Buying at a market or shop: a kilo of tomatoes, please

The idea

A request has three parts: a number, a measure and the item, with lütfen after it or istiyorum as the verb: bir kilo domates lütfen, yarım kilo peynir istiyorum. The item follows the measure in its bare form. The seller asks Başka bir şey var mı?, you ask Hepsi ne kadar?, and Para üstü kalsın. lets the seller keep the change.

Examples

• Bir kilo domates lütfen.One kilo of tomatoes, please.The quantity comes first and the item follows in its bare form. Turkish has no word for “of” here.
• Üç kilo elma ve iki kilo portakal lütfen.Three kilos of apples and two kilos of oranges, please.
• Domatesler taze mi?Are the tomatoes fresh?With no quantity the plural is normal, because you are talking about the goods in front of you. Mi is a separate word.
• Yarım kilo peynir istiyorum.I would like half a kilo of cheese.
• Başka bir şey var mı?Is there anything else?The seller asks this once you have named your goods; mı is a separate word. Answer Hepsi bu, teşekkürler: that is all, thank you.
• Hepsi ne kadar?How much is it all together?
• Altı yumurta lütfen.Six eggs, please.Things you count need no measure word: say the number and the item, or add tane: altı tane yumurta. The item stays singular either way.
• Para üstü kalsın.Keep the change.Para üstü is the change you get back; kalsın means “let it stay”, so the seller keeps it.

Watch out

Do not give the item an ending to say “of”, and do not make it plural after a quantity: iki kilo elma, not iki kilo elmalar and not iki kilo elmanın. The plural returns only when you talk about the goods without a quantity: Elmalar taze mi?

Try it yourself

1. Two kilos of pears, please. Write armut (pear) as it goes after the quantity.

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   armut

   armut: after the quantity iki kilo the item stays in its bare form, with no plural ending and no ending for “of”.

2. The seller asks: Is there anything else? Fill in the word for “there is”.

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   var

   var: the seller asks whether anything else exists, and mı is a separate word after it; the last vowel of var is back and unrounded, so it is mı.

3. Ask the total: how much is it all together? Write the two words.

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   ne kadar / kaç lira

   ne kadar (or kaç lira): hepsi means everything together, so you ask for the total and not for the price of one item.

4. Ask whether the tomatoes are fresh: add the question particle.

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   mi

   mi: the last vowel of taze is e, front and unrounded, so the particle is mi, written apart from the word.

Use it today

Write a short dialogue with a seller: two items with quantities, a question about the total and a remark about the change. Check that every item after a quantity is bare.