Learning Turkish: a practical guide
This is a written companion to the free Turkish course on LanguagePath: what the language is like, how it sounds, the phrases you will use first, how the course is structured, and what to watch out for. Everything here comes from the same lessons you can practise interactively above.
What Turkish is like
Endings shift their vowel to echo the last vowel of the word, so everything flows — that's why "to the hotel" is otele but "to Istanbul" is İstanbul'a. Just copy the patterns; your ear picks it up.
Words you may already know
Pronunciation notes
Turkish is 100% phonetic — every letter is always pronounced the same. Learn these and you can read any word aloud.
- c — like "j" in jam, as in cami = JAH-mee.
- ç — like "ch" in chair, as in çay = chai.
- ş — like "sh" in ship, as in teşekkür = teh-shek-kewr.
- ğ — soft g — silent, lengthens the vowel before it, as in dağ = daa.
- ı — dotless i — like the "a" in sofa (uh), as in kapalı = kah-pah-LUH.
- i — dotted i — like "ee" in see, as in iyi = ee-YEE.
- ö — like German ö / "u" in fur, as in dört = durt.
- ü — like German ü / "ew", as in üç = ewch.
- r — lightly rolled, always pronounced, as in bir = beer.
- j — like the "s" in pleasure, as in jeton = zheh-ton.
First phrases
The pocket phrases below are the ones learners reach for most often. Say each one out loud a few times before moving on.
| Turkish | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Lütfen | LEWT-fen | Please |
| Teşekkürler | teh-shek-kewr-LEHR | Thanks |
| Çok teşekkür ederim | chok teh-shek-KEWR eh-deh-rim | Thank you very much |
| Rica ederim | ree-JAH eh-deh-rim | You're welcome |
| Evet | EH-vet | Yes |
| Hayır | HAH-yuhr | No |
| Pardon | par-DON | Sorry / excuse me |
| Memnun oldum | mem-NOON ol-DOOM | Pleased to meet you |
| Tamam | tah-MAM | OK |
| Sağ | sah | Right |
| Düz | dewz | Straight ahead |
| Taksimetre, lütfen | tak-see-MET-reh lewt-fen | Use the meter, please |
| Kayboldum | kai-bol-DOOM | I'm lost |
| Polis çağırın | po-LEES chah-uh-ruhn | Call the police |
| Yavaş konuşur musunuz? | yah-VASH ko-noo-shur moo-soo-nooz | Can you speak slowly? |
| Saat kaç? | sah-AT kach | What time is it? |
| Saat kaçta? | sah-AT kach-TA | At what time? |
| bugün | boo-GEWN | today |
| yarın | yah-RUHN | tomorrow |
| dün | dewn | yesterday |
| şimdi | SHIM-dee | now |
| sonra | son-RAH | later |
| sabah | sah-BAH | morning |
| akşam | ak-SHAM | evening |
| gece | geh-JEH | night |
| Pazartesi | pah-zar-teh-SEE | Monday |
| Salı | sah-LUH | Tuesday |
| Çarşamba | char-sham-BAH | Wednesday |
| Perşembe | per-shem-BEH | Thursday |
| Cuma | joo-MAH | Friday |
How the Turkish course is structured
The course has 32 short lessons that build on each other. Each one introduces a few new pieces and then asks you to construct sentences you have never seen, before revealing the answer:
- The "I want" engine — Merhaba · istiyorum · bir · -mek · -e/-a
- Questions, "you" & "not" — istemiyorum · musunuz · ama / ve
- Is there…?" — var / yok — var · yok · mı?
- Can I…?" — polite requests — alabilir miyim · -ebilir miyim
- Where & being somewhere — nerede · -de / -da
- Who I am · numbers · how much — -im · benim adım · ne kadar
- Build a real scene yourself — café + taxi, all from your own parts
- More than one — plurals — -ler / -lar · these · numbers
- Mine & yours — possessives — benim …-m · sizin …-nız
- I have" — possession — …-m var · …-m yok · …-nız var mı?
