iyiyim
/ijijim/from spelling rules
The Turkish phrase for "I am well" is iyiyim.
iyiyim is the standard way to respond to the question Nasılsın? (How are you?). While it literally translates to "I am good," it is used to express that you are in good health or feeling well.
Which one should you use?
In English, saying "I am well" can sometimes sound formal, but iyiyim is the standard, neutral response used in both formal and informal settings.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ijijim/. You can approximate this using the sounds in these English words: /i/ as in cr[ee]k, /j/ as in [y]es and /m/ as in [m]uch.
Did you know?
- In Turkish culture, it is common to follow iyiyim with çok şükür or hamdolsun, which both mean 'thanks to God', regardless of the speaker's specific religious beliefs.
- If you are not feeling well, you might say şöyle böyle, which literally translates to 'thus thus' and means 'so-so'.
- Turkish is an agglutinative language, meaning the 'm' at the end of iyiyim is actually a suffix that replaces the need for a separate word for 'I'.
Examples in context
- Teşekkür ederim, iyiyim.Thank you, I am well.
- Sağ ol, iyiyim.Thanks, I am well.
- Çok iyiyim, teşekkürler.I am very well, thanks.
Example conversation
Selin and Emre meet on the street and greet each other.
- SelinSelam Emre, nasılsın?Hi Emre, how are you?
- EmreSelam Selin, iyiyim, sen nasılsın?Hi Selin, I am well, how are you?
- SelinBen de iyiyim, teşekkürler.I am well too, thanks.
- EmreSevindim, görüşürüz!I am glad, see you!
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Turkish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
