Turkish A1: first steps

What you will learn at this level

• Read and say all 29 letters, including ı, ğ and ö
• Choose the right ending with vowel harmony, from the plural to the locative
• Greet people, introduce yourself and ask simple questions with mi, var and yok
• Talk about the present and the simple past in short sentences

Lessons at this level

1. The Turkish alphabet: 29 lettersTurkish letters and soundsTwenty-nine letters, no silent ones: see which three English letters are missing, which six are new, and why c and ç are two different sounds.
2. The eight Turkish vowelsTurkish letters and soundsTurkish has eight vowels, sorted by tongue, lips and mouth opening. See how a e ı i o ö u ü differ and why ö is not just o.
3. Dotless ı and dotted iTurkish letters and soundsLearn to tell Turkish ı from i by sound and spelling, and to write the capitals I and İ correctly in words such as ışık, kır and İzmir.
4. Soft g (ğ): the letter you do not say as gTurkish letters and soundsTurkish ğ is not a g: after a, ı, o, u it stretches the vowel, after e, i, ö, ü it sounds like a light y. Spelling and mouth position, with no recording.
5. ö and ü: the rounded front vowelsTurkish letters and soundsLearn to say Turkish ö and ü by rounding your lips while the tongue stays forward, and keep them apart from o and u in pairs such as kör/kor and üç/uç.
6. Turkish c and ç: j and chTurkish letters and soundsSay Turkish c like the j in jam and ç like the ch in chair, and see why one cedilla separates cam (glass) from çam (pine tree).
7. S and Ş: hiss against hushTurkish letters and soundsTell the hiss of s from the hush of ş with minimal pairs such as taş and tas, kaş and kas, su and şu, and learn the mouth position each one needs.
8. The Turkish r: one quick tapTurkish letters and soundsHow to say the Turkish r as a single light tap of the tongue tip at the start, middle and end of a word, and how to keep it apart from l in pairs such as kar and kal.
9. Front k, g and l: kedi, gül, elTurkish letters and soundsWhy the k in kedi and the g in gül sound lighter than in kapı and gaz, how l shifts beside e i ö ü, and what the circumflex in kâr does.
10. Double consonants: anne, elli, hattaTurkish letters and soundsFifty is elli, but his hand is eli: hold the doubled consonant in anne, elli and hatta so a long sound is not shortened into a different word.
11. Letter names: spell it aloudTurkish letters and soundsSpell your name on the phone the Turkish way: consonants are called be, ce, de, and vowels keep their sound. Includes the odd ones, ğ and j.
12. Syllables: one vowel, one beatTurkish letters and soundsCount the vowels and you have the syllables: a-ra-ba, ki-tap, el-ma. See where one consonant goes, where two split, and why saat is sa-at.
13. Word stress: the last syllableTurkish letters and soundsKitap, kitaplar, kitaplarımız: the stress slides to the end each time. Learn the default Turkish word stress by counting syllables, with no recording needed.
14. Reading any word aloud: one letter, one soundTurkish letters and soundsTurkish spelling is a recipe, not a puzzle: read left to right, say every letter once, and a word you have never met comes out right. No recording, just method.
15. Question intonation with miTurkish letters and soundsYağdı mı? The peak sits on dı and mı stays light: learn where the voice peaks in Turkish yes/no questions and why a question word needs no mi.
16. Front and back vowels: kal against kelTurkish letters and soundsHear the difference between kal and kel, bal and bel, kır and kir: where the tongue sits decides the vowel, the neighbouring k, and the word itself.
17. -ler / -lar: the plural suffixTurkish suffixesTwo shapes, one slot: -ler and -lar differ by a single vowel, and the plural always sits right after the noun, before our, your and case endings, as in evlerimizde.
18. -de / -da / -te / -ta: in, at, onTurkish suffixesLearn the Turkish locative suffix in all four shapes, -de, -da, -te and -ta, how the last vowel and last sound choose one, and why it is Ankara'da with an apostrophe.
