Learn Turkish, one piece at a time
27 free lessons from A1 to A2: from the alphabet and greetings to tenses and a chat at the café. Each lesson has a short explanation in English, examples with audio, practice exercises and a quiz.
Start with the alphabet Mixed quizEvlerimizde = in our houses. Turkish builds words from pieces, and each lesson teaches one piece.
- ev · house
- ler · plural
- imiz · our
- de · in
All lessons 27 lessons · 216 questions
The Turkish Alphabet and Pronunciation
Alfabe ve okunuşTurkish has 29 letters and is written exactly as it is pronounced. Learn the seven special letters and you can read any word.
02 · A1Greetings and Introductions
Selamlaşma ve tanışmaHow to say hello, introduce yourself and say goodbye in Turkish, and when to use "sen" (you, informal) or "siz" (you, formal).
03 · A1Numbers
SayılarNumbers from 0 to a million, ordinal numbers (first, second) and the key rule: after a number, the noun stays singular.
04 · A1Vowel Harmony
Ünlü uyumuThe most important rule of Turkish: the vowel in a suffix changes to match the last vowel of the word. -lar or -ler? -da or -de?
05 · A1"To Be": I am a student
Ben öğrenciyimTurkish has no separate word for "am, is, are" in the present. It is a suffix: Ben öğrenciyim — I am a student.
06 · A1Plural, "There Is" and "There Isn't"
Çoğul, var ve yokPlural with -lar/-ler, and the two most useful words in Turkish: var (there is / I have) and yok (there isn't / I don't have).
07 · A1–A2Cases: to, at, from and the Object
Hâl ekleri: -e, -de, -den, -iInstead of prepositions, Turkish uses endings: Ankara'ya — to Ankara, Ankara'da — in Ankara, Ankara'dan — from Ankara.
08 · A1–A2Possessive Endings: my, your, his
İyelik ekleri: benim evim"My, your, his" are endings in Turkish: evim — my house, evin — your house, evi — his/her house.
09 · A1–A2"Ali's Book": the Genitive
İsim tamlamasıHow to say "Ali's book", "the door of the house" and "Turkish coffee": two endings that work together.
10 · A1Present Continuous (-yor)
Şimdiki zaman (-yor)Actions happening now or these days: geliyorum — I'm coming, Türkçe öğreniyorum — I'm learning Turkish.
11 · A1Questions and Negatives
Soru ve olumsuzlukThe question word mi is written separately. Negatives: değil for nouns and adjectives, -me/-ma for verbs, yok for "there isn't".
12 · A1–A2Past Tense (-dı)
Geçmiş zaman (-dı)Completed actions in the past: geldim — I came, gittik — we went.
13 · A2Future Tense (-acak)
Gelecek zaman (-acak)Actions in the future: geleceğim — I will come, arayacağım — I will call.
14 · A2Simple Present / Aorist (-r)
Geniş zaman (-r)Habits, general facts, offers and promises: "I drink coffee every morning", "Would you like some tea?".
15 · A2Can and Can't: -abil / -ebil
-ebilmek / -eme-How to say "I can", "I can't" and ask politely: "Can I...?", "Could you...?".
16 · A2Must and Need: -malı, lazım
-malı / lazım / gerekThree ways to say "I must / I need to": -malı/-meli, lazım and gerek. In everyday speech, lazım is the most common.
17 · A2Comparison: bigger, the biggest, as big as
Karşılaştırma: daha, en, kadarHow to compare: "Ankara is smaller than Istanbul", "the cheapest", "as tall as me".
18 · A2Postpositions: for, with, like, until, after, before
için, ile, gibi, kadar, sonra, önceTurkish puts these words after the noun: "for you" = senin için, "after the lesson" = dersten sonra.
19 · A2After, Before, When: -dikten sonra, -meden önce, -ince
-dikten sonra / -meden önce / -inceHow to link two actions in time: "after eating", "before leaving", "when you arrive".
20 · A1–A2Telling the Time
SaatHow to ask and tell the time: half past, quarter past, five to, and "at three o'clock".
21 · A1Days of the Week and Months
Günler ve aylarDays, months, "today / tomorrow / yesterday" and how to say "on Monday" and "in May".
22 · A1–A2Shopping and at the Café
Alışveriş ve kafeReady-to-use phrases to order a coffee, ask the price, pay by card and ask for the bill.
23 · A1Family and Relatives
AileMother, father, brothers and sisters, plus special Turkish words: older brother (ağabey), mother's sister (teyze), father's brother (amca).
24 · A1–A2Directions and Public Transport
Yol tarifi ve ulaşımAsk the way, understand the answer and get around by bus or metro: straight on, turn right, change lines, bus stop.
25 · A2At the Doctor and the Pharmacy
Doktorda ve eczanedeHow to make an appointment, describe symptoms and understand how to take medicine. The emergency number in Turkey is 112.
26 · A1Weather and Seasons
Hava durumu ve mevsimlerHow to ask about the weather and answer: sunny, it's raining, minus five, take an umbrella.
27 · A2At Official Offices: Documents and Residence Permits
Resmî dairedePhrases for the migration office, notary or bank: appointment, documents, queue number, signature. Plus the official websites to check current rules.