If you are traveling in Turkey, especially for business purposes or to meet friends, there is a good chance that introductions will form a crucial part of a conversation and probably quite early on in the conversation, too. Introducing people (and being introduced to people) forms a critical part of networking events.
An easy way to introduce somebody in Turkish is to say, ‘Bu …’.
Bu karım. – This is my wife.
Bu kocam. – This is my husband.
Bu eşim. – This is my spouse.
Bu arkadaşım. – This is my friend.
As you may know, the ‘m’ at the end of each word indicates ‘my’.
A more polite way of introducing somebody is to say, ‘Size … tanıştırmak istiyorum.’
Size karımı tanıştırmak istiyorum. – I would like to introduce my wife to you.
Size kocamı tanıştırmak istiyorum. – I would like to introduce my husband to you.
Size eşimi tanıştırmak istiyorum. – I would like to introduce my spouse to you.
Size arkadaşımı tanıştırmak istiyorum. – I would like to introduce my friend to you.
Notice now that in each of the sentences above the words for ‘my wife’, ‘my husband’, etc have a short ending.
Bu karım.
Size karımı tanıştırmak istiyorum.
If you say ‘… tanıştırmak istiyorum’ (I would like to introduce …), you must use the accusative form ‘karımı’, ‘kocamı’, ‘eşimi’, ‘arkadaşımı’.
So, with these useful phrases in Turkish, you should now be able to comfortably introduce people whilst in Turkey!
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