LESSON NOTES

Survival Phrases S1 #10

Apologies in Turkish

CONTENTS
2 Turkish
2 English
2 Vocabulary
2 Sample Sentences
3 Grammar
4 Cultural Insight

# 10
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 TURKISH

1. Pard on.

2. Özür d ilerim.

3. Kusura bakmayın.

4. Sorun d eğil.

ENGLISH

1. Pardon me. or Excuse me.

2. I'm sorry.

3. Pardon me.

4. No problem.

VOCABULARY

Tur kish English C lass

pardon pardon me, excuse me expression

Özür dilerim. I'm sorry. expression

kusura bakmayın sorry, pardon me expression

Sorun değil. No problem. expression

sorun problem noun

SAMPLE SENTENCES

T URKI S HCLAS S 101.COM S URVI VAL PHRAS ES S 1 #10 - APOLOGI ES I N T URKI S H 2

Pardon, geçebilir miyim? Geç kaldığım için pardon.

"Excuse me, may I pass?" "Excuse me for being late."

Özür dilerim, bilmiyordum. Kusura bakmayın, unuttum.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know that." "Sorry, I forgot it."

Hediye için teşekkürler. Bana sorunu anlat.

Rica ederim, sorun değil.
"Tell me the problem."
"Thanks for the present."
"Here you go, no problem."

GRAMMAR

In this lesson, we'll cover phrases used for apologizing. Since you haven't quite mastered
Turkish, it's probably a good idea to go over the phrases for apologizing, as they'll likely come
in handy.

We'll start with "Excuse me" or "Pardon me," which in Turkish is Pardon.

This expression can be used to apologize for accidentally pushing someone on the tram, but
it can also precede a question you ask a stranger, much like "Excuse me." Use this when you
are trying to work your way through a crowd (at the subway station, for instance), when you
are trying to get someone's attention in a store, or when asking for directions.

If you want to be even more apologetic, or if you've done something worse than just bumping
into someone, you can say "I am sorry": Özür dilerim.

The first word, özür, means "apology." The second word, dilerim, means "I wish."

All together, we have Özür dilerim.

To sum this section up:

Use Pardon when you've done minor damage to someone or want to get someone's
attention. Use Özür dilerim when the damage is more significant.

Kusura bakmayın is another phrase that can be used for apologizing. But It is used only for
minor apologies.

The first word, kusura, means something like "fault." The next word, bakmayın, means "do not

T URKI S HCLAS S 101.COM S URVI VAL PHRAS ES S 1 #10 - APOLOGI ES I N T URKI S H 3

look" or "do not see."

All together: Kusura bakmayın.

If someone says one of these to you, you'll want to respond with "No problem" or "It doesn't
matter." The proper response is Sorun değil.

Sorun means "problem." Değil means "no" or "not."

All together, that's Sorun değil.

CULTURAL INSIGHT

Quick Tip 1

If you want to be very polite, you might want to learn the word Çok. It means "very" or "a lot."
Put this word before pardon or özür dilerim to sound even more sophisticated: Çok özür
dilerim or Çok pardon. You can use these when you really feel you've done something wrong.

Quick Tip 2

At the begining of the 20th century, Turkey was in strong cultural interaction with France. To
speak French fluently was fashionable, and essential if you came from a wealthy family and
took pride in your education. That is why you may see many French words in Turkish. Pardon
is just one of them. Another very common Turkish-French word is Alo. Turkish people answer
their phone with Alo, just as the French do.

T URKI S HCLAS S 101.COM S URVI VAL PHRAS ES S 1 #10 - APOLOGI ES I N T URKI S H 4