1 - Bir fincan kahvenin kırk yıl hatırı vardır.Coffee is a crucial part of Turkish culture. Thus, a proverb with a coffee is inevitably inseparable part of our everyday life. The literal translation of this proverb is "A cup of Turkish coffee has forty years of worthiness". It refers to the significance of kindness even if it is just a small cup of coffee. The favor can be small, but it still should be remembered and appreciated. 2- Damlaya damlaya göl olur.The counterpart of this proverb is "Look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves" or "A penny saved is a penny earned". The motto is you save small amounts, eventually they will grow to bigger earnings. This proverb emphasizes the importance of saving. 3- Denize düşen yılana sarılır.The literal meaning is "One that falls into the sea hugs a snake". The English counterpart is "A drowning man will clutch at a straw". When a person is in a very desperate situation and his survival chances are limited, he can try anything no matter how crazy or illogical it can be! Desperate times call for desperate measures...
4 - Gülü seven dikenine katlanır."There is no rose without a thorn." This underlines the fact that to enjoy the positive sides of a desirable situation or a beautiful person, you should bare the challenges of the situation and negative traits of the person. Nothing good comes easy, right? 5 - Meyve veren ağaç taşlanır."The fruitful tree is stoned." This proverb stresses that a successful person with achievements and good qualities can be over-criticized due to the jealousy of the rivals. Here, fruits represent the achievements while stones symbolize the attacks of the jealous people. 6 - Yalancının mumu yatsıya kadar yanar"The candle of a liar last until night prayer." This popular proverb explains us that all lies will be revealed one day and they will not last long. The message is "Don't lie as a lie never lives to be old". 7 - Gülme komşuna, gelir başına."Don’t laugh at your neighbor; the same misfortune may happen to you too..." In this proverb, neighbor is a metaphor representing the other people that we witness going through a though and undesirable situation. Then we somehow judge their position and do not make any empathy. We should not humiliate or criticize others' misfortunes as we may experience the same fate. Always put yourself in someone else's shoes... 8 - Ayağını yorganına göre uzat.The literal translation is "Stretch your feet according to your duvet" The English proverb counterpart is "Cut your coat according to your cloth." It gives us the message that we should spend only what we have and consider our limited resources when making a financial decision. 9 - Dost acı söyler."A good friend tells the harsh truth" is the literal meaning of this proverb. The closest English counterpart is "Be cruel to be kind". If you want to be a good friend to someone, you have to tell the facts although these facts are very cruel to hear and they can make your friend very upset at the short-term. But it is the right thing to do for the benefit of your friend since s/he will be better-off in the future by considering those bitter facts... 10 - Anasına bak, kızını al."Like mother like daughter." Every girl will have a tendency to be like her mother in a certain way. This proverb recommends to keep that factor in mind when getting married. Learning the proverbs is the best way to get to know the values and beliefs of Turkish people. The pieces of advises given take us back to the roots of the culture. You can always post your thoughts and comments below or contact us. Research, read and stay with Turkish until the next post...
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