Tell a family's move in stages: departure, a new home and memories of the old one. The examples are fictional, so you can practise without sharing your own family's history. Gurbetçi describes someone living away from their homeland; in the final example the uncle uses it about himself.
The idea
Build the route around the verb: Türkiye'den ayrıldı says where someone left; Almanya'ya göç etti names the destination of migration. Berlin'e yerleşti means they made a home in Berlin, while Berlin'de yaşıyor says where they live now. Connect events with önce (first), sonra (then) and sonradan (later). Memleket can be a hometown, home region or homeland; the family context tells you which.
Examples
- Dedem Türkiye'den Almanya'ya göç etti.My grandfather migrated from Türkiye to Germany.
- Ailem sonradan Berlin'e yerleşti.My family later settled in Berlin.
- Annem memleketini hâlâ özlüyor.My mother still misses her hometown.
- Dedem çalışmak için yurt dışına çıktı.My grandfather went abroad to work.
- İlk yıl ailesinden ayrı yaşadı.He lived apart from his family for the first year.
- Babaannem için gurbet kolay değildi.Life away from home was not easy for my paternal grandmother.
- Her yaz memlekete ziyarete gidiyoruz.We go back to our hometown for a visit every summer.
- Amcam kendine gurbetçi diyor.My paternal uncle calls himself someone living away from his homeland.
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Watch out
Do not translate every use of 'abroad' as gurbet. Yurt dışı simply refers to being outside the country; gurbet frames a place or life as far from home and can carry longing. It can also describe separation within one country. A person living abroad need not feel unhappy or call themselves gurbetçi.
Try it yourself
Complete with the full word: my grandfather left Türkiye. Use Türkiye.
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Türkiye'den
Türkiye'den: with ayrıldı, Türkiye is the place left behind, so it takes the ending meaning 'from'. Türkiye'ye would point towards the country instead.
Complete with the full word: my family settled in Berlin. Use Berlin.
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Berlin'e
Berlin'e: the family is establishing a new home, so yerleşti takes a destination here. Berlin'de would fit yaşıyor, a statement about where they already live.
Complete with the full word: my mother misses her hometown. Start from memleketi (her hometown).
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memleketini
memleketini: the starting form memleketi already means 'her hometown'. Since it is the specific thing she misses, add the accusative -i with linking n; keep the existing possessive ending.
Choose gurbet (life away from home) or tatil (holiday): for my grandfather, ___ meant living far from home.
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gurbet
gurbet: the clue is living far from home. Tatil names a holiday or break, which need not involve leaving home at all.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Turkish sentences and words where available. We keep your score.
Complete with the full word: my grandfather left Türkiye. Use Türkiye.
Complete with the full word: my family settled in Berlin. Use Berlin.
Complete with the full word: my mother misses her hometown. Start from memleketi (her hometown).
Choose gurbet (life away from home) or tatil (holiday): for my grandfather, ___ meant living far from home.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
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Write four sentences about an invented family: where they left, where they settled, who missed home and a later visit. Use önce and sonra to make the sequence clear. Then turn the story into a short message for a family group chat.