tabii ki
/tabii ci/from spelling rules
In Turkish, tabii ki is the way to say "of course".
tabii ki is used to indicate enthusiastic agreement.
Meaning: indicates enthusiastic agreement (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the adjective tabii, meaning natural or obvious and the particle ki, which acts as an intensifier or conjunction.
Which one should you use?
While tabii ki is a complete emphatic phrase, using just tabii is more casual and can sometimes function as a simple "sure" or "naturally".
How does it change in a sentence?
Adding the particle de to the end of the phrase, as in tabii ki de, adds further emphasis to the agreement.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /tabii ci/. The /b/ sound is like the 'b' in "about", the /i/ sounds like the 'ee' in "creek" and the /c/ sounds like the 'sk' in "skew".
Did you know?
- Turkish speakers may use tabii with a specific rising intonation to express irony or skepticism, turning 'of course' into 'as if'.
- Because tabii is related to the word for 'natural', calling a person tabii in a different context can imply they are 'ordinary' or 'unexceptional'.
- The particle ki in this phrase is a linguistic traveler that arrived in Turkish from Classical Persian.
Examples in context
- Tabii ki bu o.Of course it's her.This sentence uses tabii ki to confirm an identity.Tatoeba #4537024 by maydoo, translation #1358549 by marcelostockle
- Tabii ki o haklı.Of course, he is right.This sentence uses tabii ki to agree that someone is right.Tatoeba #4018704 by deyta, translation #460368 by Eldad
- Şaka tabii ki de.It's a joke, of course.This sentence uses tabii ki de to add emphasis to a joke.Tatoeba #7918795 by soliloquist, translation #7918640 by danepo
- Müşterinin taleplerini yerine getirebilir miyiz? Elbette! Onun için elimizden gelenin en iyisini yaparız.Can we meet the customer's demands? Of course! We will do our best for that.
- Yurtdışındaki konferansa katılmak için izin alabilir miyim? Evet, elbette. Size izin vereceğiz.Can I get permission to attend the conference abroad? Yes, of course. We will grant you permission.
- Bu akşam için partiye katılacak mısın? Evet, mutlaka. Gelmeyi sabırsızlıkla bekliyorum.Will you join the party this evening? Yes, definitely. I am looking forward to coming.
- 106 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mehmet asks Zeynep if she wants to go to the cinema.
- MehmetSinemaya gitmek ister misin?Do you want to go to the cinema?
- ZeynepTabii ki, çok isterim!Of course, I would love to!
- MehmetHarika, o zaman hazırlanalım.Great, let's get ready then.
- ZeynepTamam, hemen geliyorum.Okay, I'm coming right now.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Turkish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ki, tabii, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
