LingoflyEveryday life and routine in Turkish
12 words in Turkish on the topic “everyday life and routine”: iş — work, çalışmak — to work, uyanmak — to wake up, kalkmak — to get up. 12 words can be played from recordings.
12 words on the topic
- işworkBoth work as occupation and business as a task: işim var is "I have things to do". The workplace is iş yeri.
- çalışmakto workAlso "to study, to prepare": sınava çalışıyorum is "I am preparing for the exam". Said of machines too — çalışmıyor, "it is not working".
- uyanmakto wake upThe partner of uyumak, 'to sleep'. To wake someone else is uyandırmak, with the tail that shifts the doing.
- kalkmakto get upAlso "to depart" about transport: tren kalkıyor is "the train is leaving".
- yüz yıkamakto wash one's faceLiterally 'to wash the face' — Turkish names what gets washed. yıkanmak with no second word means washing the whole self.
- taranmakto comb one's hairThe reflexive of taramak, "to comb". The tail -n is what turns the action back on oneself.
- tıraş olmakto shavetıraş olmak is to shave oneself, tıraş etmek is to shave someone. olmak and etmek split the roles.
- giyinmekto get dressedThe reflexive of giymek, "to put on". giymek demands a thing; giyinmek does not.
- soyunmakto undressThe partner of giyinmek, built with the same tail -n. soyunma odası is "the changing room".
- oturmakto sit downTo sit down, to sit, and to live somewhere: İstanbul'da oturuyorum is "I live in Istanbul".
- yatmakto lie downBoth "to lie down" and "to lie". yatak, "the bed", is from the same root.
- dinlenmekto restA trap: it looks like dinlemek, "to listen", but it is a different verb. The difference is one letter.
Download the word set (CSV) · Open the printable sheet
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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.
What is worth knowing about these words
iş — work. Both work as occupation and business as a task: işim var is "I have things to do". The workplace is iş yeri.
çalışmak — to work. Also "to study, to prepare": sınava çalışıyorum is "I am preparing for the exam". Said of machines too — çalışmıyor, "it is not working".
uyanmak — to wake up. The partner of uyumak, 'to sleep'. To wake someone else is uyandırmak, with the tail that shifts the doing.
kalkmak — to get up. Also "to depart" about transport: tren kalkıyor is "the train is leaving".
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 iş — work.
- What is this word?
It is giyinmek — to get dressed.
- What is this word?
It is uyanmak — to wake up.
- What is this word?
It is oturmak — to sit down.
- What is this word?
It is yüz yıkamak — to wash one's face.
Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “work” in Turkish?
Both work as occupation and business as a task: işim var is "I have things to do". The workplace is iş yeri.
- How do you say “to get dressed” in Turkish?
The reflexive of giymek, "to put on". giymek demands a thing; giyinmek does not.
- How do you say “to wake up” in Turkish?
The partner of uyumak, 'to sleep'. To wake someone else is uyandırmak, with the tail that shifts the doing.
- How do you say “to sit down” in Turkish?
To sit down, to sit, and to live somewhere: İstanbul'da oturuyorum is "I live in Istanbul".
- How do you say “to wash one's face” in Turkish?
Literally 'to wash the face' — Turkish names what gets washed. yıkanmak with no second word means washing the whole self.
How to learn the set instead of just reading it
Work, home, rest, errands. The words the answer to “how are things?” is made of.
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.
- Study spread over days wins 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 “work” in Turkish?
«iş». Both work as occupation and business as a task: işim var is "I have things to do". The workplace is iş yeri. It is one of 12 words in the set “everyday life and routine” — the rest are in the table above.
How many everyday words do you need to start?
The whole set on this page is 12 words, but there is no need to start with all of it: the words you will need in the next few days are enough. Take them a few at a time — five to seven new ones per session.
Is there audio?
Yes, 12 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.