Joking, teasing and knowing when to stop
A bag big enough for the whole house: practise playful Turkish replies, check whether someone is serious and stop a joke that has upset them.
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Negotiating a deadline: request, counteroffer, agreement
Tomorrow’s draft can make a later deadline workable: ask for extra time in Turkish, respond to a counteroffer and confirm exactly what is due when.
Read and practiseDiscussing a book: summary, interpretation and evidence
Two sisters and an old house start a Turkish book discussion: summarise the plot, distinguish the author’s claim from your reading and support your view.
Read and practiseSmall talk: give a stranger room to respond
An evening in a quiet garden becomes a conversation: follow up on a detail in Turkish, share something yourself and leave without an abrupt goodbye.
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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 practisedeğil 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.
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