A0 Expressions & Patterns 1 min read سهل

Greetings and Farewells (Greetings)

وضع علامة كمكتسب
تدرّب عليها

Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

Mastering Turkish greetings is the first step to connecting with locals; remember that 'Merhaba' is your universal key to starting any conversation.

  • Use 'Merhaba' for a standard, neutral 'Hello' in almost any situation.
  • Use 'Görüşürüz' for a casual 'See you' when leaving friends.
  • Use 'Hoşça kal' for a formal or standard 'Goodbye' when departing.
Greeting (Merhaba) + Name/Title + Farewell (Görüşürüz)

Common Greeting Phrases

Phrase Meaning Register Usage
Merhaba
Hello
Neutral
Anytime
Selam
Hi
Informal
Friends
Günaydın
Good morning
Neutral
Morning
İyi günler
Good day
Formal
Daytime
İyi akşamlar
Good evening
Formal
Evening
Görüşürüz
See you
Informal
Friends
Hoşça kal
Goodbye
Neutral
Leaving
Güle güle
Goodbye
Neutral
Staying

Meanings

These expressions serve as the foundational social glue for initiating and concluding interactions in Turkish culture.

1

Universal Hello

Standard greeting for any time of day.

“Merhaba!”

“Merhaba, nasılsınız?”

2

Casual Departure

Used when you expect to see the person again.

“Görüşürüz!”

“Sonra görüşürüz.”

3

Formal Departure

Standard way to say goodbye.

“Hoşça kal.”

“Hoşça kalın.”

Reference Table

Reference table for Greetings and Farewells (Greetings)
Form Structure Example
Standard
Greeting
Merhaba
Time-based
Time + Greeting
Günaydın
Formal
Greeting + Title
Merhaba efendim
Casual
Greeting + Name
Selam Ahmet
Departure
Farewell
Görüşürüz
Polite
Farewell + Well-wish
Hoşça kal, iyi günler

طيف الرسمية

رسمي
Merhaba efendim

Merhaba efendim (Greeting)

محايد
Merhaba

Merhaba (Greeting)

غير رسمي
Selam

Selam (Greeting)

عامية
Selamlar

Selamlar (Greeting)

Greeting Flow

Social Interaction

Arrival

  • Merhaba Hello
  • Günaydın Good morning

Departure

  • Görüşürüz See you
  • Hoşça kal Goodbye
سجّل مجاناً لقراءة الشرح الكامل

أمثلة حسب المستوى

1

Merhaba!

Hello!

2

Görüşürüz!

See you!

3

Selam!

Hi!

4

Hoşça kal.

Goodbye.

1

Günaydın, nasılsın?

Good morning, how are you?

2

İyi akşamlar, görüşürüz.

Good evening, see you.

3

Nasılsınız?

How are you? (formal)

4

İyiyim, teşekkürler.

I am fine, thanks.

1

Güle güle, yarın görüşürüz.

Goodbye, see you tomorrow.

2

Hoş geldiniz, buyurun.

Welcome, please come in.

3

Tanıştığımıza memnun oldum.

Nice to meet you.

4

Size de iyi günler.

Have a good day to you too.

1

Görüşmek üzere, kendinize iyi bakın.

Until we meet again, take care of yourself.

2

Sizi tekrar görmek ne güzel.

It is lovely to see you again.

3

Her şey yolunda mı?

Is everything going well?

4

Saygılarımla, iyi günler.

Best regards, have a good day.

1

Esenlikler dilerim, efendim.

I wish you well, sir/madam.

2

Zat-ı aliniz nasıllar?

How are you? (very formal/archaic)

3

Sizi buralarda görmek bir sürpriz.

It is a surprise to see you here.

4

Vaktinizi ayırdığınız için teşekkürler.

Thanks for your time.

1

Muhabbetiniz daim olsun.

May your conversation be eternal.

2

Hürmetlerimi sunarım.

I present my respects.

3

Gönül isterdi ki daha çok kalasınız.

