When it comes to learning Turkish by yourself, it luckily has a logical structure, consistent rules, and tons of free or low-cost resources (like this website!) So, it is totally possible, and you don’t need expensive courses or tutors to make great progress. I cover a more general overview for the best way to quickly learn Turkish for beginners in this guide, and starting with basic phrases is always a good idea. Of course, paying for premium content or private Turkish lessons will be a much faster and more effective method, but I wanted to dedicate a post on how to learn Turkish by yourself for free online to get you speaking and understanding the basics. Aka: I’m writing the guide I wish I had ten years ago when I first started learning!
Teach Yourself Turkish: Here’s The 101
Learning how to speak Turkish will be a different journey for everyone, and a lot of how you should approach it depends on your goals going in. Are you learning it for a romantic partner? Do you want to understand and speak the basics before an upcoming trip to Turkey? Or do you have more serious goals like becoming fluent to study or live in Turkey?
So, whether or not you can completely accomplish your Turkish learning goals by yourself depends on your answer to those questions. But I can say for sure—considering I got myself to an advanced level on my own (and mostly for free)—it is possible to slowly learn this language by yourself. If you have discipline and follow a logical and consistent plan, you can learn the basics very quickly and rely primarily on speaking and listening, while saving the more advanced grammar for later.
Step-by-Step Overview
I’ll go into more specific tips below and include links to other free Turkish lessons on our site. However, let’s first look at a general overview of what I think a good plan would be. By the way, this plan is so not what I did! I was way too ambitious and thought I could skip directly to advanced concepts, which ended up slowing me down. But in hindsight, here is the plan I wish I followed:
- Devote two full weeks to the extreme basics (alphabet, personal pronouns, basic sentence structure, etc) before moving to more advanced lessons.
- Build a small vocabulary list of the most useful words and phrases. Don’t try to memorize 50 new words a day!
- Avoid textbooks! It might sound controversial, but with Youtube and online resources, I think a textbook style of learning is not great for beginners.
- Listen as much as you can and be okay with not understanding.
- Continually remind yourself of your larger goal for learning Turkish, and set weekly milestones.
Misconceptions
There are some misconceptions I want to state outright before you get too excited about quickly becoming fluent. For example, is it possible to learn in one month before an upcoming trip? Well, I’m sorry to break the news, but no, it is not. Compared to many other languages, Turkish is one of the more difficult ones from an English perspective. However, you can definitely learn enough for basic communication that will greatly enhance your trip.
Remember, if your goal is to communicate spoken Turkish with real Turks, advanced grammar in a textbook won’t help you! So, my overarching recommendation is to learn natural spoken Turkish with pronunciation by native speakers. Let the basic grammar rules reveal themselves slowly over time as you notice patterns from watching YouTube videos with captions, Turkish series, or studying dialogues like this one.
Also, if you need some motivation, trust me when I say that Turkish people in particular love it when foreigners try to speak their language!
Specific Tips And Tricks
Okay, with a general overview to my approach and some misconceptions stated, let’s get into some specific tips and tricks that I picked up on over time as I conquered this language by myself! Most of these tips will link out to a specific lesson on our site, so I recommend bookmarking them so you can slowly understand/absorb them over several months. You can also save our ultimate grammar guide to see an overview of Turkish grammar rules–it is basically my organized Turkish course for beginners and is regularly updated with new lessons.
Start With The Alphabet For Pronunciation
As boring as it might seem, learning Turkish for beginners won’t happen without a solid understanding of the alphabet, which is crucial for proper pronunciation (and later vowel harmony). Luckily, the Turkish alphabet is phonetic, which means that what you see is exactly what you say. Pronunciation and reading are pretty straightforward once you master the letters. Also, if you did not realize it yet, Turkish switched to the Latin alphabet in 1928, which means it is much easier to learn!
However, there are 29 letters, and you will have to learn unique sounds not found in English like ç, ş, ğ, ı, ö, and ü.
Sentence Structure
Turkish word order is different than English because the official structure is subject, object, verb (e.g., “I apple eat” instead of “I eat apple”). Words within the sentence will also have specific suffixes that signal their role (e.g., direct object, indirect object, etc.).
Of course, like any language, Turkish has exceptions that will break the rules of sentence structure, often to emphasize certain words or give a particular feel to the sentence. The linked lesson covers the proper structure but also includes when/why you would change the word order.
My primary tip: when you’re confused listening to Turkish, focusing on hearing the verbs at the ends of sentences will help you “go back” in your head and make sense of what you heard earlier in the sentence.
Learn The Verb “To Be” (Olmak) Early
The verb to be in Turkish drove me crazy when I was first learning because it operates so differently from English. In hindsight, I wish I had dedicated a full week to only understanding how Turkish uses this verb (including when it’s not even in the sentence!) before trying to read more complex sentences. While there is a separate verb for “to be” (olmak), more often it is not a separate word but instead a suffix attached to the end of a word. For example, iyiyim means “I am good” all in one word.
The linked lesson goes through everything and includes plenty of examples to drive the concept home.
Stick with Basic Suffixes (And Avoid the Advanced Ones)
I recommend avoiding complex grammar in the beginning. Focus on the essential suffixes like the personal pronouns and their different cases, possessive endings (-im, -in, -i, -leri), case suffixes (accusative -i, dative -e, ablative -den, etc.), and basic tense markers (-iyor for present continuous, -di for simple past, etc.). These core suffixes handle most daily communication and build a strong foundation without overwhelming you.