- Talking about the past — -dı + -m = I …ed
- Plans & needs — the future — -eceğim · lazım · sonra
- Describing things — adjectives · çok / daha / en
- Time, days & when — Saat kaç? · bugün · günler
- The question words — ne · nerede · kim · neden · nasıl
- Family & people — aile · karım · çocuklar
- Colours & describing — renk · kırmızı · mavi
- At the restaurant — garson · acısız · vejetaryen
- Shopping & bargaining — almak · daha ucuz · son fiyat
- Transport & tickets — otobüs · nasıl giderim · uzak
- Health & the body — ağrıyor · doktor · eczane
- Help & emergencies — yardım · polis · hastane
- Feelings & weather — yorgunum · hava · sıcak/soğuk
- Politeness & survival — rica ederim · yavaş · tekrar
- Days, dates & months — günler · aylar · bugün
- Money & prices — para · fiyat · yüz → bin
- Hotel & booking — oda · gece · rezervasyon
- Phone, internet & staying in touch — telefon · wifi · şifre
- Everyday verbs & routines — -yor present · her gün
- Countries, nationalities & languages — nerelisin · konuşmak
- Making plans & suggestions — gidelim mi · buluşalım
- Final scene — put it all together — a capstone scene: no new words, just everything you've built
Inside the lessons
Here is how a few of the lessons explain the language, with worked examples and the word-by-word breakdown the course uses.
Is there…?" — var / yok
Key pieces: var · yok · mı?
This lesson is pure survival gold. The most useful travel word in Turkish: var = "there is" / "you have it" / "it exists". Its opposite is yok = "there isn't" / "none".
To ask, you add the question word mı at the end. "Is there water?" = water + there-is + ? Build it.
To say “Is there water? / Do you have water?” in Turkish: Su var mı? (soo VAR muh). Built from su = water; var = there is; mı? = ?.
"Toilet" is tuvalet . Ask if there is one.
To say “Is there a toilet?” in Turkish: Tuvalet var mı? (too-vah-LET VAR muh). Built from tuvalet; var mı?.
To say “Is there a menu? (menu = menü)” in Turkish: Menü var mı? (meh-NEW VAR muh). Built from menü = menu; var mı?.
Stack a describing word in front, just like English. "English" is İngilizce .
To say “Is there an English menu?” in Turkish: İngilizce menü var mı? (in-gee-LIZ-jeh meh-NEW VAR muh). Built from İngilizce = English; menü = menu; var mı?.
You'll hear the answers everywhere: var (yes, there is) or yok (nope). And one phrase you'll hear constantly:
Where & being somewhere
Key pieces: nerede · -de / -da
"Where?" is nerede . Turkish asks it plainly: just "[thing] where?". No "is" needed.
To say “Where is the toilet?” in Turkish: Tuvalet nerede? (too-vah-LET NEH-reh-deh). Built from tuvalet = toilet; nerede? = where?.
To say “Where is the hotel?” in Turkish: Otel nerede? (oh-TEL NEH-reh-deh). Built from otel; nerede?.
In Lesson 1, "-e/-a" meant "to" a place. Its sister ending -de / -da means "at / in" a place. otel → otelde = "at the hotel".
"Pharmacy" is eczane — worth knowing on any trip.
To say “Where is the pharmacy?” in Turkish: Eczane nerede? (ej-zah-NEH NEH-reh-deh). Built from eczane = pharmacy; nerede?.
To say "I am at...", glue "-de/-da" for "at", then the "I am" ending -yim . otelde + yim → oteldeyim = "I'm at the hotel".
To say “I'm at the hotel” in Turkish: Oteldeyim (oh-tel-deh-YIM). Built from otel-de = at the hotel; -yim = I am.
Now you can ask where anything is, and say where you are. Çok güzel!
Build a real scene yourself
Key pieces: café + taxi, all from your own parts
No new grammar today — you have the parts. We'll walk through a café and a taxi, and you build every line. Start by greeting: "Hello" is Merhaba .
To say “Hello, can I get a tea?” in Turkish: Merhaba, bir çay alabilir miyim? (mehr-hah-BAH, beer chai ah-lah-bee-LEER mee-yim). Built from Merhaba; bir çay; alabilir miyim?. Merhaba = marhaba — the Arabic/Urdu greeting you know.
To say “Is there an English menu?” in Turkish: İngilizce menü var mı? (in-gee-LIZ-jeh meh-NEW VAR muh). Built from İngilizce menü; var mı?.
To say “I don't want sugar. (sugar = şeker)” in Turkish: Şeker istemiyorum (sheh-KEHR is-teh-MEE-yo-room). Built from şeker = sugar; istemiyorum = I don't want. şeker = shakkar — "sugar" in Hindi/Marathi.