19. -den / -dan / -ten / -tan: from, out ofTurkish suffixesSay where you come from in Turkish. The ablative suffix has four shapes, and after his, her or its it adds an n: evinden, not evden.
20. -e / -a / -ye / -ya: to, towardsTurkish suffixesWhere does -e or -a go, when does a y appear, and why does kitap become kitaba? A guide to the Turkish dative for goals and receivers.
21. -i / -ı / -u / -ü: marking the definite objectTurkish suffixesTurkish marks a known, specific object with -i, -ı, -u or -ü. See which of the four fits, when a y or a softened k, p or ç steps in, and when no ending is needed.
22. -in / -ın / -un / -ün: of, ’s (the genitive)Turkish suffixesSay whose something is with the genitive: Ali'nin, çocuğun, kapının. Four shapes, the buffer n after a vowel, and why the thing owned needs an ending of its own.
23. -im / -ım / -um / -üm / -m: myTurkish suffixesTurn ev into evim and araba into arabam: which of five endings follows the last vowel, why vowel-final nouns take only -m, and how kitap becomes kitabım.
24. -in / -ın / -un / -ün: your (evin, araban)Turkish suffixesSay your house, your car, your mother in Turkish: the four -in/-ın/-un/-ün shapes after a consonant, the short -n after a vowel, and kitap becoming kitabın.
25. -i / -si: his, her, itsTurkish suffixesWhy is it evi but arabası? Learn the third-person possessive in all eight shapes, when a final consonant softens (kitap, kitabı), and why his and her are the same.
26. -imiz / -ımız / -umuz / -ümüz: ourTurkish suffixesLearn how Turkish says our: the suffix -imiz and its seven other shapes, chosen by the last vowel and by whether the noun ends in a vowel, as in evimiz and arabamız.
27. -ınız / -iniz / -unuz / -ünüz: your (plural, polite)Turkish suffixesSay eviniz, arabanız, kitaplarınız: the ending for your when you address several people or one person politely, with its eight shapes and the vowel it drops after a vowel.
28. -leri / -ları: their house, their carTurkish suffixesEvleri, arabaları, kitapları: how the Turkish ending for “their” chooses -leri or -ları, why p, ç, t, k stay hard, and why evleri can also mean one person's houses.
29. Buffer -n-: evinde, evinden, evineTurkish suffixesLearn why Turkish inserts n between the his/her possessive and a case suffix (evi + de = evinde), and why it never appears after my, our or your.
30. Buffer -y-: the y that joins vowelsTurkish suffixesArabaya and kapıyı, not arabaa or kapıı: see where Turkish puts a linking y between a vowel-ending word and -e/-a or -i, and where it never does.
31. bana, sana, ona: pronouns with case endingsTurkish suffixesHow ben, sen and o change before case endings: bana, senden, onu, ona, and why biz and siz stay regular. Includes the full pronoun table.
32. Apostrophes with names: Ankara'da, Ali'ninTurkish suffixesWhy Turkish writes an apostrophe between a name and its suffix, how the ending is picked, and why Ahmet and Zeynep keep their last letter.
33. mi / mı / mu / mü: the yes-or-no question wordTurkish suffixesTurn any Turkish statement into a yes-or-no question with mi, mı, mu or mü: which vowel to choose, why it is written apart, and where the person ending goes.
34. -im / -sin / -iz / -siniz: I am, you are, we areTurkish suffixesSay who or how you are in Turkish with the person endings -im, -sin, -iz and -siniz, with vowel harmony and the buffer y that follows a vowel.
35. -iyor / -ıyor / -uyor / -üyor: happening nowTurkish suffixesMake the Turkish present continuous: how the vowel before -yor follows the stem, what happens to bekle- and başla-, and why git- turns into gidiyorum.
36. -miyor / -mıyor / -muyor / -müyor: not doing nowTurkish suffixesGelmiyorum and never gelmeyorum: see how the negative -me/-ma narrows before -yor, how the stem's last vowel picks it, and where the person ending goes.
