What's your level? in Turkish
A conversation at the language course desk in Turkish. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Merhaba, kursa kaydolmak istiyorum.» — Hello, I want to sign up for the course.; «Hoş geldiniz. Dil seviyeniz nedir?» — Welcome. What's your language level? Every line can be played right on the page. The conversation is predictable: few lines, and almost all of them repeat from one exchange to the next.
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: a conversation at the language course desk. The conversation is short and predictable — which is exactly what makes it good for a first try: few lines, and almost all of them repeat from one exchange to the next.
- Merhaba, kursa kaydolmak istiyorum.Hello, I want to sign up for the course.
- Hoş geldiniz. Dil seviyeniz nedir?Welcome. What's your language level?
- Bilmiyorum. Okuyorum ama dinlediğimi anlamıyorum.I don't know. I read, but I don't understand by ear.
- Anladım. Dil bilgisi nasıl, kelime ezberliyor musunuz?I see. How's the grammar, do you memorize words?
- Her gün on kelime. Ama bana zor geliyor.Ten words a day. But it's hard for me.
- Merak etmeyin, adım adım olur. Çevrimiçi kurs da var.Don't worry, step by step it will work out. There's also an online course.
- İlk ders ücretsiz mi? Bir düşüneyim.Is the first lesson free? Let me think about it.
- Ücretsiz. Kararınızı verince telefonlaşırız.It is. Once you decide, we'll have a call.
Lines one by one
| Turkish | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Merhaba, kursa kaydolmak istiyorum. | — | Hello, I want to sign up for the course. |
| Hoş geldiniz. Dil seviyeniz nedir? | — | Welcome. What's your language level? |
| Bilmiyorum. Okuyorum ama dinlediğimi anlamıyorum. | — | I don't know. I read, but I don't understand by ear. |
| Anladım. Dil bilgisi nasıl, kelime ezberliyor musunuz? | — | I see. How's the grammar, do you memorize words? |
| Her gün on kelime. Ama bana zor geliyor. | — | Ten words a day. But it's hard for me. |
| Merak etmeyin, adım adım olur. Çevrimiçi kurs da var. | — | Don't worry, step by step it will work out. There's also an online course. |
| İlk ders ücretsiz mi? Bir düşüneyim. | — | Is the first lesson free? Let me think about it. |
| Ücretsiz. Kararınızı verince telefonlaşırız. | — | It is. Once you decide, we'll have a call. |
How to prepare for a conversation like this
Memorizing the lines is not enough: the other person will say their own thing, not what is written. What helps more is catching the key words by ear and keeping three rescue phrases ready: “I don't understand”, “repeat, please”, “slower”.
And one more thing phrasebooks do not mention: awkwardness gets in the way more than not knowing the words.
- Fear of making mistakes gets in the way of learning a language, and it gets in the way badly. It is one of the most reliably measured findings in the entire field.checked many timesTeimouri, Goetze & Plonsky, 2019, Studies in Second Language Acquisition 41(2) · 19,933 participants from 23 countries; correlation with results r = −0.36.
- That fear can be dealt with — the methods have been tested and they work.checked many timesXiong et al., 2024, Journal of Language and Social Psychology · 37 studies, anxiety reduced by −0.61. Of the seven conditions examined, only age turned out to matter.
Frequently asked
How do you start a conversation in Turkish in this situation?
“Merhaba, kursa kaydolmak istiyorum.” — Hello, I want to sign up for the course.. The first line in such a conversation is almost always the same, and that is the one worth learning: the other person will carry it from there.
What if you did not understand the reply?
Say “I don't understand” and “repeat, please” — both are in the rescue set. Admitting your language is still shaky almost always makes the other person more patient.
Should you memorize the dialogue?
No. It is more useful to catch the key words by ear: the other person will say their own thing, and a memorized line will not always fit their reply.