Which one should you use?
The phrase hoşça kal is specifically used by the person who is departing. In contrast, if you are the person staying behind, you should use Güle güle instead.
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the goodbye portion of this phrase polite or plural, you change hoşça kal to hoşça kalın, resulting in merhaba ve hoşça kalın.
How do you pronounce it?
/meɾhaba ve hoʃtʃa kal/. The [m] sound is like [m]uch, the [ɾ] sound is like the American English [t] in a[t]om and the [h] sound is like [h]ome. The [b] sound is like a[b]out, the [v] sound is like [v]ase, the [ʃ] sound is like [sh]oe, the [tʃ] sound is like [ch]ange and the [k] sound is like [c]ore.
When do people say it?
When responding to the greeting "Selamün Aleyküm", the standard response is Aleyküm Selam, which means "And peace be upon you".
Did you know?
- The greeting merhaba is an Arabic loanword, meaning 'you are in a spacious place' or 'you are welcome'.
- The goodbye Güle güle literally translates to 'go smilingly', reflecting a cultural wish for the traveler to leave and return in happiness.
- In traditional Turkish culture, saying hoşça kal might be paired with a 'hand-kissing' gesture to elders as a sign of deep respect before departing.
Examples in context
- Merhaba ve hoşça kal demek çok kolay.Saying hello and goodbye is very easy.
- Onlara sadece merhaba ve hoşça kal dedim.I only said hello and goodbye to them.
Example conversation
Can and Merve are practicing basic Turkish phrases together.
- CanHangi kelimeleri öğrenmeliyim?Which words should I learn?
- MerveÖnce merhaba ve hoşça kal kelimelerini öğren.First, learn the words hello and goodbye.
- CanBu kelimeler çok kolaymış.These words are very easy.
- MerveEvet, başlangıç için yeterli.Yes, they are enough for a start.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Turkish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries merhaba, ve, CC BY-SA 4.0.
