Buyurun
/bujuɾun/from spelling rules
To say come in in Turkish, say Buyurun. It is the polite word you use to invite someone at the door to enter.
Buyurun is a very flexible polite word. Besides come in, it can mean here you are when handing something over, go ahead or please help yourself and a shop assistant can use it to ask how they can help you.
What does it mean word for word?
Buyurun is the polite plural command form of an old verb meaning to command or to deign, so it literally asks the other person to be so kind as to come.
How does it change in a sentence?
To make clear that you mean come inside, put İçeri before it, as in İçeri buyurun. The word itself does not change for one person or several.
How do you pronounce it?
Buyurun is said /bujuɾun/. The b is like the b in about, each u is like the oo in cool, the y is like the y in yes and the r is a quick tap like the t in American English atom.
When do people say it?
Hospitality matters a lot in Turkey, and hosts say Buyurun warmly when guests arrive. It is common to take your shoes off at the door when you enter a home.
Did you know?
- While Buyurun is used for 'come in', a Turkish host might use a different word entirely, Hoş geldiniz, to welcome you, which literally means 'you have come pleasingly'.
- The word Buyurun can be used as a polite way to interrupt someone or to ask 'yes, what is it?' if someone calls your name, moving far beyond the idea of physical entry.
- In a crowded doorway, two polite people may enter a loop of saying Buyurun to each other multiple times as they repeatedly gesture for the other to go first.
Examples in context
- İçeri buyurun. Israr ediyorum.Come in. I insist.İçeri buyurun means come inside, and the host adds that they insist.Tatoeba #1480150 by duran, translation #706861 by papabear
- Lütfen buyurun ve kendi evinizde gibi davranın.Please come in and make yourself at home.Lütfen adds please before the invitation to come in and feel at home.Tatoeba #1780386 by duran, translation #38467 by CK
- Buyurun!Come in!Buyurun! on its own is the short, everyday way to say come in.Tatoeba #1159522 by duran, translation #1037169 by GPHemsley
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Selin is welcoming Can to her apartment.
- SelinMerhaba Can, buyurun içeri!Hello Can, please come in!
- CanMerhaba Selin, teşekkür ederim.Hello Selin, thank you.
- SelinMontunuzu şuraya asabilirsiniz.You can hang your coat over here.
- CanÇok teşekkürler, çok naziksin.Thanks a lot, you are very kind.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Turkish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