To say “Can I have the bill?” in Turkish: Hesabı alabilir miyim? (heh-sah-BUH ah-lah-bee-LEER mee-yim). Built from hesabı; alabilir miyim?.
Now outside, you flag a taxi. Tell the driver where you want to go.
And finish warmly. "Thank you so much" is Çok teşekkürler ; "see you" is görüşürüz .
Stop and feel that: you just ran two real interactions, building every sentence from pieces you understand. That's fluency in miniature — and it scales. You're ready for real Turkish conversations. İyi çalışmalar, Alex!
Mine & yours — possessives
Key pieces: benim …-m · sizin …-nız
'My' is benim , and the thing owned takes a little -m. You already say one: adım = 'my name' (ad = name + -ım).
To say “my name” in Turkish: adım (ah-DUM). Built from ad = name; -ım = my.
'Bag' is çanta . Add -m for 'my bag'. 'Passport' is pasaport → pasaportum.
To say “my bag” in Turkish: çantam (chan-TAM). Built from çanta = bag; -m = my.
To say “This is my passport” in Turkish: Bu benim pasaportum (boo beh-NEEM pa-sa-por-TOOM). Built from bu = this; benim = my; pasaport-um = my passport.
'Your' (polite) is sizin , and the thing takes -nız/-niz. You've heard Adınız ne? = 'What's your name?'
To say “What is your name?” in Turkish: Adınız ne? (ah-duh-NUHZ neh). Built from ad-ınız = your name; ne? = what?.
'Key' is anahtar . 'My key' = anahtarım; 'your key' = anahtarınız.
So: -m = mine, -nız = yours. With these you can claim and ask about anything you own. Süper!
I have" — possession
Key pieces: …-m var · …-m yok · …-nız var mı?
Turkish has no verb 'to have'. Instead it says 'my X exists' — your possessive -m from last lesson + var. You already know one: Rezervasyonum var = 'I have a reservation'.
To say “I have a reservation” in Turkish: Rezervasyonum var (reh-zer-vas-yo-NOOM var). Built from rezervasyon-um = my reservation; var = exists.
'Money' is para . 'I have money' = Param var. And 'I have no money' swaps var for yok.
To say “I have money” in Turkish: Param var (pah-RAM var). Built from para-m = my money; var. para ≈ paisa/paise (money) in Hindi/Marathi.
To say “I have no money” in Turkish: Param yok (pah-RAM yok). Built from para-m = my money; yok = doesn't exist.
'Time' here is vakit → 'I don't have time' = Vaktim yok (the i drops — Turkish smoothing again).
To say “I don't have time” in Turkish: Vaktim yok (vak-TEEM yok). Built from vakt-im = my time; yok.
To ask 'do you have…?', use the polite -nız + var mı? 'Do you have a room?' = Odanız var mı?
Have, don't have, and 'do you have?' — all from var/yok + your possessive. Çok iyi!
Talking about the past
Key pieces: -dı + -m = I …ed
Now you can tell stories. The past tense is the ending -dı/-di/-du/-dü , and 'I' adds -m. gitmek (to go) → gittim = 'I went'.
To say “I went to the hotel” in Turkish: Otele gittim (oh-teh-LEH git-TEEM). Built from otel-e = to the hotel; git-ti-m = I went.
yemek (to eat) → yedim (I ate). içmek (to drink) → içtim (I drank).
To say “I ate” in Turkish: Yedim (yeh-DEEM). Built from ye-di-m = I ate.
To say “I drank tea” in Turkish: Çay içtim (chai ich-TEEM). Built from çay = tea; iç-ti-m = I drank.
görmek (to see) → gördüm (I saw). And one you already know: beğendim = 'I liked it'!
To say “I saw” in Turkish: Gördüm (gur-DEWM). Built from gör-dü-m = I saw.
To ask 'did you…?', use polite -nız mı. 'Did you eat?' = Yediniz mi?
You can now speak about what already happened — a huge jump in real conversation. Harika!
Plans & needs — the future
Key pieces: -eceğim · lazım · sonra
For 'I will / I'm going to', Turkish uses -eceğim / -acağım . gitmek → gideceğim ('I'll go'; the t softens to d).
