Turkish for Working in Türkiye: Phrases for the Job

To work in Türkiye in Turkish you need four things first: a way to introduce yourself, the words for instructions and safety, the vocabulary of shifts and pay (maaş, mesai, izin, vardiya), and a few set messages for your manager. Most of this fits in A2, as long as people speak slowly and you can ask them to repeat. Interviews and phone calls about problems take you to B1, and customer-facing or written work goes higher. The levels here follow the Council of Europe's CEFR descriptors.

This is a language guide only. It isn't legal advice, and nothing here covers work permits, residence or visas. Ask your employer and the official authorities about those.

Your first day: introductions and small talk

You'll introduce yourself again and again on the first day, so learn one short version and repeat it. Use siz with your manager and with anyone older or senior; colleagues at your level usually move to sen quickly. Kolay gelsin will follow you around all day. People say it to anyone who is working, and the usual reply is Sağ ol or Teşekkürler.

On a building site or in a workshop, an experienced worker is often called usta, and people say Ustam when they speak to one. In offices people use the first name plus Bey or Hanım, as in Murat Bey and Selin Hanım. Our business Turkish guide covers that office register in detail.

Understanding instructions at work

Most instructions are short imperatives, and the verb comes at the end of the sentence. Bunu buraya koy is literally "this here put". So listen for the last word, because that's the action. Polite requests from managers often use the question form -ır mısın / -ır mısınız, so Kapıyı kapatır mısın? means "Could you close the door?"

Learn three sentences before any word list: Anlamadım (I didn't understand), Tekrar eder misiniz? (Could you repeat that?) and Bir daha gösterir misiniz? (Could you show me again?). Nobody expects a new worker to understand everything, and asking costs less than doing a task wrong.

Safety words you must recognise

Read these until you know them on sight. They appear on signs, labels and machines, and someone may shout them at you. If you learn only two words on day one, make them Dikkat! and Dur!

If something happens, say it in the simplest words you have: Yaralandım (I'm hurt), Kaza oldu (There's been an accident), Yardım edin! (Help!). In an emergency, call 112.

Shifts, hours and pay: maaş, mesai, izin, vardiya

These four words come up in nearly every job conversation. The TDK dictionary defines vardiya as each of the working periods a 24-hour working day is divided into, and one of the meanings it gives for izin is time off given by your workplace. Mesai means work, mesai saatleri are your working hours, and overtime is fazla mesai.

You'll also hear mesaiye kalmak, to stay on for overtime: Bugün mesaiye kalabilir misin? To swap shifts with a colleague, ask Vardiya değiştirebilir miyiz? Pay and hours mean numbers, dates and clock times, so it's worth practising those separately. Our guide to Turkish numbers, time and prices starts from zero.

Talking to your manager

Requests go better with a short opener and a reason. Bir dakikanız var mı? (Do you have a minute?) works with any manager. Then say what you need and give the reason, either with çünkü (because) or in a second sentence. Keep siz with your manager unless they clearly tell you to drop it.

The last line uses the -miş past, which you use for something you've just found out. Here it makes the complaint sound less like an accusation. Our article on -di vs -miş explains the difference.

Phone calls and WhatsApp messages

Much day-to-day communication at work happens in messages: the shift schedule, a change of plan, "where are you?" Start with a greeting and your name, say what's happening in one sentence, and end with thanks. A voice message is fine if writing is still slow for you, but check with your manager first.

Colleagues write tmm for tamam, slm for selam and tşk for teşekkürler. With your manager, write the full words. Messages are written the way people speak, which is a bit different from textbook Turkish. Our piece on spoken vs written Turkish shows how.

On the phone, people often answer with Efendim? or Alo? If you didn't catch something, say Pardon, sesiniz gelmiyor (Sorry, I can't hear you) or Biraz yavaş söyler misiniz? (Could you say it a bit more slowly?).

Job interview phrases

A job interview is iş görüşmesi or mülakat, and the same few questions come up in most of them. Rehearse your answers out loud, and have one honest sentence ready about your Turkish.