37. -di, -dı, -du, -dü, -ti: the past (geldi, yaptı)Turkish suffixesEight shapes of the Turkish past ending: -di, -dı, -du, -dü and their t forms. See how the stem's last vowel and last sound pick one, as in geldi, yaptı and gördü.
38. Past person endings: -m, -n, -k, -niz, -lerTurkish suffixesGeldim, geldin, geldi, geldik, geldiniz, geldiler: how the Turkish past tense marks who did it, why he and she get no ending, and where harmony changes -niz and -ler.
39. -medi / -madı: the negative pastTurkish suffixesGelmedim, okumadım, görmedik: attach -me or -ma, then -di or -dı and a person ending to say what did not happen, with just two shapes to learn.
40. -ecek / -acak: will, going toTurkish suffixesTomorrow's plans, promises and forecasts: the future suffix -ecek/-acak, its y buffer after vowels, and the k that turns into ğ in geleceğim.
41. -le / -la: with, by means ofTurkish suffixesKalemle, arabayla, benimle: attach -le/-la for 'with' or 'by', add a y after a vowel, and see how it relates to the separate word ile.
42. -inci / -ıncı / -uncu / -üncü: ordinal numbersTurkish suffixesWhich ordinal shape fits? Choose -inci, -ıncı, -uncu or -üncü by the last vowel, drop the i after a vowel (ikinci) and soften dört to dördüncü.
43. -ca / -ce / -ça / -çe: language namesTurkish suffixesAlmanca, Arapça, İngilizce, Türkçe: the four shapes of the suffix that turns Alman, Arap, İngiliz and Türk into language names, and how to pick one.
44. -li / -lı / -lu / -lü: with, havingTurkish suffixesSütlü kahve, şekerli çay: see how the suffix -li, -lı, -lu or -lü says with or having, why its l never changes, and why Ankaralı has no apostrophe.
45. Without: -siz / -sız / -suz / -süzTurkish suffixesŞekersiz çay is tea without sugar. See how -siz, -sız, -suz and -süz follow the last vowel, why the s never changes, and why çocuksuz keeps its k.
46. -in / -ın / -un / -ün: polite commandTurkish suffixesCome, look, sit down: build the Turkish command you give to several people or to someone you respect, with four vowel shapes and a y after vowels.
47. Vowel harmony: the two-way and four-way rulesTurkish grammarLearn how the last vowel of a Turkish word chooses the vowel of its suffix, in the two-way and the four-way patterns, with a table of all eight vowels.
48. Word order: the verb goes lastTurkish grammarWhere does the verb go in Turkish? At the end. See the usual subject, time, place, object, verb order and which words may move without changing the meaning.
49. Personal pronouns: ben, sen, o, biz, siz, onlarTurkish grammarSix Turkish pronouns from ben to onlar, and what surprises most learners: o has no gender, siz is also polite, and the verb ending often makes the pronoun unnecessary.
50. To be: personal endings on nouns and adjectivesTurkish grammarTurkish has no word for “am” or “are”: the ending does the work. Build öğrenciyim, öğrencisin and öğrenciyiz and see when the y appears.
51. değil: I am not, it is notTurkish grammarLearn how değil negates nouns and adjectives, why the person ending sits on değil (değilim, değilsin) and not on the noun, and how verbs are negated instead.
52. mi, mı, mu, mü: yes/no questionsTurkish grammarTurn a Turkish statement into a yes/no question with the particle mi, mı, mu or mü: choose its vowel, put it after the right word and add the person ending.
53. Question words: ne, kim, nerede, nasıl, kaçTurkish grammarNe, kim, nerede, nasıl and kaç ask about things, people, places, manner and number: put them where the answer would stand, and never add mi.
54. bu, şu, o: this, that and he or sheTurkish grammarWhich Turkish word means this, which means that, and when is it he or she? Learn bu, şu and o, their plurals bunlar, şunlar and onlar, and why the noun carries the plural.