My heart wishes you could stay longer.

4

Yolunuz açık olsun.

May your path be clear (safe travels).

سهل الخلط

Greetings and Farewells (Greetings) مقابل Hoşça kal vs. Güle güle

Both mean goodbye but are used by different people.

Greetings and Farewells (Greetings) مقابل Merhaba vs. Selam

Both mean hello but have different formality levels.

Greetings and Farewells (Greetings) مقابل İyi günler vs. İyi akşamlar

Both are time-based but used at different times.

أخطاء شائعة

✗

Merhaba (to a friend)

✓

Selam (to a friend)

Merhaba is fine, but Selam is more natural for friends.
✗

Güle güle (when leaving)

✓

Hoşça kal (when leaving)

Güle güle is for the person staying.
✗

Hoşça kal (when staying)

✓

Güle güle (when staying)

Hoşça kal is for the person leaving.
✗

Günaydın (at night)

✓

İyi akşamlar (at night)

Günaydın is only for morning.
✗

Nasılsın (to a boss)

✓

Nasılsınız (to a boss)

Use the formal plural for respect.
✗

Merhaba (in an email)

✓

Sayın [Name],

Emails require formal salutations.
✗

Görüşürüz (to a stranger)

✓

İyi günler

Görüşürüz implies a future meeting.
✗

Selam (in a formal meeting)

✓

Merhaba

Selam is too informal for professional settings.
✗

Hoş geldiniz (to someone leaving)

✓

Güle güle

Hoş geldiniz is for arrivals.
✗

İyi günler (at night)

✓

İyi akşamlar

İyi günler is for daytime.
✗

Esenlikler (to a child)

✓

Merhaba

Esenlikler is too formal for children.
✗

Hürmetler (to a friend)

✓

Görüşürüz

Hürmetler is for elders/superiors.
✗

Güle güle (to a guest arriving)

✓

Hoş geldiniz

Güle güle is for departures.

أنماط الجُمل

Merhaba, ben ___.

___, nasılsınız?

___, görüşürüz.

Tanıştığımıza ___ oldum.

Real World Usage

Social Media constant

Selam arkadaşlar!

Texting constant

Görüşürüz :)

Job Interview occasional

Merhaba, nasılsınız?

Ordering Food very common

Merhaba, bir çay lütfen.

Travel common

İyi günler, teşekkürler.

Email common

Sayın Ahmet Bey, iyi günler.

سجّل مجاناً لرؤية جميع الأمثلة
💡

Smile!

Turkish people value warmth. A smile with your 'Merhaba' makes a huge difference.
⚠️

Don't mix up farewells

Remember: Hoşça kal (leaving), Güle güle (staying).
🎯

Use 'Efendim'

Adding 'efendim' (sir/madam) makes any greeting instantly polite.
💬

Handshakes

A light handshake is common when meeting for the first time.

Smart Tips

Use 'Tanıştığımıza memnun oldum' (Nice to meet you).

Merhaba. → Merhaba, tanıştığımıza memnun oldum.

Say 'İyi günler' to the shopkeeper.

Görüşürüz. → İyi günler.

Use 'Efendim' at the end of your greeting.

Merhaba. → Merhaba efendim.

Use 'Selam' instead of 'Merhaba'.

Merhaba Ahmet. → Selam Ahmet.

النطق

Görüşürüz -> Go-ru-shu-ruz

Yumuşak G (ğ)

It is silent and lengthens the vowel before it.

Rising intonation

Nasılsın? ↑

Used for questions.

احفظها

وسيلة تذكّر

Think of 'Merhaba' as 'Mer-ha-ba', like 'More-ha-ba' (more hello).

ربط بصري

Imagine a bright sun rising over a Turkish tea garden where everyone is saying 'Günaydın' to each other.

Rhyme

Merhaba is the way to start, keep it close within your heart.

Story

Ali walks into a café. He says 'Merhaba' to the waiter. He orders tea. When he leaves, he says 'Görüşürüz' to his friend.

