aptal
/apˈtaɫ/
The English word "dumb" is translated into Turkish as aptal.
aptal is an adjective used to describe someone or something as stupid. You can use it to describe people directly or to describe actions when paired with the adverbial form aptalca, which means "dumb" or "stupidly". In informal speech, if you want to say someone is acting like a dumb person, you can use the phrase aptal gibi. Other informal ways to express similar sentiments include beyinsiz gibi, meaning "like a brainless person" or saçma, which translates to "nonsense" or "absurd" and can be used to call something dumb.
Meaning: stupid (adj)
Which one should you use?
While aptal is a direct adjective used to describe a person or thing, the related form aptalca functions as an adverb to describe how an action is performed, meaning "in a dumb way".
How does it change in a sentence?
To refer to "dumb people" or "the dumb" in general, you use the plural form aptallar.
How do you pronounce it?
/apˈtaɫ/. The [p] sound is like the [p] in the English word "pan".
Did you know?
- The word aptal actually has spiritual roots, originating from the Arabic word abdal, which historically referred to a specific group of wandering Sufi saints.
- In much of the Turkish-speaking world, calling someone aptal to their face is a significant social transgression that can escalate an argument much faster than a milder synonym.
- In some contexts, calling someone aptal can be perceived as less aggressive than in English, sometimes functioning as a mild or even affectionate tease among very close friends.
Examples in context
- O kız aptal değil.That girl isn't dumb.This sentence shows how to negate the adjective aptal.Tatoeba #5118267 by duran, translation #5116584 by Airvian
- O aptalca bir soru.That's a dumb question.This sentence uses aptal to describe a question.Tatoeba #3289302 by duran, translation #3142734 by CK
- Tom aptal, değil mi?Tom is dumb, isn't he?Tatoeba #4145858 by duran, translation #6898445 by CK
- Neden aptal gibi davranıyorsun?Why are you acting dumb?
- Aptal olmaDon't be dumb
- 73 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Zeynep and Emre are discussing a bad decision made by a friend.
- ZeynepBu gerçekten aptal bir fikir.This is really a dumb idea.
- EmreBence haklısın, hiç mantıklı değil.I think you are right, it is not logical at all.
- ZeynepNeden bu kadar aptalca davrandı?Why did he act so dumbly?
- EmreBilmiyorum, bazen çok saçma şeyler yapar.I don't know, sometimes he does very ridiculous things.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “dumb” translations and entries aptal, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries aptal, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
