LingoflyTransport in Turkish
15 words in Turkish on the topic “transport”: metro — metro, otobüs — bus, taksi — taxi, istasyon — station. 15 words can be played from recordings.
15 words on the topic
- otobüsbusFrench autobus: the ü is the French u. The endings are ordinary: otobüse ("onto the bus"), otobüsle ("by bus"). 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 tail 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". In the link otobüs durağı 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 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 ücretifareA link: ücret becomes ücreti. ücret is payment in general; it also names the salary.
- kalabalıkovercrowdedThe word works as a noun too — "a crowd". 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 machineA link: makine becomes makinesi. The machine that tops up a card is dolum makinesi.
- gecikmedelayThe same word means "arrears" about money; a plane or train delay is called rötar.
Download the word set (CSV) · Open the printable sheet
The CSV contains spelling, reading guides, translations and links to word pages. Use the browser menu to save the printable sheet as a PDF.
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
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. French autobus: the ü is the French u. The endings are ordinary: otobüse ("onto the bus"), otobüsle ("by bus"). 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 tail 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 and the seat on the bus. In case forms the k softens: koltuğa.
- How do you say “delay” in Turkish?
The same word means "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?
A link: 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.
- 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 “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?
The whole set on this page is 15 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, 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.