Word Web

MerhabaSelamGünaydınGörüşürüzHoşça kalGüle güle

تحدٍّ

Say 'Merhaba' to three different people today (or imagine doing so) and 'Görüşürüz' when you leave.

ملاحظات ثقافية

Hospitality is key. Greetings often involve physical gestures like handshakes or touching the heart.

Merhaba comes from Arabic 'marhaban'.

بدايات محادثة

“

Merhaba, nasılsınız?

“

Günaydın, bugün neler yapıyorsunuz?

“

Tanıştığımıza memnun oldum.

“

Görüşmek üzere, kendinize iyi bakın.

مواضيع للكتابة اليومية

Write about your morning routine using greetings.
Describe a meeting with a new friend.
Write a formal email to a colleague.
Reflect on the importance of greetings in your culture.

أخطاء شائعة

Incorrect

صحيح

Incorrect

صحيح

Incorrect

صحيح

Incorrect

صحيح

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Test Yourself

Which is the correct greeting for a friend? اختيار متعدد

What do you say to a friend?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Selam
Selam is the most common informal greeting.
Fill in the blank.

___, nasılsınız?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Merhaba
Merhaba is used to start a conversation.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Güle güle (when leaving).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Hoşça kal
Hoşça kal is for the person leaving.
Match the greeting to the time. Match Pairs

Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Günaydın
Günaydın is for the morning.
Order the words. Sentence Building

nasılsınız / Merhaba / ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Merhaba, nasılsınız?
Standard greeting order.
Which is formal? اختيار متعدد

Which is the most formal?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Hürmetler
Hürmetler is very formal.
Fill in the blank.

Tanıştığımıza ___ oldum.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: memnun
Standard phrase.
Which is for the person staying? اختيار متعدد

What do you say to someone staying?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Güle güle
Güle güle is for the person staying.

Score: /8

تمارين تطبيقية

8 exercises
Which is the correct greeting for a friend? اختيار متعدد

What do you say to a friend?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Selam
Selam is the most common informal greeting.
Fill in the blank.

___, nasılsınız?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Merhaba
Merhaba is used to start a conversation.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Güle güle (when leaving).

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Hoşça kal
Hoşça kal is for the person leaving.
Match the greeting to the time. Match Pairs

Match: Morning -> ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Günaydın
Günaydın is for the morning.
Order the words. Sentence Building

nasılsınız / Merhaba / ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Merhaba, nasılsınız?
Standard greeting order.
Which is formal? اختيار متعدد

Which is the most formal?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Hürmetler
Hürmetler is very formal.
Fill in the blank.

Tanıştığımıza ___ oldum.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: memnun
Standard phrase.
Which is for the person staying? اختيار متعدد

What do you say to someone staying?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Güle güle
Güle güle is for the person staying.

Score: /8

الأسئلة الشائعة (8)

Yes, it is universal.

It comes from 'Salam' (peace), but is used by everyone.

Just use 'Merhaba'. It is always polite.

It means 'Have a good day'.

Use the same greetings; they are plural-friendly.

Yes, among young people.

The latter is more formal.

Yes, it is common in professional settings.

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

سجّل مجاناً للتدريب

In Other Languages

Spanish moderate

Hola / Adiós

Turkish 'Merhaba' is more universal than 'Hola'.

French moderate

Bonjour / Au revoir

Turkish greetings are less dependent on time of day.

German moderate

Hallo / Auf Wiedersehen

Turkish is more phonetic and less complex.

Japanese low

Konnichiwa / Sayonara

Turkish lacks the complex hierarchy of Japanese.

Arabic high

Marhaban / Ma'a as-salama

Turkish has adapted these words to its own phonetic system.

Chinese low

Ni hao / Zai jian

Turkish greetings are not affected by tones.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Next
Polite Forms of Address (Honorifics)

Related Grammar Rules

A0

Introducing Yourself (Self-Introduction)
B2

Expressing Wishes (Keşke)
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