Meaning
Needing silence.
Cultural Background
In Turkish 'Kıraathane' (reading houses), silence was historically expected, but modern ones are often noisy social hubs. Asking for silence there might be met with confusion! In many Mediterranean cultures, including Turkey, a 'comfortable silence' is less common than in Nordic countries. Silence often needs to be 'filled' with tea or small talk. Teachers often use a rhythmic clap or the phrase 'biraz sessizlik' followed by a finger to the lips to signal the start of a lesson. Turkish 'Art House' cinema (like Nuri Bilge Ceylan's films) uses long periods of 'sessizlik' to convey deep emotion, which is a contrast to the loud, energetic mainstream TV dramas.
The 'Lütfen' Rule
Always add 'lütfen' at the end of 'biraz sessizlik' unless you are talking to yourself or are very frustrated. It changes the tone from a demand to a polite request.
Avoid 'Sus!'
Never use 'Sus!' with elders or superiors. 'Biraz sessizlik rica ediyorum' is the much safer alternative.
Meaning
Needing silence.
The 'Lütfen' Rule
Always add 'lütfen' at the end of 'biraz sessizlik' unless you are talking to yourself or are very frustrated. It changes the tone from a demand to a polite request.
Avoid 'Sus!'
Never use 'Sus!' with elders or superiors. 'Biraz sessizlik rica ediyorum' is the much safer alternative.
Body Language
In Turkey, putting your index finger to your lips while saying this is very common and not considered rude.
Test Yourself
Fill in the blank to ask for quiet politely.
Lütfen, ______ sessizlik.
'Biraz' is the standard quantifier for this phrase.
Which sentence is the most natural way to describe a quiet room?
Odada ______ vardı.
We need the noun 'sessizlik' to follow 'biraz' in this context.
Complete the dialogue.
A: Bebek uyuyor. B: Tamam, ______.
If the baby is sleeping, the logical response is to provide or ask for silence.
Match the phrase to the situation.
You are in a library and people are talking.
This is the appropriate social request for a library.
🎉 Score: /4
Visual Learning Aids
Politeness Levels
Practice Bank
4 exercisesLütfen, ______ sessizlik.
'Biraz' is the standard quantifier for this phrase.
Odada ______ vardı.
We need the noun 'sessizlik' to follow 'biraz' in this context.
A: Bebek uyuyor. B: Tamam, ______.
If the baby is sleeping, the logical response is to provide or ask for silence.
You are in a library and people are talking.
This is the appropriate social request for a library.
🎉 Score: /4
Frequently Asked Questions
10 questionsNo, it's generally neutral. Adding 'lütfen' makes it perfectly polite.
Only if the environment is literally too noisy to hear the interviewer, but use the formal 'rica ediyorum' version.
'Sessiz' is an adjective (quiet), 'sessizlik' is a noun (silence).
You can say 'Sessizliğe ihtiyacım var.'
Yes, 'Kesin sesi' or 'Sessiz olun be!' (a bit rude).
Usually 'huzur' is better for 'peace of mind', but 'biraz sessizlik' can imply it.
Yes, in this context it quantifies the amount of silence requested.
It is a voiced alveolar sibilant, like the 'z' in 'zebra'.
Because of Turkish vowel harmony. 'i' is a front vowel, so the suffix must be '-lik'.
Yes, it's a polite way to imply 'stop talking'.
Related Phrases
sessiz ol
similarbe quiet
huzur
similarpeace/tranquility
gürültü yapma
contrastdon't make noise
sakinlik
similarcalmness
susmak
builds onto be silent / to stop talking