55. var and yok: there is, there is notTurkish grammarSay what exists and what is missing in Turkish with var and yok: a place in the locative, the thing, then one word, and a question with var mı.
56. Present continuous: what is happening nowTurkish grammarSay what is going on right now with -yor: geliyorum, okuyorum, başlıyorum. Covers the narrow vowel, the lost final a or e, and the person endings.
57. I am not doing it: -mıyor / -miyor / -muyor / -müyorTurkish grammarTurn gidiyorum into gitmiyorum: where the negative goes, why its vowel changes before -yor, and how to ask Gelmiyor musun? with the question word written apart.
58. Known objects: -(y)ı / -(y)i / -(y)u / -(y)üTurkish grammarA specific object takes the accusative -ı/-i/-u/-ü (kitabı okuyorum), a general one stays bare (kitap okuyorum), because Turkish has no word for 'the'.
59. Going to and giving to: the dative in sentencesTurkish grammarThe dative suffix marks where a movement ends and who receives something. See why the goal can never be left bare and why words ending in a vowel add a y.
60. Where and from where: -de and -den in a sentenceTurkish grammarSay where you are and where you come from: -de/-da for staying, -den/-dan for leaving, also when the place is a person, as in Ali'de and bende.
61. Saying “I have”: kitabım varTurkish grammarSay what you have in Turkish without a verb for have: the owner in the genitive, the thing with a possessive ending, then var or yok, as in Benim kitabım var.
62. Adjectives before nouns: güzel bir evTurkish grammarIn Turkish the adjective comes first and never takes an ending: büyük evlerde, güzel bir ev. See where bir goes and why ev büyük is a whole sentence.
63. Numbers and quantities: the noun stays singularTurkish grammarAfter üç, on, kaç, birkaç or çok a Turkish noun stays singular: iki kitap. See why the number already carries the plural and when -ler/-lar still appears.
64. Commands and polite requests: gel, gelinTurkish grammarTell one friend gel, but say gelin to a stranger or a group. See how Turkish builds commands from the bare verb stem, and why git becomes gidin.
65. Wanting and needing: istemek and lazımTurkish grammarAsk for tea, say you want to leave, tell a friend you need money: istiyorum for wanting, bana lazım for needing, and how the two sentences are built.
66. ile: with, by means of and “and”Turkish grammarWho did you go with, and how? Learn ile for company, vehicles and tools, the attached forms arkadaşımla and otobüsle, and why benimle replaces ben ile.
67. Joining sentences: ve, ama, veya, çünküTurkish grammarBread and cheese, cold but sunny, home or work: join words and sentences with ve, ama and veya, and give a reason with çünkü.
68. Liking and disliking: sevmek and hoşlanmakTurkish grammarSevmek takes the accusative and hoşlanmak the ablative. Learn to say what you like and dislike in Turkish, from Kahveyi seviyorum to Kediden hoşlanmıyorum.
69. Simple past with -di: what happenedTurkish grammarDün geldim, dün gittim: report finished events in Turkish by adding -di to the bare verb stem and a person ending, with time words such as dün and az önce.
70. Simple past: gitmedim and gittin mi?Turkish grammarAsk Gittin mi?, answer Gitmedim: how the Turkish past takes -me, the person endings and a bare mi, with the question word written apart.
71. Time phrases: today, at three, on SaturdayTurkish grammarBugün and yarın need no ending, but a clock time does: saat üçte. See how Turkish says today, at three and on Saturday without extra little words.
72. evet and hayır: answering yes/no questionsTurkish grammarDoes evet mean yes or no after Kahve içmiyor musun? Learn to answer negative questions in Turkish: evet agrees with the question, hayır rejects it.
73. olmak: to be, to becomeTurkish verbsOlmak means 'become' and 'happen', and gives 'be' only outside the present. Study its forms and see why 'I am a student' needs no olmak at all.
