Imagine you are foraging in a damp forest and stumble upon a patch of wild mushrooms! When telling your friends about your haul, you might not know the exact count. To estimate quantities in Turkish, you can use sequential numbers and the word yaklaşık.
Sequential Numbers
In English, we say "three or four" to guess a number. Turkish makes this even simpler: just place two consecutive numbers right next to each other. You do not need a word for "or".
| There are three or four mushrooms at the base of a damp tree. | Nemli bir ağacın dibinde üç dört mantar var. |
Saying "Approximately"
To explicitly state that a number or amount is an estimate, use the word yaklaşık (approximately / roughly). Turkish speakers frequently combine yaklaşık with sequential numbers. Just place yaklaşık right before your numbers.
| There are approximately five or six poisonous mushrooms in the basket. | Sepette yaklaşık beş altı zehirli mantar var. |
Here is how you can use this structure to estimate time and weight:
| After walking for approximately one or two hours, we found a damp place. | Yaklaşık bir iki saat yürüdükten sonra nemli bir yer bulduk. |
| We collected approximately two or three kilos of edible mushrooms. | Yaklaşık iki üç kilo yenilebilir mantar topladık. |
You can also use this pattern with larger intervals, such as guessing by tens. To say "twenty or thirty," you simply say "yirmi otuz."
| I found approximately twenty or thirty mushrooms in the forest this season. | Bu mevsimde ormanda yaklaşık yirmi otuz mantar buldum. |
Estimating Pieces
When counting individual items like vegetables or mushrooms, you will often hear the word adet (piece / item) paired with estimated numbers.
| piece | adet |
| We need approximately five or six pieces of mushrooms for the soup. | Çorba için yaklaşık beş altı adet mantar lazım. |