To say “I'll go tomorrow” in Turkish: Yarın gideceğim (yah-RUHN gee-deh-jeh-EEM). Built from yarın = tomorrow; gid-eceğim = I'll go.
almak (to take/buy) → alacağım ('I'll take'). Useful when you decide in a shop.
To say “I'll take this” in Turkish: Bunu alacağım (boo-NOO ah-lah-jah-AHM). Built from bunu = this (object); al-acağım = I'll take.
For needs there's a magic word: lazım = 'needed'. 'I need a taxi' = Bana taksi lazım ('to-me a taxi is needed').
To say “I need a taxi” in Turkish: Bana taksi lazım (bah-NAH TAK-see lah-ZUHM). Built from bana = to me; taksi; lazım = needed. lazım ≈ laazim/laazmi (necessary) in Hindi/Urdu.
To say “I need to go” in Turkish: Gitmem lazım (git-MEM lah-ZUHM). Built from gitme-m = my going; lazım = needed.
Two timing words: sonra = later, şimdi = now.
Past, present and future — plus needs. You can now place any action in time. Mükemmel — perfect!
Describing things
Key pieces: adjectives · çok / daha / en
Adjectives go before the noun, just like English. büyük = big, küçük = small. 'A big hotel' = büyük bir otel.
- büyük (bew-YEWK) — big
- küçük (kew-CHEWK) — small
- iyi (ee-YEE) — good
- kötü (kur-TEW) — bad
- sıcak (suh-JAK) — hot
- soğuk (soh-OOK) — cold
- ucuz (oo-JOOZ) — cheap
- pahalı (pah-hah-LUH) — expensive
To say “a small hotel” in Turkish: küçük bir otel (kew-CHEWK beer oh-TEL). Built from küçük = small; bir = a; otel = hotel.
Three power words: çok = very, daha = more, en = most. So daha ucuz = cheaper, en ucuz = the cheapest.
To say “very beautiful” in Turkish: çok güzel (chok gew-ZEL). Built from çok = very; güzel = beautiful.
To say “cheaper (more cheap)” in Turkish: daha ucuz (dah-HA oo-JOOZ). Built from daha = more; ucuz = cheap.
To say “the cheapest” in Turkish: en ucuz (en oo-JOOZ). Built from en = most; ucuz = cheap.
For drinks you'll want sıcak (hot) and soğuk (cold). 'Cold water' = soğuk su.
You can now describe, compare and pick the best or cheapest of anything. That's a complete conversational toolkit — tebrikler!
Time, days & when
Key pieces: Saat kaç? · bugün · günler
'What time is it?' is Saat kaç? Time words: bugün today, yarın tomorrow, dün yesterday, şimdi now.
- bugün (boo-GEWN) — today
- yarın (yah-RUHN) — tomorrow
- şimdi (SHIM-dee) — now
To say “What time is it?” in Turkish: Saat kaç? (sah-AT kach). Built from saat = hour; kaç = how many.
Days end in a familiar way — 'Pazartesi' Monday … 'Pazar' Sunday.
To say “Today is Monday” in Turkish: Bugün Pazartesi (boo-gewn pah-zar-teh-SEE). Built from bugün = today; Pazartesi = Monday.
'At what time?' is Saat kaçta? and 'at eight' is 'saat sekizde' (the -de = at).
To say “At what time?” in Turkish: Saat kaçta? (sah-at KACH-ta). Built from saat = hour; kaç-ta = at what.
To say “at eight o'clock” in Turkish: saat sekizde (sah-at seh-KIZ-deh). Built from sekiz = 8; -de = at.
Colours & describing
Key pieces: renk · kırmızı · mavi
renk = colour. kırmızı red, mavi blue, beyaz white, siyah black, yeşil green, sarı yellow.
- kırmızı (kuhr-muh-ZUH) — red
- mavi (mah-VEE) — blue
- beyaz (beh-YAZ) — white
- siyah (see-YAH) — black
To say “red” in Turkish: kırmızı (kuhr-muh-ZUH). Built from kırmızı = red.
To say “white” in Turkish: beyaz (beh-YAZ). Built from beyaz = white.
To say “Is there another colour?” in Turkish: Başka renk var mı? (BASH-ka renk var muh). Built from başka = another; renk = colour; var mı? = is there?.
