Phrases that save you in Turkish
20 words Turkish words on the topic “phrases that save you”: anlamıyorum — I do not understand, yavaş — slowly, tekrar, lütfen — again, please, İngilizce biliyor musunuz? — do you speak English? 20 words can be played from recordings.
20 words on the topic
- anlamıyorumI do not understandNegation is the syllable -ma-/-mı- slipped inside the word: anlıyorum ("I understand") becomes anlamıyorum. The negative hides in the middle, not in front.
- yavaşslowlySaying it twice, yavaş yavaş, means "take it easy, little by little" — a very Turkish trick of doubling words.
- tekrar, lütfenagain, please"tekrar" means "again, a repeat"; add lütfen and you have a polite request. The full version, "could you repeat", is tekrar eder misiniz.
- İngilizce biliyor musunuz?do you speak English?Literally "do you know English?". The little particle "mu" is the question mark made audible.
- yardım!help!The noun "help", used as the cry itself. To ask for help in full: yardım eder misiniz. From it, yardımcı — "helper".
- kayboldumI am lostkaybolmak is "to vanish, to get lost"; -dum is "I" in the past. The same verb speaks of things: çantam kayboldu, "my bag has gone missing".
- çalışmıyorit does not workThe familiar çalışmak serves people and machines alike. Negation is an -mı- slipped into the middle: çalışıyor becomes çalışmıyor.
- Tamirci çağırıncall a repairmanğ is silent, it stretches the vowel: cha-uh-RUHN
- Bir dakika bekleyinwait a momentIn speech it is usually cut down to bir dakika, "one sec". Even shorter, very Istanbul: bi dakka.
- AçamıyorumI cannot open itaçmak is "to open", the insert -ama- is "cannot": açıyorum ("I open") becomes açamıyorum ("I cannot open").
- ambulansambulanceCalled at 112 — one number for every service. The emergency room is acil, "the urgent".
- Bana doktor lazımI need a doctorlazım is "needed", and it demands bana — "to me". An Arabic word, and few everyday words get more use.
- Dikkat!cautionThe word on every warning sign. dikkat etmek is "to pay attention".
- tehlikelidangeroustehlike is "danger", -li is "with". The same suffix as in lezzetli and pahalı.
- Polis çağırıncall the policeThe same verb as with the repairman: çağırın. The police are 155, but 112 works for everything at once.
- Pasaportumu kaybettimI lost my passportpasaport + -um ("my") + -u (accusative): three pieces in one word. Beside it stands the familiar kayboldum, "I got lost".
- Kendimi kötü hissediyorumI feel unwellLiterally "I feel myself bad": kendim is "I myself". Shorter and sharper is fenalaştım.
- Dokunmayındo not touchdokunmak "to touch", -ma- negation, -yın the polite command: "do not touch".
- Bir daha açıklar mısınız?could you explain again?bir daha is "once more"; açıklamak is "to explain", from the familiar açık: "to make clear".
- Tekrar eder misiniz, lütfen?could you repeat that?The question with -er misiniz IS the polite request; lütfen only softens it. The bare tekrar, lütfen is shorter and blunter. Bir daha söyler misiniz says the same in other words.
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.
- Pardon, anlamıyorumExcuse me, I do not understand
- Biraz yavaş konuşur musunuz?Could you speak more slowly?
- Anlamadım, tekrar, lütfenI did not understand, again please
- Affedersiniz, İngilizce biliyor musunuz?Excuse me, do you speak English?
- Yardım! Çantamı çaldılarHelp! My bag has been stolen
- Galiba kayboldum, yardım eder misiniz?I think I am lost, can you help?
What is worth knowing about these words
anlamıyorum — I do not understand. Negation is the syllable -ma-/-mı- slipped inside the word: anlıyorum ("I understand") becomes anlamıyorum. The negative hides in the middle, not in front.
yavaş — slowly. Saying it twice, yavaş yavaş, means "take it easy, little by little" — a very Turkish trick of doubling words.
tekrar, lütfen — again, please. "tekrar" means "again, a repeat"; add lütfen and you have a polite request. The full version, "could you repeat", is tekrar eder misiniz.
İngilizce biliyor musunuz? — do you speak English?. Literally "do you know English?". The little particle "mu" is the question mark made audible.
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 anlamıyorum — I do not understand.
- What is this word?
It is Tamirci çağırın — call a repairman.
- What is this word?
It is Polis çağırın — call the police.
- What is this word?
It is yavaş — slowly.
- What is this word?
It is Bir dakika bekleyin — wait a moment.
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “I do not understand” in Turkish?
Negation is the syllable -ma-/-mı- slipped inside the word: anlıyorum ("I understand") becomes anlamıyorum. The negative hides in the middle, not in front.
- How do you say “call a repairman” in Turkish?
çağırmak is "to call". The tail -ın is a polite command to "you", as in the familiar gidin.
- How do you say “call the police” in Turkish?
The same verb as with the repairman: çağırın. The police are 155, but 112 works for everything at once.
- How do you say “slowly” in Turkish?
Saying it twice, yavaş yavaş, means "take it easy, little by little" — a very Turkish trick of doubling words.
- How do you say “wait a moment” in Turkish?
In speech it is usually cut down to bir dakika, "one sec". Even shorter, very Istanbul: bi dakka.
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
“I don't understand”, “say that again”, “slower, please”, “help”. They are learned first for a reason: they bring back a conversation that has already gone wrong.
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 “I do not understand” in Turkish?
«anlamıyorum». Negation is the syllable -ma-/-mı- slipped inside the word: anlıyorum ("I understand") becomes anlamıyorum. The negative hides in the middle, not in front. It is one of 20 words in the set “phrases that save you” — the rest are in the table above.
How many emergency phrases do you need to start?
A dozen is enough. The set of 20 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, 20 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.