Signification
Almost remembering a word or fact
Contexte culturel
Turkish people often snap their fingers (parmak şıklatmak) while saying this idiom to help 'summon' the word. In many Mediterranean cultures, including Turkey, memory lapses are treated with patience and often lead to a collaborative guessing game. Students use this to avoid looking like they didn't study. It signals 'I have the knowledge, just not the access right now.' On Turkish Twitter/X, people use 'Dilimin ucunda' to describe a feeling or a trend they can't quite name yet.
Use it to buy time
If you forget a word during a Turkish speaking exam, say 'Dilimin ucuna geldi...' It sounds much more natural than 'I forgot' and shows you know advanced idioms.
Watch the possessives
Don't say 'Dilin ucuna geldi' if you mean yourself. That would mean the word is on *my* tongue, which makes no sense!
Signification
Almost remembering a word or fact
Use it to buy time
If you forget a word during a Turkish speaking exam, say 'Dilimin ucuna geldi...' It sounds much more natural than 'I forgot' and shows you know advanced idioms.
Watch the possessives
Don't say 'Dilin ucuna geldi' if you mean yourself. That would mean the word is on *my* tongue, which makes no sense!
The 'Olmak' variant
Use 'Dilimin ucunda' (It is on the tip of my tongue) for a static feeling, and 'Dilimin ucuna geldi' (It came to the tip of my tongue) for the moment of almost remembering.
Teste-toi
Fill in the blank with the correct form of 'dilinin ucuna gelmek'.
O şarkıcının adı bir türlü aklıma gelmiyor ama ________ geldi.
Since the subject is 'I' (implied by 'aklıma'), you must use 'dilimin'.
Which sentence is the most natural use of the idiom?
Arkadaşınız bir kelimeyi hatırlamaya çalışıyor. Ne dersiniz?
'Dilini mi yuttun' means 'Why are you silent?', while 'Dilinin ucuna mı geldi' asks if they are almost remembering.
Match the Turkish phrase with its English equivalent.
Match the following:
These are three different tongue-related idioms in Turkish.
Complete the dialogue.
A: Filmin başrol oyuncusu kimdi? B: Ay, ________ ama bir türlü çıkaramıyorum!
The context of forgetting a name requires 'dilimin ucuna geldi'.
🎉 Score : /4
Aides visuelles
Banque d exercices
4 exercicesO şarkıcının adı bir türlü aklıma gelmiyor ama ________ geldi.
Since the subject is 'I' (implied by 'aklıma'), you must use 'dilimin'.
Arkadaşınız bir kelimeyi hatırlamaya çalışıyor. Ne dersiniz?
'Dilini mi yuttun' means 'Why are you silent?', while 'Dilinin ucuna mı geldi' asks if they are almost remembering.
Associez chaque element a gauche avec son pair a droite :
These are three different tongue-related idioms in Turkish.
A: Filmin başrol oyuncusu kimdi? B: Ay, ________ ama bir türlü çıkaramıyorum!
The context of forgetting a name requires 'dilimin ucuna geldi'.
🎉 Score : /4
Questions fréquentes
10 questionsIt is neutral. You can use it in almost any context, from family dinners to business meetings.
Usually, it's used for single words, names, or short phrases, not entire stories.
'Gelmek' implies the word just arrived at the tip. 'Olmak' implies it's been sitting there for a while.
No, the '-im' in 'dilimin' already tells us it's yours. Adding 'benim' is optional for emphasis.
Not exactly, but saying it with 'Lan' or 'Valla' makes it very informal.
Yes! 'Sırrı söylemek dilimin ucuna geldi' is a very common way to say you almost blurted it out.
'Ucunda' means 'on the tip' (location). 'Ucuna' means 'to the tip' (direction). Use 'geldi' with 'ucuna'.
No, it's quite polite as it shows you are trying to remember.
Dilimin ucunda.
Just point to your tongue and say 'Burada!' (Here!). People will understand.
Expressions liées
aklına gelmek
similarTo remember suddenly
dilinin ucunda olmak
synonymTo be on the tip of one's tongue
dilini yutmak
contrastTo be speechless
hatırlatmak
builds onTo remind
