The ghost of the konak
Beginner (A1)A Turkish roleplay with Emin
You have stepped into an old wooden konak in Kuzguncuk and met Emin, the ghost who has haunted it since Ottoman times. He is harmless, wildly curious about the modern world you come from, and overjoyed at the company. Say hello, get to know him, and tell him what year it is.
Your goals in this conversation
- Tell Emin what year it is now
- Get Emin to tell you what one shuttered room used to be
- Ask why every clock in the house stopped at the same hour
How Emin opens the conversation
Aa! Sahiden bir misafir. Hoş geldiniz, korkmayın. selam verir, eli havada kalır Buyurun oturun. Söyleyin bana, şimdi yıl kaç?
Ways you could reply
A coach reads along and gently corrects your Turkish at your level. Tap any line for a translation.
More scenarios with Emin
A tour of the konak
Elementary (A2)Emin wants to show you around the konak he has haunted since Ottoman days: the shuttered rooms, the faded portraits, the clocks frozen at a single hour. As he walks you through it, get him talking about who he was when he was alive, and about why, of everyone, he is the one who never left.
That night
Intermediate (B1)You have returned to the konak many times, and Emin trusts you now. Tonight he wants to talk about the hour he died, the same hour at which every clock in the house stopped. The pieces will not settle, even for him: a knock at the door, raised voices, footsteps on the stairs, a face he cannot name. Ask him what he remembers and lay out your own theory.