Turkish Language,history and first alphabets

The official language is Turkish. English and German are widely spoken in major cities and tourist resorts, and you will find that most Turks welcome the opportunity to practise their language skills and will go out of their way to be helpful. Foreign visitors who attempt to speak even a few words of Turkish, however, will definitely be rewarded with even warmer smiles.

Some useful words and phrases:
Hello··· Merhaba (mare-hah-bah)
Good Morning··· Günaydin (goon-eye-din) (said on meeting)
Good Day··· iyi günler (ee-yee goo -n-ler) (said on meeting or parting)
Good evening··· iyi aksamlar (ee-yee ak-sham-lar) (said on meeting or parting)
Good night·· iyi geceler (ee-yee gedge -e-ler) (said on meeting or parting)
Please··· Lutfen (lute-fen)
Thanks·· Tesekkürler (tesh-e-kiir- ler)
Yes·· Evet (e-vet)
No··· Hayir (higher)
I want··· istiyorum (ist-ee-your-um)
When?··· Ne zaman? (nay za-man)
Today·· Bugün (boo-goon)
Tomorrow·· Yarin (yah-run)
Where?·· Nerede (ne’re-de)
My name is…….·· ismim……(is-mim)
Water·· su (sue)
Milk·· slit (suit)
Beer··· bira (beer-a)
Wine··· Sarap (shar-ap)
Tea·· cay (ch-eye)
Coffee·· kahve (car-vay)
Food··· yemek (ye-meck)
Be careful!·· Dikkat!
Numbers
1· birr (beer)
2· icy (icky)
3· üç (ouch)
4· dört (dirt)
5· bes(besh)
6· alti (al-ter)
7· yedi(yea-dee)
8· sekiz (seck-is)
9· dokuz (dock-uz) 10· on (on)
Days of the Week:
Monday·· Pazartesi
Tuesday··· Sali
Wednesday·· Carsamba
Thursday·· Persembe
Friday·· Cuma
Saturday·· Cumartesi
Sunday·· Pazar.

There are a number of phrase books and language guides, some with audio cassettes or CD’s, which are widely available.