yıkamak: washing hands, dishes and the car
Ellerimi yıkıyorum or duvarı yıkıyorlar? The present of yıkamak (wash) looks like yıkmak (demolish); the past, yıkadım against yıktım, keeps them apart.
Read and practiseAdventure journal
All Turkish lessons
Choose a topic, read the examples and try the exercises before revealing the answers. Follow a related lesson when you are ready to use the same idea in a new situation.
Adventure journal
Your lesson journal
Choose your level
The lesson search could not load. You can still browse the pages.
No matching lesson. Try a shorter search or another topic.
pişirmek: to cook
Cooking something versus being cooked: pişirmek puts you in charge, pişmek lets the food do it. Conjugate pişirmek and avoid the common mix-up.
Read and practiseuçmak: to fly
Uçuyorum, uçtum, uçacağım: how uçmak (to fly) rounds -iyor to -uyor after u, takes a t in the past and softens k to ğ in the future.
Read and practiseyüzmek: to swim, and where
Denizde yüzüyorum or denize yüzüyorum? In the sea takes -de, to the shore takes -e. Plus yüzüyorum, yüzdüm, yüzeceğim and the negative yüzmüyorum.
Read and practisehatırlamak: remembering people and moments
A face, a password, a shared trip: use hatırlamak for what you remember, practise hatırlıyorum and hatırlayacağım, and separate remembering from reminding.
Read and practiseunutmak: forgetting things and forgetting to act
An umbrella left on a bus and a call you never made both use unutmak. Practise unuttum, unutacağım and the action pattern aramayı unutmak.
Read and practiseanlatmak: tell a story, explain an idea
A plan to explain, a tale to tell: use anlatmak with a listener and a topic, practise its main forms, and distinguish explaining from understanding.
Read and practiseGöstermek: show someone something
A drawing, a route, a button: use göstermek to show something to someone, choose bana rather than beni, and form a polite request with gösterir misiniz.
Read and practisegöndermek: send a file, parcel or message
A file goes to someone: göndermek pairs the item with its recipient. Practise gönderiyorum, göndereceğiz and a polite request without confusing send and take.
Read and practisegetirmek: bring it here
A bowl of soup, a box for tomorrow: getirmek brings something towards a person or meeting place. Practise its forms, requests and contrast with götürmek.
Read and practisegötürmek: taking someone or something elsewhere
A bag to the car, a cat to the vet: götürmek connects an object with a destination. Practise its forms and distinguish taking there from bringing here.
Read and practisetaşımak: carrying things and moving them
A basket in your hands, a table in another room: use taşımak for carrying, practise its forms and distinguish it from taşınmak when you move home.
Read and practisetutmak: hold, take notes, keep a promise
A ladder, a notebook, a promise: tutmak changes meaning with its object. Practise tutuyorum, tuttum, tutarım and tutacağım in everyday contexts.
Read and practisebırakmak: leave something, let go, stop
An umbrella by the door, a rope in your hand: bırakmak covers leaving and letting go. Practise its forms and say which activity has stopped.
Read and practiseatmak: throw, discard and send a message
A ball, an old ticket, a message: atmak changes meaning with its object. Practise attım, atacağım and atar mısın, and keep the stem’s t.
Read and practiseçekmek: pull, take photos, withdraw money
A rope, a camera and a bank account meet in çekmek. Practise its forms, distinguish pulling from pushing, and choose the verb for taking photos.
Read and practiseitmek: push a door or move an object
A door that will not move? Use itmek for pushing: itiyorum, ittim and iter misiniz. Practise keeping t and naming the object you push.
Read and practisekoymak: put something in its place
A book on a shelf, salt in soup: koymak names the act of placing or adding. Practise koyuyorum, koydum, koyacağım and koyarım, with the destination in the dative.
Read and practisekullanmak: use a tool, drive a car
A tablet, a pencil or a car: the Turkish verb for using things also covers driving. Practise its forms, mark specific objects and distinguish drivers from passengers.
Read and practisedenemek: try something out or try doing it
A jacket, a recipe, a possible solution: denemek lets you try them out. Practise its forms and turn an action into the thing you try.
Read and practiseKazanmak: win a match, earn money
A match, an income, new experience: kazanmak covers all three. Practise its present, past, future and habitual forms, and distinguish winning from defeating.
Read and practiseKaybetmek: lose things, time or a game
A missing glove, wasted time, a game you lose: practise kaybetmek and its changing stem, then distinguish losing something from getting lost.
Read and practiseHarcamak: spend money, time and effort
Where does your money go? Harcamak names what you spend and what you spend it on. Practise its forms and distinguish time devoted to a task from time passed somewhere.
Read and practisebiriktirmek: save up and collect
Small amounts add up: biriktirmek describes saving money or collecting objects. Practise its forms and distinguish your action from money building up.
Read and practise