What is a common mistake with “Lütfen”?

✗ Lütfen (when handing over money) → ✓ Buyurun: Lütfen asks, buyurun offers.

Phrase 44 of 500

How to say “Please” in Turkish

Q: How is “Lütfen” used in a conversation?

Ben: Bir çay, lütfen. (One tea, please.) Çaycı: Hemen geliyor! (Coming right up!)

Lütfen means "please". It usually goes at the end of a request: "Bir çay, lütfen" (A tea, please).

Written by Fatih, Turkish language and literature graduate & linguist

Lütfen.

lewt·fehn

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Meaning: Please.
Pronunciation: lewt·fehn

What “Lütfen” really means

Lütfen means "please". It usually goes at the end of a request: "Bir çay, lütfen" (A tea, please). It is polite, but Turkish politeness also lives in the verb: "Alabilir miyim?" (Can I have?) often sounds friendlier than many "lütfen"s.

💬 Example dialogues

BenBir çay, lütfen.One tea, please.

ÇaycıHemen geliyor!Coming right up!

AnnemLütfen ayakkabılarını çıkar.Please take your shoes off.

BenTamam anne.Okay, mom.

🚫 When NOT to use it

"Lütfen!" with a sharp tone can mean "Oh, please!" (come on, stop it). It is not used to offer something; when you hand something over say "Buyurun".

🇹🇷 Culture note

Shop staff rarely say lütfen; they say "Buyurun" when you walk in and when they hand you your bag.

⚠️ Common mistakes

✗ Lütfen (when handing over money) → ✓ BuyurunLütfen asks, buyurun offers.

Letters to watch in this sentence

Ü ü say “ee” with rounded lips (French u)