Prepare your own questions too: Çalışma saatleri nasıl? (What are the hours?), Maaş net mi, brüt mü? (Is the salary net or gross?), Servis ve yemek var mı? (Is there a shuttle and lunch?), Deneme süresi var mı? (Is there a probation period?). Other words to know are iş ilanı (job ad), başvuru (application) and özgeçmiş (CV).

Words for your sector

The phrases above work in any job. Each sector adds its own vocabulary on top, so pick the sector closest to yours and learn its core words in the first weeks.

Manufacturing and textile

You'll need words for the line and the machine: makine (machine), hat (line), üretim (production), parça (part), kalite kontrol (quality control), arıza (fault), kumaş (fabric), dikiş (sewing, a seam), kesim (cutting), ütü (pressing, iron). Targets are often counted: Bugün kaç parça? (How many pieces today?).

Construction

On site you'll hear iskele (scaffolding), beton (concrete), demir (rebar, iron), kalıp (formwork), vinç (crane), usta and kalfa (master and journeyman), and above all Baret tak! (Put your hard hat on!).

Tourism and hotels

Hotels use resepsiyon (reception), oda servisi (room service), kat hizmetleri (housekeeping), misafir (guest), rezervasyon, giriş / çıkış (check-in / check-out). In resort areas you may speak the guests' languages with guests, but with colleagues, in the kitchen and in the back office you'll often need Turkish.

IT and office jobs

Many international tech teams work in English. In that case Turkish matters most outside the code: toplantı (meeting), proje, teslim tarihi (deadline), izin, bordro and lunch with the team. Office register and email phrases are in our business Turkish guide.

What level of Turkish do different jobs need?

No single level applies to every job, and employers set their own requirements. What the CEFR does give you is a way to match levels to tasks. The descriptions below paraphrase scales in the Council of Europe's CEFR Companion Volume: listening to instructions, reading instructions, goal-oriented co-operation, using telecommunications, notes and messages, and interviews.

Roughly, then: a job learned mostly by watching and doing, like work on a line or a site, is manageable at A2 with patient colleagues. B1 is where you can handle problems, calls and an interview on your own. Customer-facing work in Turkish, written reports and anything with complex documents call for B2 or more. Our guide to CEFR levels explains each level, and if an employer asks for proof of your level, the article on TÖMER and TYS certificates explains the options.

How to practise the Turkish for your job

Work Turkish is repetitive, which helps: the same instructions every day, the same few messages to your manager. Role-play makes them automatic. A teacher can play your foreman, the caller on the phone or the interviewer, and change the script each time, so you practise understanding the answer as well as saying your part.

Business Turkish is one of Ceylan's specialties. She is a language teacher only, though, and doesn't help with job placement, work permits, residence or visas. For Turkish outside work, see our guide to Turkish for living in Türkiye.

Frequently asked questions

Can I work in Türkiye without speaking Turkish?

Some jobs run mostly in English or in guests' languages, especially in international companies and tourist areas. Even then, you'll want Turkish for colleagues, safety signs, pay questions and messages. Whether you're allowed to work is a legal question, and this guide doesn't cover it.

What do maaş, mesai, izin and vardiya mean?

Maaş is your salary, mesai is work or working hours (fazla mesai is overtime), izin is leave or permission, and vardiya is a shift, such as gece vardiyası, the night shift.

What level of Turkish do I need for a job interview?

The CEFR places answering simple interview questions at A2, and giving concrete information at B1, though with limited precision. Aim for B1 if the whole interview is in Turkish, and rehearse your answers about experience, shifts and start date.

How do I ask my manager for a day off in Turkish?

Say Yarın izin alabilir miyim? and add the reason, for example Doktora gitmem gerekiyor (I need to go to the doctor). Use siz and Bey or Hanım after your manager's first name.

A textile worker and a hotel receptionist need quite different Turkish, so lessons work best when they start from your actual job. Tell us your sector when you request a free trial lesson of 20 to 30 minutes. You can take the free level test beforehand if you don't know your level.