I can get a table at a café or a lokanta, order tea and food, answer “tea or coffee?”, ask for the check, and pay by card.
At a café or a lokanta: the table, the order, the check
At a café or a lokanta: the table, the order, the check
The word lokanta means a simple restaurant with home-style food; kafe is a café. To ask if a table is free: Bu masa boş mu? To call the waiter: Bakar mısınız? Tea comes in a small glass, bardak; coffee in a cup, fincan. A plate is tabak.
To order: Bir çay, lütfen. More politely, ask “May I have …?”: Bir çorba alabilir miyim? The waiter may ask an either-or question. English says “or” once; Turkish puts the particle after each word, matching it: Çay mı, kahve mi? The answer has no particle: Kahve, lütfen. In an ordinary sentence “or” is veya: Tatlı veya meyve istiyorum. On a menu you'll also see ya da: the same thing.
The check is hesap: Hesap, lütfen. Paying by card: Kartla ödeyebilir miyim? Food to go is paket servis. On the table: çatal — fork, bıçak — knife, kaşık — spoon; a tip is bahşiş.
Afiyet olsun is said to someone who is eating or about to eat: the waiter says it when serving, you say it to others at your table. To the person who cooked, say Elinize sağlık, and they reply: Afiyet olsun. In a lokanta you can say it to the waiter too, for the cook.
Common mistakes:
• NOT “Çay mı, kahve?” → Çay mı, kahve mi?
• NOT “Bu masa boşmu?” → Bu masa boş mu?
• NOT “Kart ödeyebilir miyim?” → Kartla ödeyebilir miyim?
The either-or question
The particle comes after each word and takes its form from that word's last vowel.
| The waiter's question | Particle |
|---|---|
| Çay mı, kahve mi? | a → mı, e → mi |
| Sade mi, şekerli mi? | e → mi, i → mi |
| Sütlü mü, sütsüz mü? | ü → mü |
| Limonlu mu, limonsuz mu? | u → mu |
| Burada mı, paket mi? | a → mı, e → mi |
In an order
The measure comes before the drink; the drink has no ending.
| In Turkish | In English |
|---|---|
| bir bardak su | a glass of water |
| bir fincan kahve | a cup of coffee |
| yarım porsiyon | half a portion |
| sade kahve | coffee without sugar |
| paket servis | to go |
Lesson notes
At a café or a lokanta: the table, the order, the check
The word lokanta means a simple restaurant with home-style food; kafe is a café. To ask if a table is free: Bu masa boş mu? To call the waiter: Bakar mısınız? Tea comes in a small glass, bardak; coffee in a cup, fincan. A plate is tabak.
To order: Bir çay, lütfen. More politely, ask “May I have …?”: Bir çorba alabilir miyim? The waiter may ask an either-or question. English says “or” once; Turkish puts the particle after each word, matching it: Çay mı, kahve mi? The answer has no particle: Kahve, lütfen. In an ordinary sentence “or” is veya: Tatlı veya meyve istiyorum. On a menu you'll also see ya da: the same thing.
The check is hesap: Hesap, lütfen. Paying by card: Kartla ödeyebilir miyim? Food to go is paket servis. On the table: çatal — fork, bıçak — knife, kaşık — spoon; a tip is bahşiş.
Afiyet olsun is said to someone who is eating or about to eat: the waiter says it when serving, you say it to others at your table. To the person who cooked, say Elinize sağlık, and they reply: Afiyet olsun. In a lokanta you can say it to the waiter too, for the cook.
Common mistakes:
• NOT “Çay mı, kahve?” → Çay mı, kahve mi?
• NOT “Bu masa boşmu?” → Bu masa boş mu?
• NOT “Kart ödeyebilir miyim?” → Kartla ödeyebilir miyim?