You’re probably here because you have connected with the Turkish language and want to communicate with some of the 80 million Turkish speakers worldwide. However, because of the complicated grammar and structure compared to English, figuring out how to learn Turkish for a beginner and where to start can be intimidating. I think the best way to learn is a slow process of immersion, learning basic phrases, and studying grammar, and I’ll outline my process below. However, for those interested in the easiest or fastest method of learning Turkish, I’ll also give the steps you need to get speaking right away.
Compared to other more popular languages, there are not as many Turkish resources out there to pick from. So, I hope these tips and the other TLL content will help you succeed!
How To Learn Turkish For Beginners
With most languages, the best place to start is with the alphabet. Luckily, if you’re learning Turkish from English, you can rely on the standard Latin alphabet that you’re used to and focus on the few additional letters that Turkish has. After that, to learn as quickly as possible, prioritize relevant and themed vocabulary, basic grammar rules (save the complex stuff for later), and listening/speaking exercises. I also recommend reading basic children’s books once you have a basic understanding. When possible, try to have slow conversations with native Turkish speakers to practice.
Yes, there is more to worry about later on, including complex grammar rules, verb tenses, and the annoying way Turkish words change due to vowel harmony and agglutination. However, for a beginner to get speaking quickly, I recommend saving the complex stuff for later. Focus on basic concepts and vocabulary, and immerse your brain in natural Turkish as much as possible.
** ↓ In a Rush? Skip Down To My 14 Steps For Quickly Learning Turkish ↓ **
How Long Will It Take?
The time it takes to learn a new language depends on many factors, including the language’s difficulty, your experience with learning new languages, and the amount of time you can devote. According to the U.S. Department of State’s Foreign Language Training, Turkish is a category III language (hard but not super hard), meaning it takes 44 weeks (1100 hours) to become proficient. This amount, while less than category IV languages like Japanese or Arabic, can seem intimidating.
However, I would say that those looking to learn Turkish fast at home can take some shortcuts to get the ball rolling more quickly. I started with a crash course over a few months to prepare for my first 2016 trip to Turkey. Following that, I began a more thorough learning of the language to become fluent over the succeeding years.
Read More: 5 Ways Turkish Is Easier Than You Think
What Is the Best Way to Learn the Turkish Language?
While many concepts may overlap, I want to be clear that the fastest way to learn Turkish is not the best way. Crash courses that promise to get you speaking in 10 days can work for communicating basic phrases, and I’ll link to relevant guides depending on your specific goals for learning Turkish. However, the best way to learn Turkish is to combine full immersion with supplementation of grammar and vocabulary studying.
Taking a slower approach to immersion and grammar studying puts the language into your head the way our brains naturally learn. Imagine the way a toddler learns a language—they do not start with grammar rules or complicated concepts. Little by little, their vocabulary improves and they self-correct as they hear the language properly spoken around them. This initial implicit learning of grammar happens for several years, followed by a more explicit explanation of grammar rules.
By the time we’re adults, most of us have forgotten these grammar rules even though we effortlessly follow them most of the time.
To be clear, this approach does not mean you need years and years to speak Turkish decently. As an adult, you have the benefit of using your already-developed native language to speed up the process. However, staying aware of the implicit learning that children do, at least in my opinion, was the ideal method to study Turkish for me.
How Did I Learn Turkish?
Since I am a professional musician, for me, the easiest way to learn Turkish, in the beginning, turned out to be a similar method that I use to learn a new and complicated piece of music. To be clear, my method is by no means the fastest way to learn (I’ll give tips for that below). But, in my opinion, my approach is the most thorough way to absorb a language naturally, the way that lets you use it in the wild.
I did not want to pass any Turkish exams or get a good grade in a class. My goal for learning Turkish was to communicate better with my Turkish partner and be able to understand and speak with her family. So, this approach meant combining three different activities and ways of paying attention to let new material slowly get into my head. It is also the approach to teaching I am taking as I build this site!
Passive Listening
The first concept was passive listening where my attention could wander in and out of what I was hearing. So, this step included listening to Turkish podcasts, YouTube videos, or language guides while I was driving, working out, cooking, or anything else. The idea is to let your brain get an introduction to the language much like a young child does.
Most of what you hear you will not understand. However, the structure, sound, and overall rhythm of the language make its way into your brain over time. Maybe it is the musician in me that likes this listening-first approach. Also, when I began online Turkish learning in 2015, I had recently read Timothy Gallwey’s The Inner Game of Tennis, which encouraged this type of instinctual learning.
