When you go to Turkey for an Erasmus internship it is very helpful if you know some words in the Turkish language. Everyday situations, like going to a shop, eating at a restaurant, etc. will be much easier for you, as some people do not speak English.
In this guide you will learn useful phrases for when you are ordering food at a restaurant in Turkey.
To learn how to greet someone in Turkish language check out our guide: Turkish language’s hints: Speak like a local #1 – Greetings
Waiter! Excuse me!
In Turkish language the waiter is called garson and It is used for both genders. To get attention from the waiter use the phrase Pardon, bakar mısınız?, which means “Excuse me!”.
May I see the menu, please?
When you want to ask for the menu in Turkish you say Menüyü görebilir miyim lütfen?. This means “May I see the menu, please?”.
Sometimes menus in Turkey have English translations, especially in touristic areas. Unfortunately at many Turkish restaurants the menu is not translated and if you want to be sure what kind of food or drinks you are ordering you will need to learn some words in Turkish language.
- tea – çay
- water – su
- salad – salata
- bread – ekmek
- rice – pilav
- cheese – peynir
- pasta – makarna
- egg – yumurta
- meat – et
I don’t eat …
If you have any allergies or don’t eat a certain type of food it’s important you memorise how to say that you don’t eat something, in Turkish language.
For example, if you want to say “I don’t eat meat”, say Ben et yemem. The first word ben is translated to “I”, et means “meat” and yemem means “do not eat”.
You can use this pattern with other kinds of food, just by changing one word. If you don’t eat eggs you can say Ben yumurta yemem.
Another useful phrase in Turkish language is Ben bir vejeteryanım, which means “I am a vegetarian”.
The bill, please.
After you finish eating your food and want to ask for the bill you will first need to get the waiter’s attention. For this use the phrase which we already learned Pardon, bakar mısınız? and add Hesap, lütfen, which means Excuse me! The bill, please.
To translate any unfamiliar words you can use the dictionary website for the Turkish language.