What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of iyi (good), geceler (nights) and aşkım (my love).
Which one should you use?
While aşkım specifically means "my love", you may use the alternative canım to say "my dear" or "my life". This is a very common and slightly less intense way to express affection in similar romantic contexts.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Istanbul, people may say İyi geceler hayatım (good night, my life) or Tatlı rüyalar güzelim (sweet dreams, my beauty).
How does it change in a sentence?
The word geceler is the plural form of gece (night), which is used in the standard greeting iyi geceler. The word aşkım is the noun aşk (love) combined with the first-person singular possessive suffix -ım (my).
How do you pronounce it?
The sounds are as follows: /i/ as in cr[ee]k, /j/ as in [y]es, /ɟ/ as in ar[g]ue, /dʒ/ as in [j]ump, /ɾ/ as in AmE a[t]om, /ʃ/ as in [sh]oe, /k/ as in [c]ore, /ɯ/ somewhat like ribb[o]n and /m/ as in [m]uch.
Did you know?
- If you want to be even more poetic, you can say Allah rahatlık versin, which translates to 'May God give you comfort'. It is a traditional way to wish someone a restful night's sleep.
- The word iyi is derived from the Proto-Turkic root for 'thing' or 'goods'. This suggests that the original concept of 'good' was linked to having useful or refined possessions.
- In Turkish culture, terms of endearment like aşkım are often used more broadly than in English. You may hear people use these romantic terms with very close friends or even children in certain contexts.
Examples in context
- İyi geceler aşkım, rüyanda beni gör.Good night my love, see me in your dreams.
- Seni çok özledim, iyi geceler aşkım.I missed you so much, good night my love.
- Tatlı rüyalar, iyi geceler aşkım.Sweet dreams, good night my love.
Example conversation
Zeynep and Burak are saying goodbye before sleeping.
- ZeynepÇok uykum geldi, gidiyorum.I am very sleepy, I'm going.
- BurakTamam canım, iyi geceler aşkım.Okay dear, good night my love.
- ZeynepSana da iyi geceler Burak.Good night to you too, Burak.
- BurakYarın görüşürüz, hoşça kal.See you tomorrow, goodbye.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Turkish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries iyi, CC BY-SA 4.0.