Studying Grammar and Vocabulary
Learning a new language’s grammar rules, sentence structure, and all of the weird exceptions is probably what intimidates most people away from learning. I agree that this step is the most annoying and tricky, however, my approach was to learn as little grammar as necessary at first.
Instead of taking that textbook approach where you try to learn your new language like an organic chemistry class, I supplemented my listening with little snippets of grammar lessons. I would find basic example sentences and analyze them. What did the ending of that word change? Why is the question particle before that word instead of at the end?
Little by little, I learned the basic grammar rules when they came up in real-world situations. Plus, once I had learned a grammar rule, I would play with Google Translate to see that rule in action as I changed different parts of the sentence.
Overall, I tried to make the grammar aspect of Turkish in the background of my mind so I could learn more like a child would.
The exception to this low-key approach was with vocabulary, where I had more discipline to learn ten new words a day through using a spaced repetition app on my phone. I would add ten new words and review them along with all of my previous vocabulary. The app kept track of which words needed the most review through its spaced repetition algorithm.
Active Listening To Native Speakers
Compared to hearing more advanced Turkish in the background (most of which I wasn’t understanding), the active listening part of my practice involved slowly listening to Turkish audio and making sure I heard and understood all the words. I started with basic dialogue recordings and mapped out the sentences, being sure to add any new words that came up into my vocabulary app.
As I got better, I graduated to more advanced listening like YouTube videos and podcasts. Often, I would play them at .75X speed to make listening easier. The goal was to rewind as much as needed to make sure my brain was hearing everything. After 3-4 repetitions, a sentence that started as gibberish to me would suddenly click in with the meaning, even at full speed.
Again, throughout this slow and active listening, I would take notes about any new words or grammar concepts I saw so that I could review them later.
How To Learn Turkish Fast at Home in 14 Steps
If you work your way through these steps in a thorough way, you will be speaking Turkish in no time. The beginning stage of learning a new language is the hardest, so focus on small steps and let the language naturally build itself in your mind with time.
1. Take Some Notes on Previous Experiences
If you have had any previous experience learning (or attempting to learn) a foreign language, then you might have some insight into the best method for you. Knowing ahead of time whether you are a visual learner, excel at audio content, or require a mixture of both will help you prioritize what to work on.
2. Write Down Your Primary Goals for Learning Turkish
Learning a new language will involve many frustrating moments, so I recommend consciously noting your main motivation for learning. Besides your personal reasons, some of the more general benefits of learning Turkish include:
- Travel to Turkey will be way more enjoyable (plus Turks absolutely love it when foreigners speak their language!)
- Learning a new language is great for your brain!
- Learning Turkish is a window into the fascinating culture of Turkey
- It is a unique language: compared to German, French, Spanish, Italian, etc, speaking Turkish will give you a skill that stands out from most people.
3. Learn the Alphabet
In the Ottoman times, Turkish used an alphabet that resembled modern-day Arabic. But, after the founding of modern Türkiye and a law passed in 1928, Turkish officially switched to a Latin-based alphabet.
And, this is fantastic news for anyone wanting to learn Turkish from English. With a few exceptions and additional letters—for example, ö,ü,ğ,ş,ç,ı—you can follow your instincts with the Turkish alphabet.
4. Sound Out Basic Words and Phrases
Once you familiarize yourself with the alphabet, practice sounding out some basic words, eventually leading to common phrases. Again, because Turkish switched to a phonetic Latin alphabet, let your instincts guide you. Here are a few examples:
- “Araba”—a-ra-ba—means “car”, and you pronounce it exactly how it looks, with a slightly rolled “r”.
- “Gitmek” means “to go”, and is also said exactly how it looks.
- “Gitmek istiyorum”—git-mek ist-i-yor-um— means “I want to go”, and flows naturally, again with a slightly rolled “r”.
Here are some examples with the extra Turkish letters:
- “Otobüs”—o-toh-boos— means “bus”
- “Ölmek” means “to die”. The ö sound is a normal o but from the front of the mouth.
- “Yoğurt” means “Yogurt” and you say it as you would in English but without pronouncing the g.
- “Şehir”—shey-here— means “city”, and the “ş” sound is like “sh” pronunciation in English.
- “Çatal”—cha-tal—means “fork”, the ç letter having a “ch” English sound.
- “Fırtına” means “storm”, and this undotted “i” comes from the front of the mouth.
