When something significant happens in a Turkish person's life — a wedding, a birth, a graduation, a new shop, a death, a return from abroad, a religious holiday — there is a specific formula for that exact event, and using the wrong one is a real social misstep. English leans on a few stretchy phrases ("congratulations", "I'm sorry") that cover many situations. Turkish does not: a death has its own dedicated phrase that you would never use for happy news, and a new business has a blessing distinct from a plain "congrats". Getting the right formula to the right event — and knowing the reply — is what this page is about. For the smaller everyday blessings (meals, sneezes, illness), see blessings and set responses.
Congratulations: Tebrikler / Tebrik ederim
For genuinely happy achievements and milestones — passing an exam, a promotion, a wedding, a graduation, a win — the standard congratulation is Tebrikler (informal/neutral) or Tebrik ederim "I congratulate (you)" (more formal, pairs with siz; see the formal siz). The reply is Teşekkür ederim / Teşekkürler / Sağ ol.
Sınavı geçmişsin, tebrikler!
You passed the exam — congratulations!
— Terfi ettim! — Tebrikler, çok hak ettin.
— I got promoted! — Congratulations, you really deserved it.
Tebrikler is the closest thing Turkish has to an all-purpose "congratulations" — but, crucially, it is for good news only. The temptation for English speakers is to treat it as a general "I acknowledge your big news" phrase and use it anywhere. That breaks down badly at a death, where a wholly different formula is required.
Condolences: Başın sağ olsun
When someone has lost a loved one, you say Başın sağ olsun (informal) / Başınız sağ olsun (formal/plural) — literally "may your head be well/sound", meaning "I'm sorry for your loss; may you yourself stay safe and well". This is the dedicated condolence; there is no casual substitute, and you must not reach for "tebrikler" or any happy phrase.
The fixed reply is Sağ ol(un) "thank you (be well)" or, more traditionally and beautifully, Dostlar sağ olsun "may (my) friends be well" — turning the good wish back onto those who came to console.
Başın sağ olsun, çok üzüldüm.
My condolences, I'm so sorry.
— Babanız için başınız sağ olsun. — Dostlar sağ olsun.
— My condolences for your father. — May (my) friends be well.
Allah rahmet eylesin, başın sağ olsun.
May God have mercy on (the departed); my condolences.
That last example pairs the condolence with Allah rahmet eylesin "may Allah have mercy (on the deceased)", the standard thing to say about the person who has died (reply: Âmin). Note the capital on Allah. Together, Allah rahmet eylesin (about the deceased) and Başın sağ olsun (to the bereaved) are the core condolence pair.
New ventures and purchases: Hayırlı olsun
When someone starts something new or acquires something — opens a shop, starts a job, buys a car or a house, makes a big decision — you say Hayırlı olsun, "may it be auspicious / may it bring good (hayır)". It is a blessing that the new thing turns out well and brings benefit. The reply is Teşekkür ederim / Sağ ol.
Yeni iş yerin hayırlı olsun!
May your new workplace bring you good fortune!
Arabayı almışsın, hayırlı olsun.
I see you bought the car — may it bring you good.
— Eve taşındık. — Hayırlı olsun, güle güle oturun.
— We moved into the house. — Congratulations — may you live in it happily.
That reply-companion Güle güle oturun "may you dwell (in it) with joy" is the specific blessing for a new home; Güle güle kullan "use it happily" is the version for a new purchase you can use (a phone, a car). So a new acquisition can draw a layered response: Hayırlı olsun, güle güle kullan. Note that Hayırlı olsun is a blessing on the thing, distinct from Tebrikler, which praises the person's achievement — Turkish keeps "may it go well" and "well done" apart.
Good news and reunions: Gözün aydın
When someone receives long-awaited good news or is reunited with someone — a relative returning from abroad, a birth in the family, a child coming home from military service, a release from hospital — you say Gözün aydın (informal) / Gözünüz aydın (formal), literally "may your eye be bright", i.e. "I share your joy". The reply is Teşekkür ederim / Sağ ol.
Oğlun askerden dönmüş, gözün aydın!
Your son's back from the army — how wonderful for you!
— Ablam yarın geliyor. — Gözün aydın!
— My sister arrives tomorrow. — What lovely news!
Gözünüz aydın, torununuz olmuş diye duydum.
Congratulations on the happy news — I hear you've got a grandchild.
Gözün aydın has no neat English equivalent; "how wonderful for you" or "I'm so happy for you" comes closest. It is specifically about shared joy at awaited good news, distinct from both Tebrikler (achievement) and Hayırlı olsun (new venture).
