lütfen ve teşekkürler
/lytfen ve teʃeccyɾleɾ/from spelling rules
The English phrase "please and thank you" can be translated into Turkish as lütfen ve teşekkürler.
While this serves as a translation for the English concept, be aware that in Turkish, these are almost always used as two distinct, separate utterances rather than a single combined phrase.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The form lütfen ve teşekkürler is considered informal because teşekkürler is slightly more casual than the formal teşekkür ederim (I offer my thanks).
How do you pronounce it?
For English speakers, the sounds can be compared as follows: /f/ is like the [f] in food, /n/ is like the [n] in not, /v/ is like the [v] in vase, /ʃ/ is like the [sh] in shoe, /c/ is like the [k] in skew and /ɾ/ is like the [t] in the American English word atom.
Did you know?
- In many Turkish social settings, instead of saying 'thank you', people often use a gesture of placing a hand over their heart to show sincerity.
- The word ve is a direct linguistic import from Arabic, showing how centuries of Ottoman history shaped modern Turkish politeness.
- Turkish uses a different word for 'please' when asking for something to be passed to you, often employing rica etsem which implies 'if I were to request'.
Examples in context
- Lütfen yavaş konuşur musunuz?Could you please speak slowly?
- Lütfen ve teşekkürler derken nazik olmalısın.You should be polite when saying please and thank you.
- Çocuklara lütfen ve teşekkürler demeyi öğretmeliyiz.We should teach children to say please and thank you.
- Lütfen ve teşekkürler hayatın en önemli kelimeleridir.Please and thank you are the most important words in life.
Example conversation
Elif is reminding Burak about basic manners.
- ElifBurak, neden nazik davranmıyorsun?Burak, why aren't you being polite?
- BurakSadece acelem vardı, Elif.I was just in a hurry, Elif.
- ElifYine de lütfen ve teşekkürler demelisin.You should still say please and thank you.
- BurakHaklısın, bundan sonra dikkat edeceğim.You are right, I will be careful from now on.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Turkish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries lütfen, teşekkürler, ve, CC BY-SA 4.0.
