I can say hello in the morning, afternoon, and evening, ask “how are you?” and answer, say thank you, apologize, and say goodbye — choosing sən or siz, bəli or hə by who I'm talking to.
Salam! Which phrase in which situation
Salam! Which phrase in which situation
These phrases are needed on day one and don't depend on grammar: learn each one as a whole and choose it by the situation, not by the English translation. A conversation starts with salam — said at any time, to anyone. In the morning: sabahınız xeyir; in the afternoon: gün aydın; in the evening: axşamınız xeyir.
English has one “you”, Azerbaijani two. Sən is for a friend, a child, someone your age; siz for someone older, a stranger, your teacher, and any group: necəsən? ↔ necəsiniz?, sağ ol ↔ sağ olun. “Yes” and “no” split the same way: bəli / xeyr are formal, hə / yox informal. Don't confuse xeyr “no” with the xeyir of sabahınız xeyir.
English “please” is three things here: zəhmət olmasa when you ask for something; buyurun when you hand something over, invite someone in, or say “I'm listening”; xahiş edirəm in a request, and also the reply to “thank you”. “Thank you” can also be answered with dəyməz, “it's nothing”.
Sağ ol and sağ olun mean both “thanks” and “goodbye”: the situation gives the meaning. The one leaving says salamat qalın to those who stay; to a friend, goodbye is hələlik or görüşərik.
Common mistakes:
• NOT “Necəsən?” to your teacher → Necəsiniz?
• NOT “Buyurun” as the reply to “Təşəkkür edirəm” → Xahiş edirəm or Dəyməz.
• NOT “Hə” to an adult you don't know → Bəli.
Which set phrase to use when
Set phrases are learned as a whole, like one word, and chosen by the situation.
| When | Set phrase | Literally |
|---|---|---|
| in the morning | sabahınız xeyir | “your morning is good” |
| in the afternoon | gün aydın | “the day is bright” |
| in the evening | axşamınız xeyir | “your evening is good” |
| at night | gecəniz xeyrə qalsın | “may your night be good” |
| any time, to anyone | salam | “peace” |
| to a guest at the door | xoş gəlmisiniz | “it's good that you came” |
| when leaving | salamat qalın; sağ olun | “stay in well-being”; “be well” |
| to the one who is leaving | yaxşı yol | “a good road” |
| to a friend, saying goodbye | hələlik; görüşərik | “for now”; “we'll see each other” |
Two axes of politeness
The register doesn't change within one conversation.
| What to say | To a friend, a child, someone your age | To an older person, a stranger, your teacher, several people |
|---|---|---|
| you | sən | siz |
| how are you? | necəsən? | necəsiniz? |
| thanks; goodbye | sağ ol | sağ olun |
| yes | hə | bəli |
| no | yox | xeyr |
Lesson notes
Salam! Which phrase in which situation
These phrases are needed on day one and don't depend on grammar: learn each one as a whole and choose it by the situation, not by the English translation. A conversation starts with salam — said at any time, to anyone. In the morning: sabahınız xeyir; in the afternoon: gün aydın; in the evening: axşamınız xeyir.
English has one “you”, Azerbaijani two. Sən is for a friend, a child, someone your age; siz for someone older, a stranger, your teacher, and any group: necəsən? ↔ necəsiniz?, sağ ol ↔ sağ olun. “Yes” and “no” split the same way: bəli / xeyr are formal, hə / yox informal. Don't confuse xeyr “no” with the xeyir of sabahınız xeyir.
English “please” is three things here: zəhmət olmasa when you ask for something; buyurun when you hand something over, invite someone in, or say “I'm listening”; xahiş edirəm in a request, and also the reply to “thank you”. “Thank you” can also be answered with dəyməz, “it's nothing”.
Sağ ol and sağ olun mean both “thanks” and “goodbye”: the situation gives the meaning. The one leaving says salamat qalın to those who stay; to a friend, goodbye is hələlik or görüşərik.
Common mistakes:
• NOT “Necəsən?” to your teacher → Necəsiniz?
• NOT “Buyurun” as the reply to “Təşəkkür edirəm” → Xahiş edirəm or Dəyməz.
• NOT “Hə” to an adult you don't know → Bəli.