Conversation fillers (şey, yani, hadi)

The Universal Word: şey

Şey (thing) may be the hardest-working word in Turkish. It names any object — and it is also the universal filler word: Turks say şey... mid-sentence exactly the way English speakers say "um...".

There is something on the table.
Masada bir şey var.
What is this thing?
Bu şey ne?

I Mean: yani

Yani (I mean, that is) rephrases what you just said — Turkish conversation leans on it constantly. It usually opens the sentence.

So this is not easy.
Yani bu kolay değil.
So you are not a doctor.
Yani sen doktor değilsin.

Come On: hadi

Hadi (come on!) pushes people into action. Pair it with the commands you just learned.

Come on, come!
Hadi, gel!
Come on, children!
Hadi çocuklar!