To say “This is very beautiful” in Turkish: Bu çok güzel (boo chok gew-ZEL). Built from bu = this; çok = very; güzel = beautiful.
You've already met daha (more) and en (most) back in Lesson 13 — here's the comparing pattern put to work: "X -den daha [adj]" = X is more [adj] than Y.
Common mistakes and things to watch out for
- para üstü (pah-RAH ues-TUE): money back.
- Türkçe (TUERK-cheh): language.
- İngilizce (een-gee-LEEZ-jeh): language.
Culture and etiquette
Shoes off indoors
In homes (and some guesthouses or mosque-adjacent spaces) you remove your shoes at the door. Slippers are often offered. Follow your host's lead — keeping shoes on inside a home is a real faux pas.
Mosques & respect
To enter a mosque: dress modestly, remove shoes, women cover their hair (scarves are usually provided). Avoid visiting during the five daily prayer times. Keep voices low. Most major mosques warmly welcome respectful visitors.
Gestures to know
Tilting the head up with a 'tsk' means 'no' (not approval!). Don't point the sole of your foot at someone. The 'OK' ring gesture is best avoided. A hand on the heart after thanks is a lovely, common sign of sincerity.
Example dialogues
Taking a taxi
You: Merhaba, otele gitmek istiyorum. (mehr-hah-bah, oh-teh-leh git-mek is-tee-yo-room) — Hello, I want to go to the hotel.
Driver: Tabii, hangi otel? (tah-bee, han-gee oh-tel) — Sure, which hotel?
You: Bu adres. Taksimetre, lütfen. (boo ad-res, tak-see-met-reh lewt-fen) — This address. Use the meter, please.
Driver: Tamam efendim. (tah-mam eh-fen-dim) — OK sir.
You: Ne kadar sürer? (neh kah-dar sew-rer) — How long does it take?
Driver: On beş dakika. (on besh dah-kee-kah) — Fifteen minutes.
You: Burada durabilir misiniz? Teşekkürler. (boo-rah-dah doo-rah-bee-lir mee-see-niz, teh-shek-kewr-ler) — Can you stop here? Thanks.
Bargaining at the bazaar
Seller: Buyurun, bakın! En güzel fiyat sizde. (boo-yoo-roon bah-kuhn, en gew-zel fee-yat siz-deh) — Welcome, take a look! Best price for you.
You: Sadece bakıyorum… bunu beğendim. (sah-deh-jeh bah-kuh-yo-room, boo-noo beh-en-dim) — Just looking… I like this.
Seller: Çok güzel seçim. İki yüz lira. (chok gew-zel seh-chim, ee-kee yewz lee-rah) — Great choice. Two hundred lira.
You: Çok pahalı! Daha ucuz var mı? (chok pah-hah-luh, dah-ha oo-jooz var muh) — Too expensive! Is there a cheaper one?
Seller: Size yüz elli olsun. (see-zeh yewz el-lee ol-soon) — For you, let it be 150.
You: Yüz lira, son fiyat. (yewz lee-rah, son fee-yat) — A hundred lira, final price.
Seller: Tamam, anlaştık! (tah-mam, an-lash-tuk) — OK, deal!
You: Nakit veriyorum. Teşekkürler. (nah-kit veh-ree-yo-room, teh-shek-kewr-ler) — I'll pay cash. Thanks.
At the pharmacy
You: Merhaba, başım ağrıyor. (mehr-hah-bah, bah-shum ah-ruh-yor) — Hello, I have a headache.
Pharmacist: Geçmiş olsun. Ağrı kesici vereyim. (gech-mish ol-soon, ah-ruh keh-see-jee veh-reh-yim) — Get well soon. Let me give you a painkiller.
You: Günde kaç kez? (gewn-deh kach kez) — How many times a day?
Pharmacist: Günde iki kez, yemekten sonra. (gewn-deh ee-kee kez, yeh-mek-ten son-rah) — Twice a day, after meals.
You: Tamam. Ne kadar? (tah-mam, neh kah-dar) — OK. How much?
Pharmacist: Altmış lira. (alt-mush lee-rah) — Sixty lira.
You: Teşekkürler. (teh-shek-kewr-ler) — Thank you.
Written by the LanguagePath editorial team from our own course material. Pronunciation guides are approximate English respellings; tap any phrase in the app above to hear it. Native-speaker review of every course is ongoing — tell us if you spot an error.