You will ask for the menu, order dishes, ask for the bill and answer afiyet olsun, using three short frames that work in any restaurant. Alabilir miyim? is learned here as one whole phrase.
The idea
Name the dish and add one frame: Bir çorba lütfen, Bir çorba istiyorum or, to ask for something, Menüyü alabilir miyim? The dish stays bare and singular, even after iki: İki su lütfen. Only a specific thing that you both know, like menü or hesap, takes the accusative: menüyü, hesabı.
| Plain word | Specific form | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| hesap | hesabı | p → b |
| menü | menüyü | + y |
| çorba | çorbayı | + y |
| su | suyu | + y |
| köfte | köfteyi | + y |
| yemek | yemeği | k → ğ |
| çay | çayı | + ı |
Examples
- Bir çorba lütfen.One soup, please.
- Ben köfte ve salata istiyorum.I'd like meatballs and a salad.
- İki su lütfen.Two waters, please.
- Menüyü alabilir miyim?Could I have the menu?Menü ends in a vowel, so the accusative needs a buffer y: menü + yü. The ending shows that you mean the menu both of you know about. Alabilir miyim? is learned as one phrase here: "may I have".
- Hesabı alabilir miyiz?Could we have the bill?
- Afiyet olsun.Enjoy your meal.
- Teşekkür ederim, size de.Thank you, and you too.Afiyet olsun is what the server or the next table says as you start eating. Answer with thanks and size de, "you too"; de is written apart.
- hesabıthe billhesabı-i / -ı / -u / -ü: marking the definite objectThe final p of hesap softens to b before a vowel ending, so the stem in the chain is hesab. The bill is one specific bill, hence the accusative.
- menüyüthe menumenüyü-i / -ı / -u / -ü: marking the definite object
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Watch out
Write the bill as hesabı, not hesapı: before a vowel ending, the final p of hesap softens to b. After a vowel a buffer y is needed: menüyü, çorbayı. And do not put the ending on every dish you order: Çorba istiyorum orders a soup, while Çorbayı istiyorum points to the soup you have just been discussing.
Try it yourself
Make the bill specific: add the accusative to hesap (bill).
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hesabı
hesabı: the final p of hesap softens to b before a vowel, and the last vowel a is a back vowel, so the ending is -ı.
Make the menu specific: add the accusative to menü (menu).
Show answer or example answer
menüyü
menüyü: menü ends in a vowel, so a buffer y comes first, and the rounded front vowel ü gives -ü.
Fill the gap with the verb "I want": I want one soup.
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istiyorum
istiyorum: "I want" is the verb and closes the sentence after the dish. Lütfen is the short alternative.
Add the accusative to çorba (soup): the soup we both mean.
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çorbayı
çorbayı: çorba ends in a vowel, so y comes before the ending, and a gives -ı. With the ending you mean the soup already mentioned.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Turkish sentences and words where available. We keep your score.
Make the bill specific: add the accusative to hesap (bill).
Make the menu specific: add the accusative to menü (menu).
Fill the gap with the verb "I want": I want one soup.
Add the accusative to çorba (soup): the soup we both mean.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the parts in order to build this word: the bill
Tap the parts in order to build this word: the menu
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Write a short dialogue at the table: you ask for the menu, order one dish and two drinks, then ask for the bill. Mark every word with an accusative ending and say why it has one.