Transport in Turkish
15 words Turkish words on the topic “transport”: metro — metro, otobüs — bus, taksi — taxi, istasyon — station. 15 words can be played from recordings.
15 words on the topic
- metrometroForeign only in looks: it takes ordinary endings with a linking y between vowels — metroya ("to the metro"), metroyla ("by metro").
- otobüsbusA French word dragged through Turkish harmony. The final s doubles before a vowel: otobüse, otobüsle. The stop is otobüs durağı.
- taksitaxiTo call one is taksi çağırmak, the meter is taksimetre. The request "to the airport" comes out as havalimanına, lütfen — the -a/-e case and no verb.
- istasyonstationBoth a train station and a metro or commuter stop. The grand railway terminal gets the word gar — Haydarpaşa Garı.
- şofördriverş is "sh", both ö rounded: shur-FUR
- durakbus stopFrom durmak, "to stand". The course knows the izafet otobüs durağı, in which the k softens into ğ.
- yolcupassengerFrom yol, "road": both a passenger and a traveler. The journey of the same root is yolculuk.
- koltukseatOne word for the armchair at home, which the course already knows, and the seat on the bus. In case forms the k softens: koltuğa.
- tutamakhandrailFrom tutmak, "to hold". The staircase banister is called differently — tırabzan.
- kontrolörticket inspectorA French loanword: -ör ignores harmony and stays whatever the root.
- yol ücretifareAn izafet: ücret becomes ücreti. ücret is payment in general; it also names the salary.
- kalabalıkovercrowdedThe word works as a noun too — "a crowd", which is how the course knows it. About jam-packed places people say tıklım tıklım.
- boş yerfree seatModifier in front, no tail. On the bus people ask it shorter: Burası boş mu?
- bilet makinesiticket machineAn izafet: makine becomes makinesi. The machine that tops up a card is dolum makinesi.
- gecikmedelayThe same word the course knows as "arrears" about money; a plane or train delay is called rötar.
How it sounds in a sentence
A word list is a blank. Conversation is made of sentences, and these are the ones the words fit into most often.
- Metroyla gitmek daha hızlıThe metro is faster
- Otobüs on dakikada bir geliyorThe bus runs once every ten minutes
- Bize bir taksi çağırır mısınız?Will you call us a taxi?
- Tren istasyona giriyorThe train is pulling into the station
- Şoför bizi otele bıraktıThe driver took us all the way to the hotel
- İki durak sonra ineceğizWe will get off in two stops
What is worth knowing about these words
metro — metro. Foreign only in looks: it takes ordinary endings with a linking y between vowels — metroya ("to the metro"), metroyla ("by metro").
otobüs — bus. A French word dragged through Turkish harmony. The final s doubles before a vowel: otobüse, otobüsle. The stop is otobüs durağı.
taksi — taxi. To call one is taksi çağırmak, the meter is taksimetre. The request "to the airport" comes out as havalimanına, lütfen — the -a/-e case and no verb.
istasyon — station. Both a train station and a metro or commuter stop. The grand railway terminal gets the word gar — Haydarpaşa Garı.
Test yourself
First by ear — the way you will meet the word in conversation. Click the speaker and pick the translation.
- What is this word?
It is metro — metro.
- What is this word?
It is koltuk — seat.
- What is this word?
It is gecikme — delay.
- What is this word?
It is yolcu — passenger.
- What is this word?
It is bilet makinesi — ticket machine.
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “metro” in Turkish?
Foreign only in looks: it takes ordinary endings with a linking y between vowels — metroya ("to the metro"), metroyla ("by metro").
- How do you say “seat” in Turkish?
One word for the armchair at home, which the course already knows, and the seat on the bus. In case forms the k softens: koltuğa.
- How do you say “delay” in Turkish?
The same word the course knows as "arrears" about money; a plane or train delay is called rötar.
- How do you say “passenger” in Turkish?
From yol, "road": both a passenger and a traveler. The journey of the same root is yolculuk.
- How do you say “ticket machine” in Turkish?
An izafet: makine becomes makinesi. The machine that tops up a card is dolum makinesi.
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
Bus, metro, taxi, stop, station. These are words you need to recognize in writing — off a departure board and off a sign.
A list is read in a minute and forgotten in a day. What works: hide the translation, try to recall, get it wrong — and come back to the same words tomorrow.
- Recalling beats re-reading. Covering the translation and trying to remember it does more than reading it ten more times.checked many timesAdesope, Trevisan & Sundararajan, 2017, Review of Educational Research 87(3) · 188 experiments, 272 comparisons. g = 0.61; against plain re-reading 0.51, against passive review 0.93.
- This holds not only in experiments but in ordinary classrooms, with real students.checked many timesMawson & Kang, 2025, Behavioral Sciences 15(6):771 · 22 studies, d = 0.54 (confidence interval 0.31–0.77). The authors warn that individual studies disagree widely.
Frequently asked
How do you say “metro” in Turkish?
«metro». Foreign only in looks: it takes ordinary endings with a linking y between vowels — metroya ("to the metro"), metroyla ("by metro"). It is one of 15 words in the set “transport” — the rest are in the table above.
How many transport words do you need to start?
A dozen is enough. The set of 15 words on this page covers nearly every everyday case on the topic — but it is best taken a few at a time, not all at once.
Is there audio?
Yes, 15 words on this page can be played — click the speaker next to the word. The sound works on any phone, and nothing needs to be installed.