Alma, a volunteer, prepares to feed (beslemek) the dogs and wounded birds of the farm
Living and Learning Turkish
As I mentioned in the last blog post, I am doing new things in Turkey and as a result learning new Turkish expressions. This last week I have been volunteering for a farm and nature education program, and the new learning seems to have been dominated by new verbs. It feels great to gain some more breadth in discussing activities.
harcamak – to spend (e.g. money)
When Alma and I hitchhiked from the farm into the city of Burdur, the family that picked us up insisted we come over and drink tea at their house, where they asked why we would work on a farm without making money (fair question). I wanted to point out that we may not make money, but we have economic equilibrium, because we don’t spend any money. I lacked the word for ‘spend,’ so used ‘give’. But now I have it! Harcamak. Para harcamıyoruz, ‘We’re not spending money’.
biriktirmek – to save (e.g. money)
kurtarmak – to save (e.g. animals, people)
‘I saved some money while working in Canada,’ I wanted to explain to the family. Again I lacked the right word. Now, thanks to a little lesson with my friend Efe, I can translate that phrase: Kanada’da calışırken, biraz para biriktirdim. Another word exists for saving animals or people: kurtarmak.
beslemek – to feed (e.g. animals)
dikmek – to plant (e.g. roses)
‘What do you do on the farm?’ the family asked. Here I used a lot of gestures, because I didn’t have the verbs I needed. What I wanted to say: ‘We feed animals’ – Hayvanları besliyoruz, and ‘We plant roses’ – Gülleri dikiyoruz.
takdir etmek – to appreciate
Hitchhiking back from Burdur to the farm, a man from Izmir picked us up. We chatted a little, and then he broke into a profusion of kind words. He congratulated me for learning Turkish, thanked me for making the effort, and said, Takdir ediyorum. Takdir. Hmm. He tried to use a translation app on his phone, but it got to be quite dangerous as he was typing and driving at the same time. I’ll look it up later! I assured him. Takdir ediyorum is ‘I appreciate it.’ Aww! It’s worth it!