Religious occasions: Mübarek olsun
For religious holidays and observances, the blessing is built on mübarek "blessed": Bayramınız mübarek olsun "may your holiday be blessed" (for the religious bayrams), Ramazanınız mübarek olsun "may your Ramadan be blessed", Kurban bayramınız mübarek olsun (for Eid al-Adha). A very common holiday greeting is also Bayramınız kutlu olsun "happy holiday". Replies mirror the greeting: Sizin de bayramınız mübarek olsun "blessed holiday to you too".
Ramazanınız mübarek olsun, hayırlı oruçlar.
May your Ramadan be blessed, a good fast to you.
— Bayramınız mübarek olsun. — Sizin de, sağ olun.
— Blessed holiday to you. — And to you, thank you.
These are warm, standard seasonal greetings exchanged widely. As with the other Allah-/religion-framed formulae, they function as the ordinary, expected thing to say on the occasion.
Matching the formula to the event
The whole system rewards precision. Here is the quick map:
| Event | You say | They reply |
|---|---|---|
| achievement, wedding, win | Tebrikler / Tebrik ederim | Teşekkür ederim |
| a death (to the bereaved) | Başın(ız) sağ olsun | Dostlar sağ olsun / Sağ ol |
| a death (about the deceased) | Allah rahmet eylesin | Âmin |
| new shop, job, car, house | Hayırlı olsun | Teşekkür ederim (+ güle güle kullan/oturun) |
| awaited good news, reunion | Gözün(üz) aydın | Teşekkür ederim |
| religious holiday | Bayramınız mübarek olsun | Sizin de … olsun |
Common mistakes
❌ (at a funeral) Babanız için tebrikler.
Severe faux pas — never use a congratulation for a death.
✅ Babanız için başınız sağ olsun.
My condolences for your father.
❌ (someone opened a shop) Tebrikler.
Off — for a new venture the blessing is 'Hayırlı olsun', not a plain 'congrats'.
✅ Yeni dükkânın hayırlı olsun!
May your new shop bring you good fortune!
❌ (replying to condolences) Teşekkürler, tebrikler.
Wrong reply — condolences are answered with 'Sağ ol' / 'Dostlar sağ olsun', never 'tebrikler'.
✅ Dostlar sağ olsun.
May (my) friends be well.
❌ (a relative returns from abroad) Hayırlı olsun.
Mismatch — for awaited good news/reunion the phrase is 'Gözün aydın'.
✅ Kardeşin gelmiş, gözün aydın!
Your sibling has arrived — how wonderful!
The single biggest pitfall is the English habit of one stretchy phrase for everything. "Congratulations" feels safe, so learners deploy tebrikler at births, new shops, even — disastrously — at funerals. Turkish has sorted these into separate channels, and the channels do not overlap: a condolence (Başın sağ olsun) and a congratulation (Tebrikler) are not interchangeable softenings of "I acknowledge your news" — they are opposite responses to opposite events.
Key takeaways
- Turkish gives each life event its own dedicated formula and its own reply; do not seek one universal phrase.
- Tebrikler / Tebrik ederim = congratulations, for good news/achievement only.
- Başın(ız) sağ olsun = condolence to the bereaved → reply Dostlar sağ olsun / Sağ ol; Allah rahmet eylesin is said about the deceased → reply Âmin.
- Hayırlı olsun = blessing on a new venture/purchase ("may it bring good"), distinct from praising the person; often + güle güle kullan/oturun.
- Gözün(üz) aydın = shared joy at awaited good news or a reunion.
- Bayramınız mübarek olsun = blessing for religious holidays (capitalise Allah in Allah-framed phrases).
- Using a congratulation at a death is among the gravest learner faux pas — match the formula to the event.
Related Topics
- Blessings and Set Responses (Hayır dua)A2 — The quasi-obligatory good-wish formulae of Turkish daily life and their fixed replies: Afiyet olsun, Eline sağlık, Geçmiş olsun, Kolay gelsin, Çok yaşa / Sen de gör, and Allah analı babalı büyütsün.
- Politeness, Register, and FaceA2 — An orientation to Turkish politeness: the sen/siz distinction, honorific address (Bey/Hanım, abi/abla), and the dense web of formulaic exchanges that good manners require.
- Everyday Formulae: lütfen, teşekkürler, rica ederimA1 — The high-frequency courtesy formulae of Turkish — please, thank you, you're welcome, sorry — plus the uniquely multifunctional buyurun.
- Formal Register: siz, -(y)InIz, HonorificsA2 — How spoken and written Turkish signals respect through siz, the polite imperative -(y)InIz, and honorifics like Bey, Hanım, and Sayın.