5. Learn Cognates
Cognates are words that look the same between two different languages. The sound will often be quite similar, although you should expect a slightly different pronunciation and syllabic stress. However, the point is that these are basically like free vocabulary words that you won’t struggle too hard to memorize.
Some popular cognates between English and Turkish are:
- Akademi = academy
- Alkol = alcohol
- Albüm = album
- Balkon = balcony
- Bisiklet = bicycle
- Bot = boat
I found those by quickly flipping through the first few pages of the dictionary, and there are hundreds of common cognates to give you an easy way to jumpstart your Turkish journey.
6. Learn Suffixes
Turkish is an agglutinative language, which means different morphemes are attached to the end of a word to change its meaning. Besides Turkish, Japanese and Finnish are other popular languages that primarily use agglutination to change word meanings.
While the pattern of adding suffixes through agglutination makes Turkish more regular than English, the concept can be challenging at first. I recommend practicing the process by altering simple words with various suffixes, such as:
| Araba = car | Arabam (araba + ım) = my car | Arabamda (araba + ım + da) = in my car | Arabamdasın (araba + ım + da + sın) = you are in my car |
| Arkadaş = friend | Arkadaşlar (arkadaş + lar) = friends | Arkadaşlarım (arkadaş + lar + ım) = my friends | Arkadaşlarımdan (arkadaş + lar + ım + dan) = from my friends |
After those basics, begin learning the most crucial suffixes like the personal suffix so you can form basic you are/I am sentences in Turkish. As you advance, you can learn more complex suffixes little by little.
7. Learn Vowel Harmony
Vowel harmony makes more sense when listening to Turkish, however, it can be frustratingly confusing when reading and learning from text. In short, vowel harmony means that those suffixes you just read about change their form depending on the sound of the word they are attaching to.
For example, the “da” ending means “in” or “at”. So, saying “arabada” (araba + da) means “in the car”. However, the “da” suffix becomes “de” when attaching to a word with a similar sound like “şehir”. So, to say “in the city”, you would do “şehir” plus “de”. Here are a few examples of Turkish vowel harmony using the “da” suffix:
- Araba + da = arabada = in the car
- Şehir + de = şehirde = in the city
However, some Turkish vowel changes use four different forms (i, ı, u, ü). Let’s look at how the present continuous tense ending “iyor” changes with different verb stems:
| Gelmek = to come | Geliyor (gel + iyor) = he is coming |
| Yapmak = to do | Yapıyor (yap + ıyor) = he is doing (undotted i vowel) |
| Durmak = to stop | Duruyor (dur + uyor) = he is stopping |
| Gülmek = to laugh | Gülüyor (gül + üyor) = he is laughing |
8. Understand Sentence Structure
When a new language has a different sentence structure, it can be harder to naturally make sense of what you’re hearing. While the order of English sentences is subject, verb, object (I ate the apple), Turkish uses subject, object, and verb (I-the apple-ate).
To get used to this structure and how noun cases change in Turkish, I recommend following this Tim Ferris method for a beginner. The idea is to use the same few words to notice how they change with slightly different contexts. As long as you use a simple sentence, Google Translate can even work for this.
Here is an example with the words apple (elma), to eat (yemek), and to give (vermek):
- I am eating an apple = Ben bir elma yiyorum
- I am eating the apple = Ben elmayı yiyorum
- We are eating the apple = Biz elmayı yiyoruz
- She is eating an apple = O bir elma yiyor
- I gave an apple to her = Ben bir elma ona verdim
- I gave the apple to her = Ben elmayı ona verdim
- She gave my apple to John = O benim elmamı John’a verdi
I could go on and on with variations of these same words, changing possession, etc. The idea is not to get stuck on solving the grammar rules like a puzzle, but rather to begin noticing the patterns on a more implicit level to pick up on the language basics quickly. Later, you can more thoroughly learn the Turkish grammar rules as you advance.
9. Practice Themed Vocabulary
Themed vocabulary is helpful for two reasons. Firstly, you can prioritize categories of words based on how you need to use Turkish. Are you meeting your partner’s family? Then stick with family/relationship Turkish word lists and throw in some etiquette lessons and examples.
Or, if you just want to quickly learn Turkish for some upcoming travel to Turkey, prioritize travel/tourist vocabulary so you can get around more easily.
