bu, şu and o: this, that and that one
Which pointing word fits? Use bu for what is in your hand, şu for what is by your listener or about to be said, and o for what is far away or already known.
Read and practiseAdventure journal
Easily confused Turkish words
Tell similar Turkish words and endings apart, such as görmek and bakmak, with contrasting examples.
Adventure journal
Easily confused Turkish words
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değil and yok: two ways to say no
Is it Bu kitap değil or Kitap yok? Learn which Turkish word denies what a thing is and which denies that it exists, with short contrast sentences to practise.
Read and practisegitmek or gelmek: go or come?
Choose between gitmek and gelmek by asking where the speaker or listener stands: movement away from that point or toward it, with the case each verb takes.
Read and practisebilmek or tanımak: knowing a fact, knowing a person
Adresi biliyorum, but onu tanıyorum: Turkish splits English "know" into bilmek for facts and skills and tanımak for people and places. See which one fits.
Read and practisegörmek or bakmak: to see or to look
Haritaya bakıyorum or haritayı görüyorum? Learn how görmek and bakmak differ in meaning and in the case of the thing they point to.
Read and practisedinlemek and duymak: listening versus hearing
I heard you, but I am not listening: see how Turkish separates choosing to listen (dinlemek) from a sound simply reaching you (duymak), with examples and practice.
Read and practisekonuşmak or söylemek: speak or say
Does a person speak Turkish or say it? Learn when Turkish uses konuşmak for talking and söylemek for telling, with short contrast sentences to practise.
Read and practiseistemek or lazım: I want, I need
Su istiyorum or Bana su lazım? Learn how Turkish says want with a verb and need with lazım, and why the person moves to bana, sana and ona.
Read and practisebiraz and az: a little or too little
Biraz Türkçe konuşuyorum or Az Türkçe konuşuyorum? See how biraz offers a modest amount and az warns of a shortage, with short Turkish pairs to practise.
Read and practisehâlâ and artık: still or no longer
Hâlâ uyuyor or artık uyumuyor? See how hâlâ says a situation goes on, how artık says it has changed or ended, and how a negative verb flips the meaning.
Read and practiseyeni or genç: new things, young people
A phone is yeni, a person is genç: learn which Turkish adjective fits things and which fits age, and why a new neighbour need not be young.
Read and practisegüzel or iyi: lovely versus good
A pretty café with weak coffee shows the split: güzel praises what is pleasant to see, hear or taste, iyi praises quality, skill, health and kind behaviour.
Read and practisebüyük vs yüksek: big, old or high
A big city but a high price: when Turkish says büyük for size and age, and yüksek for height, loud sounds and high levels.
Read and practiseöğrenmek and öğretmek: learning versus teaching
Ali'den öğrendim or Ali'ye öğrettim? Learn which Turkish verb means to learn and which means to teach, and how the person you learn from or teach is marked.
Read and practiseoturmak or yaşamak: sit, reside or live
Nerede oturuyorsun? asks about your home, not your chair. See when Turkish uses oturmak for sitting or an address and yaşamak for life and places.
Read and practisesevmek or hoşlanmak: loving or liking
Seviyorum or hoşlanıyorum? See how Turkish uses sevmek for love and general liking and hoşlanmak for pleasure in something, and which ending each verb needs.
Read and practiseAorist or present continuous: -ir or -iyor
Yağmur yağıyor or Kışın kar yağar? Learn when Turkish uses -iyor for what is happening now and the aorist -ir for habits and general facts, with short contrast sentences.
Read and practiseçünkü and bu yüzden: because versus therefore
Yorgunum, bu yüzden eve gidiyorum or eve gidiyorum, çünkü yorgunum? Learn which Turkish link introduces the reason, which one the result, and why they never swap places.
Read and practisene or hangi: what or which
Mutfakta ne var? or Hangi çantayı alıyorsun? Learn when Turkish asks an open question with ne and when it asks you to choose with hangi.
Read and practiseAorist or future: promises and predictions
A promise can take either tense in Turkish. Compare willingness, plans and predictions, and see why a word such as tomorrow does not choose the ending for you.
Read and practiseChoosing the direct or indirect past in Turkish
Witnessing a move, hearing about it later, or noticing wet streets: choose the Turkish past that shows how you learned what happened.
Read and practiseYapmak or etmek: learn the noun–verb pair
Homework, help and thanks take different verb partners in Turkish. Compare yapmak and etmek through everyday phrases, including the trap in hata yapmak.
Read and practiseTurkish alternatives: or and either … or
Two ingredients, two plans, one choice: connect alternatives in Turkish, emphasize either … or, and keep the two-word connector correctly spaced.
Read and practiseThree ways to say “but” in Turkish
A short route can still be steep: compare three Turkish contrast words, adjust the tone, and spot when a familiar connector means “only” instead.
Read and practiseExpressing purpose: an infinitive or a wish?
A balcony break and a sleeping baby show two ways to express purpose in Turkish. Choose the connector by looking at the verb form and who should act.
Read and practise-ip or -erek: two actions or a way of acting?
Sitting down to read or reading while seated? Compare Turkish -ip and -erek through linked actions, manner and contexts where both are possible.
