You may understand family conversations more easily than you can join in. Practise a short call with your maternal grandmother: one answer and one small detail are enough to keep your turn going.
The idea
Build each turn around the question: answer it, add a detail, then ask something back. After Nasılsın?, you can say İyiyim. Sen nasılsın? After Yemek yedin mi?, say whether you have eaten. These examples use familiar singular address, as in a family that uses sen. Canım is an affectionate “dear”; you do not need it in every reply.
| Question | Reply |
|---|---|
| Nasılsın? | İyiyim. Sen nasılsın? |
| Yemek yedin mi? | Evet, yedim. |
| Yemek yedin mi? | Hayır, henüz yemedim. |
Read the text
— Alo anneanne, bugün nasılsın?
— İyiyim canım. Sen nasılsın?
— Ben de iyiyim. Bugün seni aramak istedim.
— Yemek yedin mi?
— Evet, yedim. Az önce çorba içtim.
— Güzel. Ben de şimdi çay içiyorum.
— Anneanne, sesin çok az geliyor.
— Şimdi nasıl?
— Şimdi iyi. Dedeme benden selam söyle.
— Tamam canım, görüşürüz.
— Görüşürüz anneanne.
Examples
- Bugün seni aramak istedim.I wanted to call you today.
- Az önce çorba içtim.I had soup just now.
- Dedeme benden selam söyle.Give my regards to Grandpa.
- Anneanne, bugün nasılsın?Grandma, how are you today?
- Canım, yemek yedin mi?Dear, have you eaten?
- Evet, yedim; şimdi çay içiyorum.Yes, I have eaten; I am drinking tea now.
- Sesin çok az geliyor.Your voice is very faint.
- Tamam anneanne, sonra yine konuşuruz.All right, Grandma, we’ll talk again later.
- Hayır, henüz yemedim.No, I haven’t eaten yet.
Read-aloud uses a synthetic Turkish voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.
No Turkish device voice is available. You can still read the text.
Watch out
Do not treat Yemek yedin mi? as just another “How are you?”. İyiyim tells how you feel but leaves the meal question unanswered. Also, Sesin çok az geliyor means the other person’s voice is faint; sesim would mean your own voice.
Try it yourself
Complete the reply: “Have you eaten?” — “Yes, I have.” Use the past tense of yemek.
Show answer or example answer
yedim
yedim: you confirm that you have eaten. The question is about “you”, but your reply is about “I”, so do not copy yedin from the question.
Complete the reply: “Have you eaten?” — “No, not yet.” Use the negative past of yemek.
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yemedim
yemedim: the meal has not happened yet. Henüz supplies “yet”, while the negative verb makes the reply agree with Hayır.
Tell your grandmother that HER voice is faint. Choose sesin or sesim.
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sesin
sesin: you are telling your grandmother that her voice is faint on your phone. Sesim would refer to your own voice.
Ask your grandmother to give Grandpa YOUR regards. Choose benden or senden.
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benden
benden: the greetings come from you and are going to your grandfather. Senden would make them greetings from the person you are speaking to.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Turkish sentences and words where available. We keep your score.
Complete the reply: “Have you eaten?” — “Yes, I have.” Use the past tense of yemek.
Complete the reply: “Have you eaten?” — “No, not yet.” Use the negative past of yemek.
Tell your grandmother that HER voice is faint. Choose sesin or sesim.
Ask your grandmother to give Grandpa YOUR regards. Choose benden or senden.
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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Write a six-turn call with a parent or grandparent. Answer a question about food, give one detail, ask how the other person is, and pass on greetings before saying goodbye.