Merhaba is a neutral Turkish hello; selam is informal. Answer hoş geldiniz with hoş bulduk and teşekkür ederim with rica ederim. For goodbye, the person leaving says hoşça kal or polite hoşça kalın; the person staying can reply güle güle. Learn each opening with its reply, then practise the two-person recording below.
Published 4 August 2026 · Updated 5 November 2026
A useful greeting includes what to say next. Learn the opening and its reply together, then listen to Emel and Ahmet in a short exchange. The tables separate saying hello, saying goodbye and saying thanks.
| They say | You can reply | When and register |
|---|---|---|
| Merhaba. | Merhaba. | Hello at any time; neutral, suitable with friends or new acquaintances. |
| Selam. | Selam. | Hi; informal, for friends and familiar situations. |
| Günaydın. | Günaydın. | Good morning; neutral or polite. |
| İyi günler. | İyi günler. | Good day; a polite daytime greeting or farewell. |
| İyi akşamlar. | İyi akşamlar. | Good evening; neutral or polite. |
| Hoş geldiniz. | Hoş bulduk. | Welcome; polite to one person, or addressed to several people. |
| Hoş geldin. | Hoş bulduk. | Welcome; informal, addressed to one person. |
| Nasılsın? | İyiyim, teşekkürler. | How are you? Informal, one person. Reply: I’m well, thanks. |
| Nasılsınız? | İyiyim, teşekkür ederim. | How are you? Polite, or plural. The example reply is from one person. |
Hoş bulduk is the conventional response to a welcome even when you arrive alone. It is a fixed expression: learn it as a pair with hoş geldiniz.
Use nasılsınız when a polite form fits, such as a first meeting. Use nasılsın with someone you address informally. The relationship and setting matter; age alone does not determine every choice.
| Situation | Say | Natural reply and register |
|---|---|---|
| You are leaving; one familiar person stays | Hoşça kal. | The person staying can reply Güle güle. Informal. |
| You are leaving; polite or plural address | Hoşça kalın. | The person staying can reply Güle güle. |
| You expect to see each other again | Görüşürüz. | Görüşürüz. Everyday “see you”, usable by either person. |
| You part at night or someone goes to bed | İyi geceler. | İyi geceler. Neutral or polite “good night”. |
When you leave a shop, you can say hoşça kalın and the person staying can answer güle güle. Keeping the two roles in mind is more useful than learning both expressions simply as “goodbye”. Use iyi akşamlar for an evening greeting; iyi geceler is normally for parting or bedtime.
| They say | You can reply | Register |
|---|---|---|
| Teşekkürler. | Rica ederim. | Everyday “thanks” → “you’re welcome”. |
| Teşekkür ederim. | Rica ederim. | A fuller, polite “thank you”. |
| Sağ ol. | Rica ederim. | Warm, informal thanks to one person. |
You do not need to answer a thank-you with a new greeting. Keep rica ederim ready as a short, natural reply.
Emel welcomes Ahmet. Ahmet replies, answers her question and then leaves. Listen once with the transcript closed, then open it and follow each turn.
| Speaker | Turkish | English |
|---|---|---|
| Emel | Merhaba. Hoş geldiniz. | Hello. Welcome. |
| Ahmet | Hoş bulduk. Merhaba. | Thank you for the welcome. Hello. |
| Emel | Nasılsınız? | How are you? |
| Ahmet | İyiyim, teşekkür ederim. | I’m well, thank you. |
| Ahmet, leaving | Hoşça kalın. | Goodbye. |
| Emel, staying | Güle güle. | Goodbye. |
Choose the response that fits each situation before opening the answers.
Replay the dialogue and pause after Emel’s first line. Give Ahmet’s reply aloud. On the next replay, take Emel’s part. Learning both roles helps you recognise the reply when another person says it.
Try the Turkish course audio sample for another exchange, or visit the Turkish pronunciation guide to explore the letters and sounds.
Turkish is now live in Gora, where phrases arrive inside real exchanges with Turkish audio, so the reply comes as naturally as the opener. Start the Turkish course.