74. gelmek: to comeTurkish verbsThe stem gel- never changes, but the k of the future -ecek softens to ğ before a vowel: gelecek, geleceğim. Present, past and future forms of gelmek.
75. gitmek: to go, and why git- turns into gid-Turkish verbsGitmek means to go, but its stem changes: gidiyorum, gideceğim, yet gittim and gitmiyor. See when t turns into d and which case marks where you go.
76. yapmak: to do, to makeTurkish verbsDo homework, do sport, have breakfast, go shopping: see how yapmak takes -ıyor and -tı in six persons, and why it is yaptım and never yapdım.
77. yemek: to eat, yiyorum and yedimTurkish verbsEat in Turkish: why the stem ye- turns into yi- in yiyorum, but stays ye- in yedim and yemiyorum, plus yemek as a noun for the meal itself.
78. içmek: to drink and to smokeTurkish verbsTea, water, soup and cigarettes all take one Turkish verb. See içmek in the present, past, future and negative, and why içtim has a t.
79. almak: to buy, to get, to takeTurkish verbsHow almak (to buy, get, take) works: a regular stem al-, the k of -acak turning into ğ in alacağım, and why a photo or a bus ride takes a different verb.
80. vermek: to giveTurkish verbsWho gets what? See how vermek puts the receiver in -e/-a and how its stem takes -iyor, -di and -ecek, including the softening in vereceğim.
81. görmek: to seeTurkish verbsThe ö of görmek rounds the endings that follow it: görüyorum and gördüm, not göriyorum. Present, past and future forms of görmek, to see.
82. bakmak: to look at, to look afterTurkish verbsBakmak means to look at, and whatever you look at takes the dative. Its present, past and future forms, with baktım and bakacağız explained.
83. istemek: to want, to ask forTurkish verbsConjugate istemek in the present, negative and past, say what you want, and put a second verb before it as in gitmek istiyorum.
84. sevmek: to love, to like, with -i on the objectTurkish verbsSay who or what you love or like: sevmek needs its object marked with -i (seni, kediyi). Present, past, future and negative forms, with seveceğim.
85. bilmek: to know a fact, not a personTurkish verbsBilmek is for facts, answers and skills; for someone you have met Turkish says tanımak. See all forms of bilmek in the present, the past and the negative.
86. konuşmak: to speak and to talk with someoneTurkish verbsTalk with a friend, speak Turkish, stay quiet in a meeting: konuşmak marks the other person with ile, -le or -la. Present, past, future and negative forms.
87. okumak: to read, to studyTurkish verbsKitap okuyorum, okudum, okuyacağım: see why a vowel-final stem adds y before -acak, and how okumak also means to study at school or university.
88. yazmak: to write, and why it is yazdım, not yaztımTurkish verbsYazmak is regular, yet its z is voiced: yazıyorum, yazdım, yazacağım. See the vowel before -yor, the d of the past, and how to say what you write and where.
89. oturmak: to sit, to liveTurkish verbsSitting down or living somewhere? Oturuyorum covers both. Learn oturmak in three tenses and when its place takes -de/-da or -e/-a.
90. çalışmak: to work, to studyTurkish verbsÇalışmak covers a job, homework and a lift that runs: the workplace in -da, ders çalışmak for study, and why the past is çalıştım, not çalışdım.
91. uyumak: to sleep, to fall asleepTurkish verbsThe stem uyu- ends in a vowel, which shapes every ending: uyuyorum, uyudum, uyuyacağım, uyumuyorum. Plus how uyumak differs from yatmak, going to bed.
92. anlamak: to understand, to get itTurkish verbsAnlıyorum, not anlayorum: the final a of anla- drops before -ıyor. See anlamak in the present, past, future and negative, with examples.
93. ev: house and home with every endingTurkish nounsWhy ev keeps its v and takes front-vowel endings (evler, evde, evim), and how eve and evde come to mean going home and being at home.
94. kitap (book): kitabım, kitaba, kitaptaTurkish nounsThe p at the end of kitap turns into b in kitabım and kitaba but stays in kitapta and kitaplar: see every form and which endings cause the change.
