Language/Turkish/Vocabulary/Idiomatic-Expressions

Turkish Vocabulary – Idiomatic expressions

Hi Turkish learners! 😊
In this lesson, you will learn some fun and interesting Turkish idiomatic expressions that you can use in everyday conversations. Idioms are phrases that convey a meaning different from the literal translation of the words used in the phrase. While idioms can be difficult to master, they make language learning more enjoyable and culturally enlightening.

To navigate easily through this lesson, use the table of contents below.

Consider exploring these related pages after completing this lesson: Love & Cardinal Numbers.

Animals

Turkish people use a lot of idioms related to animals. These idioms are not only fun but also useful to express your emotions, feelings or situations.

Example

• Person 1: Adımı duymuş muydun? ("Have you heard my name?")
• Person 2: Evet, Adın horozmuş gibi dolanıyormuş etrafta. ("Yes, your name is wandering like a rooster around here" meaning you are quite well-known)

Here are some more animal idiomatic expressions in Turkish:

Turkish	Pronunciation	English
Atıştırmalık vermek	ɑ.tɯʃ.tɯɾ.mɑ.lɯk vɛɾ.mɛk	to give something as an appetizer, to go behind the flowers
Keçileri kaçırmak	ke.tʃi.le.ɾi kɑ.tʃɯɾ.mɑk	to be too shy to take action
Domuz gibi yemek yemek	do.muʒ gi.bi je.mek je.mek	to eat like a pig
Kedi gibi sessiz olmak	ke.di gi.bi sɛs.siz ol.mɑk	to be as silent as a cat, to keep quiet
Tilki gibi davranmak	til.ki gi.bi dav.ɾɑn.mɑk	to act like a fox, be sly or cunning

Body Parts

Another common theme for idiomatic expressions is body parts. Here are some examples:

Example

• Person 1: Bugün arabayı getir dinleniyorum. ("Today I will bring the car, I am taking a break.")
• Person 2: Ayaklarının üstüne mi geleceksin? ("Will you come walking on your feet?" meaning you will come by walking)

You can see the words used to create idioms are very different from their literal meaning. Here are some more examples featuring body parts in Turkish:

Turkish	Pronunciation	English
Burnu havada olmak	buɾ.nu hɑ.vɑ.dɑ o.lmɑk	to be snobbish
El yordamıyla bulmak	ɛl joɾ.dɑ.mɯ.jlɑ bul.mɑk	to find something with the help of someone or something else
Göz açıp kapayıncaya kadar	göz ɑ.tʃɯp kɑ.pɑ.jɯn.dʒɑ kɑ.dɑɾ	very quickly, in a blink of an eye
Kulakları çınlamak	ku.lɑk.lɑɾɯ tʃɯn.lɑ.mɑk	to have your ears burning, when someone is talking about you when you are not around

Food

Turkish people also love to use idioms related to food. These idioms are as delicious as the food itself. Let's see some of them:

Example

• Person 1: Sana bir sürprizim var. ("I have a surprise for you.")
• Person 2: Ama sen sürprize açık ol! ("But you must be open to surprises," meaning anticipate the unexpected)

Here are some more idiomatic expressions to make you hunger for more:

Turkish	Pronunciation	English
Yoğurdu üzüme bağlamak	jo.ɾdu.du y.zy.mɛ bɑ.ɫɑ.mɑk	to make an easy situation difficult, to overcomplicate things
Kafayı yemek	kɑ.fɑ.jɯ je.mek	to lose your mind, to go crazy
Tuzluğa dokunmak	tuz.lu.jɑ do.kun.mɑk	to touch the saltshaker, to get fired
İşin içinden sıyrılmak	i.ʃin i.t͡ʃin den sɯj.ɾɯɫ.mɑk	to find a way to get out of a difficult situation
Canı sıkılmak	d͡ʒɑ.nɯ sɯ.cɯɫ.mɑk	to get bored, to be fed up

Conclusion

That was just a little taste of Turkish idiomatic expressions. As you can see, these expressions can be fun and cultural. Now, it's time to practice so you can use these idioms in speaking and writing. Don't forget to use the hyperlinks to access more vocabulary resources and connect with Turkish speakers.

➡ If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.
➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎

Great work on completing this lesson! Take a moment to investigate these connected pages: Astronomy & Makeup.

Other Lessons

• Makeup
• HOW MANY
• Basic Turkish Phrases
• Cycling
• Beverages
• British American Vocabularies
• Animals
• Basic expression
• Synonyms
• Vehicles

Sources

• 30 Fabulous Turkish Idioms To Impress A Crowd – StoryLearning
• Langenscheidt Turkish Pocket Dictionary: Langenscheidt Staff ...
• Speak Like a Native: The Top Advanced Turkish Phrases