How to say ‘excuse me’ in Turkish
Pardon
Pronunciation: par-DON
Capital letters mark the stressed syllable.
- Meaning
- excuse me / sorry
Pardon, bakar mısınız?
Excuse me, could you look here? (getting attention)
When you’ll use it
Bumps, squeezing past, catching attention — the small-moment word.
The Polite Essentials
Please, thank you, excuse me, okay — these little words carry you through cafés, taxis, shops and dinners even before you can build sentences.
Hear it in a real exchange
Finding the Pier. Emma stops a friendly passerby on a busy street corner. Twenty seconds, mission accomplished.
- Emma
Pardon! İskele nerede?
Excuse me! Where’s the ferry pier?
- Aylin
İskele mi? Düz, sonra solda.
The pier? Straight ahead, then on the left.
Directions Come With Company
Asking directions in Türkiye is a social event. Expect people to consult each other on your behalf, debate the best route, and quite often simply walk you to the door. Getting a little lost is one of the fastest ways to meet people — treat it as a feature, not an emergency.
Learn it in LaleFrom one phrase to real conversations
In Lale, Pardon is part of a full lesson with listening, speaking and review. Free to start.
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