95. su (water): suyu, suyun, suya and the yTurkish nounsLearn how the noun su takes its endings: why it is suya and suyu with a y, why the genitive is suyun and not sunun, and which forms stay plain, as in suda and sudan.
96. ekmek: bread and the k that turns into ğTurkish nounsWhy bread is ekmeği and ekmeğim but ekmekler and ekmekte: the final k softens to ğ only before a vowel, shown on one everyday noun.
97. araba: the car and its endingsTurkish nounsWhy araba becomes arabayı and arabaya but arabam and arabası: how a noun ending in a vowel handles every case and possessive ending.
98. okul: school, with every ending it takesTurkish nounsLearn how okul (school) takes plural, possessive and case endings, as in okullar, okulum, okulda and okula, and why okulu can mean two different things.
99. arkadaş: the word for friend and its endingsTurkish nounsWhy arkadaş takes -ta and -tan instead of -da and -dan, why its ş never changes, and how plural, possessive and case endings stack: arkadaşlarımızdan.
100. çay: tea and its endingsTurkish nounsThe noun çay (tea) with the plural, accusative, dative, locative, ablative and possessive endings, and why it is çaya and çayı, never çayya.
101. kedi (cat): kedim, kediye, kedisiTurkish nounsKedim, kediye, kediyi or kedisi? See how a noun ending in i adds y, n or s before a vowel ending, why it is never kediim, and every case and possessive form.
102. masa (table): masaya, masayı, masasıTurkish nounsWhere does the y in masaya and masayı come from? See how the noun masa (table) takes every common ending after its final vowel, and why masası is not masayı.
103. oda (room): odada, odaya, odası, oda daTurkish nounsOdada or oda da? One written word means 'in the room', the other 'the room too'. Plus every ending of oda, with the buffers y and s: odaya, odayı, odası.
104. para: money and its endingsTurkish nounsParam yok, Para biriktiriyorum, Parayı bıraktım: how para (money) takes -ya, -yı, -m and -sı, and when a general sum stays bare.
105. Numbers 0 to 20: sıfır to yirmiTurkish word setsCount from sıfır to yirmi: the 21 Turkish numbers, why thirteen is on üç and never üç on, and why the noun stays singular after a number.
106. Colours: kırmızı, mavi, sarı and açık maviTurkish word setsName the eleven basic colours in Turkish, make a lighter or darker shade with açık and koyu, and spell kahverengi, kırmızı and sarı with the right letters.
107. The days of the week: pazartesi to pazarTurkish word setsLearn the seven Turkish days from pazartesi to pazar, how to say on Monday or every Friday without any ending, and why cuma and cumartesi are easy to mix up.
108. Months in Turkish: from ocak to aralıkTurkish word setsAll twelve Turkish months from ocak to aralık, and the short ending -da/-ta that makes 'in March': martta, eylülde, aralıkta. No capital letter, no apostrophe.
109. Family words: mother's side and father's sideTurkish word setsAunts, uncles and grandparents get different names depending on the side: anneanne or babaanne, amca or dayı, hala or teyze.
110. Body parts: from head to footTurkish word setsFourteen body words with their my-forms, why it is burnum and ağzım but boğazım, and how to say what hurts. Start with Başım ağrıyor.
111. Fruit names for the market and the tableTurkish word setsTen common fruits from elma to karpuz, why they stay bare in statements like Elma seviyorum, and how to keep the sweet cherry apart from the sour one.
112. Vegetables (sebzeler): buying them by weight and pieceTurkish word setsName twelve market vegetables from domates to lahana, ask for them by the kilo, bunch or piece, and see why havuç becomes havucu but soğan stays soğanı.
113. Drinks: çay, kahve, su and orderingTurkish word setsName six everyday drinks and order them the Turkish way: bir bardak çay with no plural, içmek for drinking, and the suyu in portakal suyu.
