Merhaba ve teşekkürler
/meɾhaba ve teʃeccyɾleɾ/from spelling rules
The English phrase "hello and thank you" is translated into Turkish as Merhaba ve teşekkürler.
This phrase is a polite way to combine a greeting with an expression of gratitude. The greeting portion, Merhaba, is very versatile. It can be used at any time of the day and is suitable for both formal and informal situations. While Merhaba works anytime, if you are greeting someone specifically during the evening or nighttime, you might instead use İyi akşamlar (good evening).
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /meɾhaba ve teʃeccyɾleɾ/. For English speakers, the sounds are as follows: [m] as in [m]uch, [ɾ] as in AmE a[t]om, [h] as in [h]ome, [b] as in a[b]out, [v] as in [v]ase, [ʃ] as in [sh]oe and [c] as in s[k]ew.
Did you know?
- The word merhaba is actually a wish for the listener to find themselves in a spacious and comfortable place, coming from the Arabic roots for 'welcome' and 'roomy'.
- In many Turkish social settings, saying merhaba might be accompanied by a hand placed over the heart to show sincerity.
- While merhaba is standard, you may see the phrase merhabalaşmak in Turkish, which describes the specific social act of two people exchanging greetings with one another.
Example conversation
Emre is sending a quick email to Elif regarding a document.
- EmreMerhaba ve teşekkürler, dosyayı aldım.Hello and thank you, I received the file.
- ElifRica ederim Emre, güle güle kullan.You are welcome Emre, use it well.
- EmreÇok naziksin Elif, iyi çalışmalar.You are very kind Elif, have a good workday.
- ElifSana da iyi çalışmalar.Good workday to you too.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Turkish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries merhaba, teşekkürler, ve, CC BY-SA 4.0.