Read and practise-dikçe or -ince: repetition, change and timing
A photo can make you smile once or every time you see it. Compare Turkish -dikçe and -ince through repeated actions, gradual change and particular occasions.
Read and practise-meli or zorunda: advice, necessity and choice
A last bus leaves little choice. Compare Turkish advice with obligation, see where -meli and zorunda overlap, and separate should not from do not have to.
Read and practisedüşünmek and sanmak: reflection or assumption
An apparently empty box can lead to a mistaken assumption. Compare thinking something over, considering a plan and believing something in Turkish.
Read and practiseWaiting, expecting or hoping in Turkish
An answer can be expected or merely hoped for. Distinguish waiting, prediction and hope in Turkish through everyday contrasts and short practice tasks.
Read and practiseStaying or stopping: choosing the Turkish verb
A hotel night, a bus at a corner and keys in a drawer reveal different meanings of staying. Choose the Turkish verb that matches what actually happens.
Read and practisebırakmak or vazgeçmek: stopping and giving up
A key on a table and an abandoned plan need different Turkish verbs. Compare bırakmak and vazgeçmek, including stopping an activity and deciding against it.
Read and practiseFinding someone or meeting up in Turkish
A missing bag and a coffee date call for different Turkish verbs. Compare finding a person with meeting up, and choose the right form for “you”.
Read and practiseBringing here or taking there: the Turkish viewpoint
A file can arrive at the same office with either verb. Choose bringing or taking by locating the speaker, listener and destination in Turkish.
Read and practisesayı, rakam and numara: quantity, digit or label?
Room 42 in a hotel with 60 rooms: separate quantities, written digits and identifying numbers in Turkish, then handle shoe sizes and magazine issues.
Read and practisedoğru and haklı: a correct statement or a person who is right
A correct calculation and a friend who is right need different words in Turkish. Contrast doğru with haklı, then practise two natural ways to agree.
Read and practiseWrong or a mistake? Choosing the Turkish word
A wrong measurement describes a result; a mistake names what went wrong. Compare these Turkish uses, their overlap, and the wording of an error message.
Read and practiseRağmen and karşın: the same concession, different tone
A match continues in the rain: compare rağmen and karşın, keep the unexpected result, and choose a conversational or more written tone.
Read and practisedolayı, yüzünden, sayesinde: cause, blame and credit
Rain can spoil a match or water a garden. Compare dolayı, yüzünden and sayesinde to give a neutral reason, blame a cause or acknowledge help in Turkish.
Read and practisebile and dahi: two ways to say even
Even the neighbours heard a whisper: compare bile and dahi, keep the emphasis in the right place, and recognise when bile means already.
Read and practiseolarak or gibi: a role or a resemblance?
A teacher’s job and a teacher’s manner are different claims. Choose Turkish olarak for a role or function and gibi for resemblance, with contextual practice.
Read and practiseOysa and hâlbuki: expectations meet facts
A key that will not fit overturns an assumption: compare oysa and hâlbuki, accept their overlap, and distinguish a contrast from a reason in Turkish.
Read and practisesadece, yalnızca, sırf: the scope of “only”
Only the reader, only the report, or just one reason? Compare three Turkish limiting words and see how their position changes what a sentence excludes.
Read and practiseMade or accepted? Choosing the Turkish passive
A shelf is made, a proposal accepted, a door repaired: choose the Turkish passive from the whole expression, and distinguish repairs from the thing repaired.
Read and practiseolmak and bulunmak: becoming, presence and location
A workshop visit shows where being and location overlap in Turkish. Compare becoming, future presence and formal descriptions without adding an unnecessary verb.
Read and practiseihtiyaç and gerek: a need or a necessity?
Quiet after a busy day and time to finish a drawing: compare Turkish expressions of need, choose the whole construction, and say when an action is unnecessary.
Read and practiseTwo Turkish words for a problem: choosing by context
A printer fault and a maths exercise do not demand the same word choice. Compare two Turkish words for a problem, their overlap and everyday reassurance.
Read and practiseyine and tekrar: again, but not everywhere
A jammed printer and a second reading show where yine and tekrar overlap. Compare “again” with “nevertheless” and learn the phrase for repeating words.
Read and practiseTurkish “ever,” “not at all” and “never”
A soup with no heat and a promise never to give up need different kinds of emphasis. Compare total absence, experience questions and firm refusals in Turkish.
Read and practiseMaybe or probably: how certain is the speaker?
A missing key leaves room for guesses. Compare possibility and probability in Turkish, allow overlapping answers, and distinguish a prediction from a promise.
Read and practiseAlready true or actually different? Two Turkish markers
A quiet room can confirm what you knew or overturn what you expected. Compare two Turkish markers through context, contrastive examples and explained answers.
Read and practisebazı or birkaç: a subset or a small number
Some empty boxes need not be just a few. Compare Turkish bazı and birkaç, choose the noun form, and explain what each choice says about quantity.
Read and practiseEvery, everyone or all of them?
Each student, everyone in the room, or all the tickets: choose Turkish expressions by what they refer to, and see when two choices can both work.
Read and practisekadar and dek: comparison or endpoint?
An evening endpoint differs from a two-hour duration. Compare kadar and dek for time and distance, then see why comparisons and approximate amounts need kadar.
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