10. Watch Turkish TV Series and Movies with Subtitles
Watching TV and movies in the target language is a secret weapon when it comes to learning quickly. While you can occasionally pause the content to better understand something you missed, the idea is to watch it naturally with English subtitles. You are not supposed to understand most of what you hear if the language is new.
Instead, you are letting the sounds, rhythms, and most obvious words get into your brain through natural usage. I believe the brain remembers content much better in the context of a situation and a story.
11. Try Passive Listening
Passive listening is a fantastic way to improve your Turkish listening on autopilot. With something like podcasts or YouTube videos in the background, you can hear speakers naturally use the language in the background while you do something else.
When I was first learning Turkish, having podcasts playing while driving helped me to effortlessly get a feel for the inflections and tempo of how native Turks use the language.
12. Listen to Turkish Music
There is a reason you learn nursery rhymes when you’re a kid—something about a melody helps words stick in your brain. So build up a playlist of some Turkish music, look up the lyrics, and practice singing along.
Lyrics to more complex songs can be poetic and complicated. So, you might even start with children’s songs first to get the basics.
13. Find a Turkish Friend and Talk to People
Nothing will improve your Turkish more quickly than having genuine one-on-one conversations in the language. If you can, find a Turkish friend who is willing to have basic conversations with you. Ideally, they may also be interested in improving their English, in which case you can help each other.
When I began my Turkish studies, I could practice with my partner. However, I also used HelloTalk to connect with Turkish people learning English. Those dialogues were extremely helpful!
14. Have Fun and Go To Turkey If You Can
Okay, this last tip may seem cheesy, but I believe that it is difficult to learn something well if you are not having fun. So, try to avoid the frustration that comes with beginning a new language and see it as a fun challenge.
The journey from knowing zero Turkish to having a conversation is hard, but the process can be fun if you frame it that way! Plus, if you really want to motivate yourself to study hard, consider planning a trip to Turkey so you can use your new language in the wild!
Can You Learn Turkish in 10 Days?
Is there a fast enough method to learn Turkish in 10 days? I would say the answer is yes and no since it depends on your definition of learning. If you have many hours each day and follow the steps above, you can certainly communicate basic ideas in Turkish and maybe even read at a decent level.
However, I do not think you will be able to understand verbal Turkish after only 10 days of studying unless you are truly gifted. Turkish people speak very fast, and they often shorten the written/formal version of words in conversation.
So, while you can certainly impress your Turkish friends after 10 days of learning, I would not expect anything close to fluency.
How To Learn Speaking
Compared to reading, memorizing vocabulary, and practicing your listening skills, becoming comfortable with speaking is the hardest element to practice alone. Yes, you can rehearse dialogues by yourself, however, it rarely comes close to the feeling of having a conversation in real life.
I had the benefit of being able to practice speaking with my Turkish girlfriend (now wife), which really sped up my learning curve. It was a lot of fun to show off new words, conjugations, and sentence structures as I learned them. So, if you have any Turkish friends who are willing to help, ask them to practice some basic conversations with you. There is no replacing natural conversation in terms of improving your listening and speaking abilities.
Otherwise, consider using an online platform like HelloTalk to connect with Turkish people looking to learn English. I used that app a lot, especially the recording feature. By recording audio messages, you can replay the message several times to make sure you understand. You should no doubt be careful when talking to strangers, however, I managed to make a friend on the app and eventually met up with them on a visit to Turkey!
Learning Tips
Besides following those basic steps for quickly learning Turkish, here are a few tips that I recommend keeping in mind to make the process as smooth and easy as possible:
- Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good enough: in other words, allow yourself to make mistakes!
- Keep detailed notes along the way: these will help with reviewing and keeping track of progress.
- For listening practice, play podcasts and YouTube videos at slower speeds first, then playback at regular speed.
- Focus on simple concepts for a while, saving the complicated grammar, verb tenses, and academic style of speaking for later.
- Expect frustrations ahead of time: there will be moments when your brain gets overwhelmed with a new language…don’t be surprised when this happens!
Final Thoughts
I hope these steps and ideas gave you some inspiration for how to learn Turkish more quickly by yourself. Turkish is not as hard as some other languages, but it is definitely challenging. So create a schedule for yourself and go in with a plan. Especially if you want an easier and faster learning method, avoid the complicated grammar and stick to learning basic phrases at first. Prioritize relevant vocabulary, make use of cognates, and try to have as much fun as possible so your brain stays engaged!
Feel free to leave a comment or get in touch with me at [email protected] to let me know how your Turkish is developing!