114. Breakfast foods: ekmek, peynir, zeytin and kahvaltıTurkish word setsBread, cheese, olives, eggs, jam and honey: name the Turkish breakfast table, say kahvaltı yapmak, and see why ekmek becomes ekmeğe.
115. Clothing words: giymek and takmakTurkish word setsGiymek or takmak? Twelve clothing words from gömlek to ayakkabı, and why Turkish uses one verb for shirts and shoes and another for glasses and watches.
116. Rooms of the house: mutfak, salon, yatak odasıTurkish word setsWhy the bedroom is yatak odası and not yatak oda: a dozen room words from mutfak to koridor, and the -sı that joins compounds with oda.
117. Pets and farm animals: kedim, köpeğim, kuşumTurkish word setsKedim var, köpeğim var: ten pets and farm animals, how to say you have one with the my-ending and var, and why köpek becomes köpeğim but at becomes atım.
118. Jobs and professions: from öğretmen to gazeteciTurkish word setsNe iş yapıyorsun? Name ten jobs, say what you do in one word such as doktorum, and see why Ne yapıyorsun? asks about something else.
119. Hello: merhaba and selamHow to say it in TurkishLearn how to say hello in Turkish with merhaba and selam, when each one fits, how to greet a group with merhabalar, and how to pass a hello on to someone else.
120. Günaydın: saying good morning in TurkishHow to say it in TurkishGünaydın is the one word that greets anyone in the morning: how to write it, how to answer it and when to switch to iyi günler.
121. Thank you: teşekkür ederim, sağ ol, rica ederimHow to say it in TurkishSay thanks in Turkish at the right warmth, from teşekkürler and sağ ol to teşekkür ederim, name the reason with için, and answer when someone thanks you.
122. Please: lütfen and buyurunHow to say it in TurkishAsk for tea, water or a favour in Turkish with lütfen, and see why handing someone something calls for buyurun instead.
123. Sorry and excuse me: özür dilerim, pardonHow to say it in TurkishLearn when to say özür dilerim, pardon and affedersiniz: a real apology, a light excuse me, and a polite way to stop a stranger, plus the answer önemli değil.
124. Goodbye: hoşça kal and güle güleHow to say it in TurkishLearn the two Turkish goodbyes, hoşça kal for the one who leaves and güle güle for the one who stays, plus the polite hoşça kalın and the casual görüşürüz.
125. Nasılsın? How to ask how someone isHow to say it in TurkishAsk a friend nasılsın and an elder nasılsınız, then answer with iyiyim, yorgunum or kötüyüm, and see why a y appears after iyi.
126. My name is: adım and benim adımHow to say it in TurkishTurkish says 'my name is' without a verb: adım Elif. See how adım, adın and adı work, when benim joins in, and what Ben Elif'im does differently.
127. I don't understand: anlamıyorum, anlamadımHow to say it in TurkishAnlamıyorum or anlamadım? Say that you do not follow, ask for a repeat, and see why the negative present becomes -mıyor and never -mayor.
128. Yes and no: evet, hayır, var, yokHow to say it in TurkishIs there milk? Süt var mı? Turkish answers with evet and hayır, but with var and yok when the question is about being there or having. Here is how to pick the word.
129. How much is it? ne kadar and kaç liraHow to say it in TurkishNe kadar and kaç lira both ask a price, but only kaç needs a noun after it. Learn the two questions, the answer in lira and why lira stays singular.
130. Where is...? Asking with neredeHow to say it in TurkishTuvalet nerede? is the whole question: a noun plus nerede, with no verb. Learn when -sin follows, why gözlük becomes gözlüğüm, and how nereye differs.
131. Greeting people by the hour: günaydın, iyi akşamlarEveryday TurkishPick the right Turkish greeting for the hour, from günaydın to iyi akşamlar, answer hoş geldiniz with hoş bulduk, and see why iyi geceler is never a hello.
132. Introducing yourself: name and memnun oldumEveryday TurkishSay who you are with Benim adım… or Ben …-(y)im, ask a name politely, and close with memnun oldum. Two patterns, and the slip of mixing them.
