Meaning
Being capable of doing practical work.
Cultural Background
In rural Anatolia, being someone whose 'elinden iş gelir' is essential for social status. It means you can contribute to the village's collective needs, like harvesting or building a house. In big cities like Istanbul, this phrase is now often used for people who can navigate the 'gig economy' or handle complex urban problems without calling expensive professionals. Traditionally, 'elinden iş gelmek' was more associated with men's manual labor, while 'hamarat' was for women. Today, both are used interchangeably for any practical skill. Turkish employers value 'pratiklik' (practicality) over pure academic credentials. Saying 'elimden iş gelir' in an interview can be more powerful than showing a diploma.
Use 'Her'
Add 'her' (every) before 'iş' to say someone is a total expert at everything: 'Elinden her iş gelir.'
Possessive Suffixes
Don't forget to change 'elinden' to 'elimden' if you are talking about yourself!
Meaning
Being capable of doing practical work.
Use 'Her'
Add 'her' (every) before 'iş' to say someone is a total expert at everything: 'Elinden her iş gelir.'
Possessive Suffixes
Don't forget to change 'elinden' to 'elimden' if you are talking about yourself!
Job Interviews
If you want to sound humble but capable, say: 'Teknik konularda elimden biraz iş gelir.' (I'm somewhat handy with technical things.)
Test Yourself
Fill in the blank with the correct form of 'elinden iş gelmek'.
Benim babam çok ustadır, her türlü tamir ________.
The subject is 'babam' (my father), so we use 'elinden' (from his hand) and the positive aorist 'gelir'.
Which sentence means 'I am not handy'?
Hangisi 'I am not handy' anlamına gelir?
'Elimden' refers to 'me', and 'gelmez' is the negative form.
Match the person with the correct phrase form.
Eşleştiriniz:
These are the correct possessive matches for each pronoun.
Complete the dialogue.
A: Arabayı tamir edebilir misin? B: Tabii ki, ________.
The speaker (B) is talking about their own skill.
🎉 Score: /4
Visual Learning Aids
Practice Bank
4 exercisesBenim babam çok ustadır, her türlü tamir ________.
The subject is 'babam' (my father), so we use 'elinden' (from his hand) and the positive aorist 'gelir'.
Hangisi 'I am not handy' anlamına gelir?
'Elimden' refers to 'me', and 'gelmez' is the negative form.
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
These are the correct possessive matches for each pronoun.
A: Arabayı tamir edebilir misin? B: Tabii ki, ________.
The speaker (B) is talking about their own skill.
🎉 Score: /4
Frequently Asked Questions
10 questionsYes! If someone is a great cook, you can say 'Onun elinden her türlü yemek gelir.'
No, it's just an honest admission that you aren't very practical or good at fixing things.
'Becerikli' is a simple adjective (skillful). 'Elinden iş gelmek' is more idiomatic and emphasizes the action of doing.
Mostly, yes. It's rarely used for purely mental tasks like solving a math problem.
You use the negative form: 'Onun elinden iş gelmez.'
It is neutral. You can use it with friends, family, or in a professional setting.
Yes, use 'Ellerinden iş gelir.'
A common slang/idiomatic alternative is 'On parmağında on marifet.'
Yes, if a child is good at building Legos or drawing, you can say 'Elinden iş geliyor.'
It takes the ablative case suffix '-den' (from).
Related Phrases
eli yatkın olmak
similarto have a knack for something
on parmağında on marifet
builds onextremely multi-talented
elinden geleni yapmak
similarto do one's best
eli ağır olmak
contrastto be slow at working
