How To Write The Seasons, Months, And Days In Turkish

Turkey continues to top travel lists worldwide, with beautiful coastal spots like Antalya, Bodrum, Izmir, and Marmaris attracting visitors throughout the year. As you plan your trip, learning how to say days in Turkish might seem like a small detail, but it makes asking about museum hours, booking restaurants, and chatting with locals much easier.

Think about it. Simple Turkish words like this will ABSOLUTELY come up when traveling. By knowing what each day is called, you can easily ask when museums open, book tables, and chat with locals who appreciate tourists making an effort with their language.

In this guide, I'll cover all the key terminologies so you can write and talk about about the Turkish seasons, days, and months in Turkish. I'll also share some useful sentences to really help you learn Turkish faster!

Turkish Days Of The Week (Haftanın Günleri)

The Turkish week follows the international standard of seven days, starting with Monday. Unlike English, Turkish days of the week don't capitalize the first letter unless they begin a sentence.

Notice that "Pazar" means Sunday, while "Pazartesi" (Monday) literally translates to "after Sunday." Similarly, "Cumartesi" (Saturday) means "after Friday" (Cuma).

Ready to use these words in sentences? In Turkish, you'll often need to add suffixes to the days of the week depending on how you're using them in a sentence. The most common suffix is "-de/-da" (meaning "on"), which changes slightly based on vowel harmony rules:

• After e, i, ö, ü → use -de
• After a, ı, o, u → use -da

For example:

• "Pazarteside müze açık mı?" (Is the museum open on Monday?)
• "Cumada plaja gidiyoruz." (We're going to the beach on Friday)

Common Day-Related Phrases for Travelers

Use these ready-made phrases during your trip - just insert the appropriate day:

• "_____ günü saat kaçta açılıyor?" (What time does it open on _____?) Example: "Pazartesi günü saat kaçta açılıyor?" (What time does it open on Monday?)
• "_____ günü rezervasyon yapmak istiyorum." (I want to make a reservation for _____ day.) Example: "Cumartesi günü rezervasyon yapmak istiyorum." (I want to make a reservation for Saturday.)
• "_____ günü otobüs var mı?" (Is there a bus on _____?) Example: "Salı günü otobüs var mı?" (Is there a bus on Tuesday?)
• "_____ günü pazar kurulur mu?" (Is there a market on _____?) Example: "Çarşamba günü pazar kurulur mu?" (Is there a market on Wednesday?)
• "Bu tur _____ günü yapılıyor mu?" (Does this tour run on _____?) Example: "Bu tur Perşembe günü yapılıyor mu?" (Does this tour run on Thursday?)

Months In Turkish (Aylar)

Turkish months follow the Gregorian calendar and have unique names that are easy to pronounce once you get the hang of Turkish phonetics.

Did you know? Several Turkish month names have interesting origins. "Ocak" (January) actually means "fireplace" or "hearth," likely referring to staying warm during cold winter months. "Ekim" (October) comes from the Turkish word for "sowing," as this was traditionally when crops were planted.

Ready-to-Use Month Phrases for Travelers

When talking about months in Turkish, you'll often need to add the suffix "-da/-de" (meaning "in") according to vowel harmony:

• "Türkiye'ye Mayısta geliyorum." (I'm coming to Turkey in May.)
• "Eylülde İstanbul'da festival var mı?" (Are there festivals in Istanbul in September?)

Here are some ways by which you can use the names for the Turkish months in sentences:

• "_____ ayında hava nasıl olur?" (What's the weather like in _____?) Example: "Temmuz ayında hava nasıl olur?" (What's the weather like in July?)
• "_____ ayında Türkiye'ye gelmek istiyorum." (I want to come to Turkey in _____.) Example: "Nisan ayında Türkiye'ye gelmek istiyorum." (I want to come to Turkey in April.)
• "_____ ayında fiyatlar nasıl?" (How are the prices in _____?) Example: "Ağustos ayında fiyatlar nasıl?" (How are the prices in August?)
• "_____ ayında hangi festivaller var?" (Which festivals are there in _____?) Example: "Haziran ayında hangi festivaller var?" (Which festivals are there in June?)
• "_____ ayı tatil için iyi mi?" (Is _____ good for vacation?) Example: "Ekim ayı tatil için iyi mi?" (Is October good for vacation?)

