scrub you: Kese ___ istiyorum. Choose yapmak or yaptırmak.
Show answer or example answer
yaptırmak
yaptırmak: the prompt says an attendant will do the scrubbing. Kese yaptırmak istiyorum therefore puts the speaker in the role of receiving that service.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Turkish sentences and words where available. We keep your score.
Complete: I got a thin cloth to wrap around my waist. Choose peştemal or kese.
What is the heated marble platform in the hot section of a Turkish bath called? Write its Turkish name.
Which item is used to scrub the skin? Choose kese or peştemal.
Complete the request for an attendant to scrub you: Kese ___ istiyorum. Choose yapmak or yaptırmak.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Keep your progress
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Act out a visitor and an attendant. Name one object, ask for a scrub and decline a foam massage. Then explain which words identify the object and which identify the service.