Remember, if your goal is basic communication, you don’t need fancy tenses and complex sentence structures yet!
Devote Two Weeks to Each Advanced Grammar Concept
Once you are making real progress and begin learning more advanced grammar concepts like participles, new verb tenses, conditionals, etc, make sure you do not rush through them. Devote a full two weeks to each new concept and focus on tons of examples to make the grammar settle deeply in your mind. Remember, intellectually understanding a grammar concept does not mean you can actually use it in a conversation. Speaking Turkish in real life is not the same as reading a textbook or passing an exam!
Find YouTube Vlogs That You Genuinely Enjoy
Unlike textbooks, grammar-based dialogues, or other more official content, watching Vlogs about traveling, daily life, etc, allow you to hear how real Turkish people speak the language in a casual setting. Feel free to search for Turkish daily life vlogs, cooking channels, or travel videos, and watch them with Turkish subtitles if available. As you get better, you can switch the subtitles to English (or your native language) to forther inprove your listening skills. This step is about having fun immersion that keeps you engaged, so remember to pick content that you genuinely enjoy!
I recommend checking out the following channels for content like this:
- Ceyda Ateş (General Vlog)
- Diare (Apartment/House Tours in Türkiye)
- Ayaküstü Lezzetler (Food Vlog)
- Efil Efil Dünya (Travel Vlog)
- Easy Turkish (Turkish Course with Street Interviews)
Pro Tip: Playback YouTube videos at a slower speed to make hearing/understanding the language easier.
Build Vocabulary Lists by Theme
At some point in your language learning journey, there is no replacing the memorization of vocabulary. However, instead of random words, I find that grouping them by theme (e.g., food, family, travel, school, shopping, etc.) makes the process much more natural. Our brains learn new languages best when there is context, so learning 20-30 words in a given theme and reviewing them daily is the way to go. It is even better if you can put example sentences with each word to see it in context.
So I recommend learning new vocabulary in themed groups and using a flashcard app like Anki for general review. It has a spaced repetition algorithm to keep track of which words need review. Here is a list of the current themed vocabulary lessons on our site (with more to be added regularly):
Also, once you feel like you have a solid grasp on enough words and grammar, see how well you do on our Turkish quiz!
Memorize Color Words Early
Speaking of themed vocabulary lists, one of my top recommendations is to memorize the core color words as soon as possible. Being able to distinguish between colors or to describe things by color is so useful when trying to communicate in a second language. For many years, you will encounter objects whose names you forget or do not know in Turkish. So, being able to say things like “not the red one, the blue one,” etc., will come in handy!
Bookmark the lesson on the colors in Turkish to learn all of the core vocabulary with audio pronunciation and tons of example sentences that show you how to express yourself with your new skills.
Learn Turkish Speaking the Natural Way (Not From a Textbook!!)
Textbooks teach formal language, and I am not saying there is no use for them. But in my beginning months of learning Turkish, all they did was confuse me. Plus, I would use phrases I learned in those textbooks on my Turkish wife, only to hear her say something like “I mean, that is technically correct, but nobody talks like that.” Learning the natural way Turks speak will give you vocabulary and phrases that people actually use. This street Turkish will be what you can use to naturally communicate with people and use idioms that are still common in Turkish culture instead of outdated ones for 30 years ago!
Additionally, Turks use contractions that shorten words in speech (e.g., “ne haber?” becomes “naber?” or “yapacağım” becomes “yapacam”) and filler words like “yani” or “şey” to keep the feel natural and flowing. Listen to podcasts, series, or casual YouTube chats to pick up this slang and rhythm— it’ll make your speaking sound authentic faster.
Learn About Turkish Culture
Dive into customs like hospitality, tea culture, evil eye charms (nazar), or family values. Understanding why Turks say certain phrases or behave in social settings adds context to the language. It makes learning deeper, more enjoyable, and helps you use Turkish appropriately in real life. This factor is especially true when it comes to understanding the rich library of Turkish idioms.
Set Realistic Goals
Depending on how much time you have, break down your Turkish learning journey into realistic goals. For example, maybe week one is only for alphabet and greetings, and week two is for personal pronouns. By the end of month one, aim for basic sentences and 200 of the most common words. Perhaps by month 3, you try to hold your own in simple conversations with a Turkish person. Be sure to track progress in a journal and celebrate wins, like ordering food successfully etc. Small, achievable goals keep burnout away and momentum high!
Use Free (Or Almost Free) Resources
At some point, you may have to spend some money if you truly want to become fluent. However, there are a ton of free resources out there, free trials, and websites like this one to get you quite far without spending much money. Consider checking out:
- Duolingo or Memrise for basics
- YouTube channels like Easy Turkish
- Cheap courses like Turkish Tea Time
- Apps: Try apps like HelloTalk or Tandem to learn Turkish speaking from natives for free.
Final Thoughts
Learning how to speak Turkish by yourself doesn’t require fancy courses or big budgets—just consistent, smart habits starting from the basics and building up with enjoyable immersion. Focus on what matters most, use free resources wisely, embrace the culture, and set kind goals for yourself. With daily practice, you’ll be surprised how quickly it clicks. Stay patient, have fun, and soon you’ll be chatting in Turkish like it’s second nature. İyi şanslar!
Have any comments or questions? Feel free to leave a note below in the comments or email me at: [email protected]