Seasons In Turkish (Mevsimler)

Turkey experiences all four seasons, though the climate varies significantly across regions. Learning the Turkish words for seasons helps when discussing weather expectations or planning activities during your stay.

The word "bahar" means "spring" in Turkish, which is why you see it in both İlkbahar (spring) and Sonbahar (fall). "İlk" means "first" and "son" means "end/last" – so İlkbahar is "first spring" and Sonbahar is "end spring."

Practical Season Phrases for Travelers

Here are five ready-to-use phrases with seasons:

• "_____ mevsiminde Türkiye'ye gelmek istiyorum." (I want to come to Turkey in _____ season.) Example: "Sonbahar mevsiminde Türkiye'ye gelmek istiyorum." (I want to come to Turkey in Fall.)
• "_____ mevsiminde hava nasıl?" (How's the weather in _____ season?) Example: "Kış mevsiminde hava nasıl?" (How's the weather in Winter season?)
• "En güzel _____ aktiviteleri nelerdir?" (What are the best _____ activities?) Example: "En güzel Yaz aktiviteleri nelerdir?" (What are the best Summer activities?)
• "_____ mevsiminde burada kalabalık mı?" (Is it crowded here in _____ season?) Example: "İlkbahar mevsiminde burada kalabalık mı?" (Is it crowded here in Spring season?)
• "_____ için en iyi yer neresi?" (Where is the best place for _____?) Example: "Kış için en iyi yer neresi?" (Where is the best place for Winter?)

Talking About Dates In Turkish

When writing or speaking dates in Turkish, the format is straightforward. Turkish uses the day-month-year pattern (DD Month YYYY), similar to most European countries but different from the American month-day-year format.

• Written date: DD Month YYYY (8 Mart 2024)
• Number-only format: DD.MM.YYYY (08.03.2024)
• The day always comes first, unlike in American English
• Month names aren't abbreviated in formal writing
• Month names are capitalized only when appearing in a date

So if you're booking a hotel for April 15, 2024, you would write it as "15 Nisan 2024" in Turkish. If filling out a form, you might use the numeric format: 15.04.2024.

To say a complete date in Turkish, follow this pattern:

• [Day number] + [Month name] + [Year]

For example, "15 Nisan 2024" would be read as "on beş Nisan iki bin yirmi dört."

Other Useful Time Words in Turkish

Beyond seasons, months, and days, mastering a few basic time expressions will make your Turkish travels much smoother. These are the words you'll need daily—checking opening hours, asking when buses run, or setting up meeting times with new friends.

How To Learn Turkish Fast With Lingopie

Learning these time-related words will make your Turkish travels smoother, but memorizing lists can only take you so far. True language learning happens when you're having fun and not even realizing you're studying. One of the best ways to pick up these expressions naturally is by watching Turkish TV shows and movies with subtitles.

Turkish television has exploded in popularity worldwide in recent years. Shows like “Diriliş: Ertuğrul" and "Çukur" offer entertaining stories while exposing you to authentic pronunciation and everyday language use. You’ll hear characters scheduling meetings on "Çarşamba" or planning summer ("Yaz") getaways, reinforcing what you've learned here.

This is why we highly recommend Lingopie for anyone serious about learning Turkish.

Lingopie is like the Netflix of language learning as it offers Turkish shows and movies with interactive dual subtitles. With it, you can learn and save phrases you want to remember, practice with flashcards, and even slow down dialogue to catch pronunciation. It's like having a Turkish tutor wrapped inside your favorite shows.

Ready to sound more like a local and less like a tourist on your next trip? Try Lingopie free for 7 days and see how quickly your Turkish improves!