Lesson 6 -Section 1 (Nasılsın? Nerelisin?)
Simple Turkish dialogues
Emre: Merhaba!
Hello!
Hatice: Merhaba!
Hello!
Emre: Nasılsın?
How are you?
Hatice: İyiyim, teşekkürler/teşekkür ederim. Sen nasılsın?
I’m fine, thank you. How are you?
Emre: Ben de iyiyim.
I’m fine too.
Hatice: Nerelisin?
Where are you from?
Emre: Ben İstanbulluyum. Sen?
I’m from Istanbul. And you?
Hatice: Ben de Ankaralıyım.
I’m from Ankara.
Emre: Tanıştığımıza memnun oldum.
Nice to meet you.
Hatice: Ben de memnun oldum.
Nice to meet you too.
Emre: Görüşürüz!
See you!
Hatice: Görüşürüz!
See you!
Some remarks about the dialogue
In Turkish, the suffix “-lıyım” is used to indicate where someone is from or connected to. It roughly translates to “I am from” in English.
Here’s a breakdown of the meaning:
– “-lıyım”: This suffix shows that a person is from or associated with a specific place.
– Suffix structure: “-lı” (indicating connection to a place) + “y” (a linking letter) + “ım” (personal suffix for “I am”).
Examples:
– “İstanbulluyum” = “I am from Istanbul.”
– “Ankaralıyım” = “I am from Ankara.”
– “Almanyalıyım” = “I am from Germany.”
So, whenever you see “-lıyım” attached to a place name, it expresses the idea of “I am from [that place].”
Note from Teacher: In Turkish, suffixes change form based on the last vowel of the word they attach to. This follows a system called vowel harmony. Turkish has eight vowels: a, e, ı, i, o, ö, u, ü. To use suffixes correctly, you need to understand these vowels well.
For instance, the suffix “-lıyım” (meaning “I am from”) has four different forms: -lıyım, -liyim, -luyum, -lüyüm.
How do you decide which form to use?
1. Look at the last vowel of the word to which you’ll add the suffix.
– If the last vowel is “a” or “ı,” use -lıyım (e.g., “Ankaralıyım” – I am from Ankara).
– If the last vowel is “e” or “i,” use -liyim (e.g., “İzmirliyim” – I am from Izmir).
– If the last vowel is “o” or “u,” use -luyum (e.g., “İstanbulluyum” – I am from Istanbul).
– If the last vowel is “ö” or “ü,” use -lüyüm (e.g., “Ürdünlüyüm” – I am from Jordan).
Examples:
– Istanbul – last vowel “u” → İstanbulluyum (I am from Istanbul).
– Ankara – last vowel “a” → Ankaralıyım (I am from Ankara).
– Peru – last vowel “u” → Peruluyum (I am from Peru).
– İzmir – last vowel “i” → İzmirliyim (I am from Izmir).
– Ürdün – last vowel “ü” → Ürdünlüyüm (I am from Jordan).
If you forget, just say the first version that comes to mind. Don’t worry; people will understand you!