133. Asking how someone is (Nasılsın?)Everyday TurkishPick between nasılsın and nasılsınız, then answer with iyiyim, hastayım or yorgunum, and see why a y appears when the word ends in a vowel.
134. Please, thank you, sorry: lütfen, teşekkür, özür, ricaEveryday TurkishSay please, thank you, sorry and you're welcome in Turkish: lütfen, teşekkür ederim, özür dilerim and rica ederim, and who uses which with whom.
135. Saying goodbye: hoşça kal, güle güle, iyi gecelerEveryday TurkishWho says hoşça kal and who answers güle güle? Part from someone in Turkish by day and by night, and see why the two farewells cannot swap places.
136. Asking someone to repeat or speak slowlyEveryday TurkishSay you did not catch something and politely ask a stranger to say it again, more slowly or in writing, with anlamadım and tekrar eder misiniz.
137. Where are you from? Where do you live?Everyday TurkishSay where you are from and where you live: Nerelisin?, Almanya'danım, Berlin'de yaşıyorum, and why -den names your origin while -de names the place you are in now.
138. Spelling your name and phone numberEveryday TurkishSay a name letter by letter with the Turkish letter names such as ye, ve and yumuşak ge, tell ı from i, and read out a phone number digit by digit.
139. Ordering tea and coffee: bir çay lütfenEveryday TurkishOrder tea, coffee and the bill in Turkish: bir çay lütfen, counting with bardak and fincan, asking politely with alabilir miyim, and saying "with milk" or "without sugar".
140. Ordering a meal: lütfen, istiyorum, alabilir miyimEveryday TurkishOrder food in a Turkish restaurant: ask for the menu, name a dish with lütfen or istiyorum, ask for the bill, and see when hesap becomes hesabı.
141. Asking the price: kaç lira?Everyday TurkishBu kaç lira? or Ne kadar? Two Turkish ways to ask what something costs, how to read the number in the answer, and why lira never takes a plural.
142. Buying at a market or shop: a kilo of tomatoes, pleaseEveryday TurkishAsk for goods by quantity, check the total and take your change in Turkish, and see why the item stays bare after a measure such as a kilo.
143. Asking the way: nerede and sağa dönünEveryday TurkishAsk where a place is with nerede, follow short directions such as düz gidin and sağa dönün, and see why turning right takes -a instead of -da.
144. Buying a ticket: bir bilet lütfenEveryday TurkishAnkara'ya bir bilet lütfen: buy a bus or metro ticket in Turkish, ask the time and the platform, and see why the city takes -a and not -da.
145. Asking and telling the time: saat kaç?Everyday TurkishIs it saat kaç? or saat kaçta? Ask the time, say three o'clock and half past three, and add -te/-ta to say when something happens.
146. Meeting a neighbour: yeni komşunuzumEveryday TurkishIntroduce yourself as the new neighbour with yeni komşunuzum, ask which floor someone lives on, and wish a mover well with hayırlı olsun, all in the polite siz forms.
147. Talking about your family: annem, kardeşim, varEveryday TurkishAnnem and kardeşim mean my mother and my sibling. Learn the -m ending, count relatives with var and yok, and ask Kaç kardeşin var? back.
148. Talking about your job or studiesEveryday TurkishNe iş yapıyorsun? Answer with a job and a person ending, as in öğretmenim, and name the place with the locative: hastanede çalışıyorum.
149. Asking for help: yardım eder misiniz, tuvalet neredeEveryday TurkishBana yardım eder misiniz? Ask for help with the person in the dative, find the toilet with nerede and say bir sorun var when something goes wrong.
150. Common wishes: afiyet olsun, geçmiş olsun, kutlu olsunEveryday TurkishWish someone well in Turkish: afiyet olsun at a meal, geçmiş olsun in illness, kutlu olsun on birthdays and holidays, and when 'your' becomes -ın or -ınız.