At the MarketPazarda
A customer buys tomatoes and cucumbers at a weekly street market (pazar), asks the price per kilo and pays.
Speakers: Satıcı (a market vendor), Müşteri (a customer)
The Dialogue
Read each Turkish line aloud, then check the English. Hide the translation to test yourself.
- Satıcı
Buyurun abla! Domatesler çok taze.
Can I help you, ma'am? The tomatoes are really fresh.
- Müşteri
Merhaba. Domatesin kilosu ne kadar?
Hello. How much is a kilo of tomatoes?
- Satıcı
Kilosu kırk lira.
Forty lira a kilo.
- Müşteri
Çok güzel görünüyor. İki kilo alabilir miyim?
They look lovely. Can I have two kilos?
- Satıcı
Tabii. Başka bir şey ister misiniz?
Of course. Would you like anything else?
- Müşteri
Evet, bir kilo da salatalık, lütfen. Salatalık kaç lira?
Yes, a kilo of cucumbers too, please. How much are the cucumbers?
- Satıcı
Salatalık otuz lira. Toplam yüz on lira.
Cucumbers are thirty lira. That's 110 lira in total.
- Müşteri
Buyurun. İyi günler.
Here you are. Have a good day.
- Satıcı
Teşekkürler, size de iyi günler! Yine bekleriz.
Thanks, you too! Come again.
Key Vocabulary
| Turkish | English |
|---|---|
| taze | fresh |
| domates | tomato(es) |
| salatalık | cucumber(s) |
| kilosu | per kilo (lit. its kilo) |
| Ne kadar? / Kaç lira? | How much? / How many lira? |
| görünüyor | it looks, they look |
| alabilir miyim? | can I have / can I buy? |
| bir kilo da | a kilo … too |
| toplam | in total |
| Yine bekleriz! | Come again! (lit. we'll expect you again) |
Grammar & Culture Notes
Culture
Abla, abi, teyze, amca
Market vendors often call customers abla (big sister) or abi (big brother), and older customers teyze (auntie) or amca (uncle). It is friendly, not rude — and you can use the same words to address vendors.
Grammar
Domatesin kilosu
Domatesin kilosu means 'the tomato's kilo', i.e. the price per kilo. The first noun takes the genitive -in and the second the possessive -(s)u. You'll hear it all the time: Elmanın kilosu kaç lira?
Culture
Prices at the pazar
At a Turkish pazar (weekly street market) fruit and vegetables are priced per kilo. Prices change with the season and, because of inflation, from year to year — so the numbers in this dialogue are only examples.
Check Your Understanding
1. Domatesin kilosu kaç lira?
How much is a kilo of tomatoes?
Show answer
Kırk lira.
Forty lira.
2. Müşteri kaç kilo domates alıyor?
How many kilos of tomatoes does the customer buy?
Show answer
İki kilo.
Two kilos.
3. Müşteri başka ne alıyor?
What else does the customer buy?
Show answer
Bir kilo salatalık.
A kilo of cucumbers.