How To Learn The Turkish Language

I’d like to recommend a resource to add to this list: TurkishTextbook.com. Turkish Textbook is a free online resource for Turkish language and culture learning, and it specializes in providing explanations of grammar concepts and cultural concepts that are not explained well in traditional textbooks and courses.

Hey guys!
I wanted to let you know about a new online Turkish language program that we recently launched. The whole premise of the course is to provide a genuine immersion experience in the Turkish language using video lessons. Our goal is to help people actually think in Turkish, rather than focus on head knowledge. We use bite sized, ready-made video lessons so you can go at your own pace and learn when you want and where you want! If you’re interested, you can check us out

i will love to learn turkey can send your email

i am a native speaker if you want to learn turkish i can help for all person.

ben de ingilizce öğrenebilsem keşke her dilin ayrı bir zorluğu var

I am starting Turkish classes at the University of Washington in two weeks and I appreciate this list of resources. I like the story of the bus phrase because I just spent a year in Georgian learning Georgian and the parallel Georgian phrase, though shorter, was something I learned similarly. It is important that the mashrutka stops where you need it to stop!

I’m learning Turkish with tutors here. It’s a good source and I started to practice speaking. But even now I’m looking for new opportunities to try something new in language learning.

If you know some great ways you tried yourself, let me know, please.I’ll be glad.

Logic Reigns Supreme - or Does It?

They say that Turkish is easy to learn because it is so logical. The grammar is logical and there are very few exceptions to any of its syntax rules. There is no gender, no masculine, feminine and neuter forms to master, so it must be easy. And so they say thus: the Professors, the Teachers, and especially native Turks themselves.

They say it is ‘so’ easy. “Why?, Doesn’t a Turkish child learn to speak its mother tongue at a very early age?”. You may have noticed that the professors, the lecturers and the native speakers state that this facility is so; however you may go on to notice that this list does not include Turkish Language Learners. Ask any of them, or should I say ‘any of us’, and for the most part you will receive an answer quite to the contrary. A resounding “No! Turkish is so difficult, I’ve learned the rules but I still cannot understand or make myself understood!”.

So the learning road is littered with fallers by the wayside, triers to the man, but despite their industry it is all to no avail and so another well intentioned learner disappears into the distance, consumed by disappointment and their lack of success. They took their courses, they went to their classes, they watched their videos, they listened to their sound tapes and at the end of it all your friendly “Merhaba nasılsın” is met with a blank stare of misapprehension and you can see panic setting in in their eyes. So why is it so?

Let us try to give an explanation not only to ourselves, the poor misunderstood Turkish Learner but also to the all the Professors and Teachers and Native Turkish Speakers who say that as Turkish is so logical then it is therefore so easy to learn.
An Analogy Explained

Well, in these days of computing and programming, let us give an analogy, (a similarity between like features of two things, on which a comparison may be based). How many of us in our forays into computer programming, be it Visual Basic, Java Script or any programming language which is built on logic and which has its own syntax rules, have spent more time debugging our efforts to produce a successful result than actually being able to use our programming “skills” naturally and with ease?

Even when we have learned the rules of syntax of any particular computing language we still meet the stumbling block of logic. Consequently, until everything is in its rightful place our program will not flow and run successfully. In our debugging trials we often have to take the way of seeking examples, be it from a book, from the world-wide web or maybe we enroll for some course or other in order to increase our ability in our endeavour.

We know that each computer language has its own dialect. Visual Basic cannot understand a Java Script programme, it does not know what to do as it is unintelligible and gobbledygook. It does not ‘compile’, it does not ‘run’. Similarly we come against a difference in vocabulary in Turkish, we can take an “educated guess” at a word in German and the Romance Languages, but the Turkish vocabulary stumps us; it is completely alien to us and we can gather no clue to the intended meaning. We can learn some of the dialect; and we need to learn this new vocabulary by heart, but even then after applying all the rules and knowledge that we have absorbed about it we find that we still have further problems with the actual logic of the language. We can always find an example that will show us the way to surmount our difficulties, and we can only say to ourselves - “I would not have thought of doing or saying it like that, myself!”
The Problems of Learning Turkish.

This was the situation that I found myself in when I went to Turkey to work in the late seventies. I did not know a word of Turkish, and at the age of forty-five I had to start somewhere. I bought a grammar book and tried to learn the rules, Vowel Harmony, Consonant Change, Affixed Post-positions (agglutination), Verbal Nouns etc. We realize that rules can be learned, but as in computer programming it is their application which becomes difficult especially when the logic of the Turkish Language is so different to that of our own mother tongue English. Moreover we are trying to apply these rules and logic to a completely different dialect. This is why Turkish is very difficult for us English Speakers.

Yes, the Professors, Teachers and Turkish Speakers are right; Turkish is an extremely structured and logical language, as proven by the fact that Turkish children learn to speak it very early in life, but it is this internal structure of the language which defeats us foreigners in our learning attempts. We just cannot “think Turkish!”. We never learned how to, and probably many of us never will be able to think with Turkish logic. So even after many years of trying to learn Turkish we are labelled as speaking ‘Tarzanca’ in the manner of the film hero ‘Tarzan of the Apes’ as only the best we can do is akin to “Me Tarzan!, you Jane!”.

After 34 years of learning I can tell you all that Turkish is very difficult for us English Speakers.

John Guise - Manisa Turkish

Wanted to share this with everyone else here interested in learning Turkish!

My experience: Started picking up Turkish through apps, of course free content online, and youtube videos. I don’t live near anyone who speaks Turkish sadly (living in Asia) so I had no idea if I was... using correct grammar or correct pronunciation. Although I was in groups on Facebook to check through grammar. But just like you said, its all about finding the best way for you to learn. So for me I found my way (after self studying) through some online lessons with a native teacher who spoke English :)

So! I found a great teacher offering online lessons, so I’d like to share my teacher’s awesome lessons here:
https://classdo.com/gorkemunal
Btw if you want a free trial lesson, just message him about it :P Hope this helps anyone here who isn’t able to find teachers nearby!!

you have great material here Donovan
apologies in advance but considering your keen embrace of all things international, you’re a smart guy but I feel compelled to respond to another australian ‘stereotype’ or basic error. I know this is a language website but, lest people think your nationality are something they are not;

’’anzac” day, centenary or otherwise, is NOT the most sacred day on the australian calendar. i feel you’d do well to more carefully considered your choices of sentences, left in perpetuity on your website. I am offended by this intimation. on one hand there’s all the media propoganda and romanticisation of the war event. The medias inclination to describe present day soldiers as ‘diggers’ and whatever.
And then there’s a massive part of the population whom are absolutely disgusted by the fact the event took place, whom know the event was NOTHING to do with protecting australia, it was all to do with furthering the vested interests international banking, and the british empire, and keeping Australia and NZ bound and obligated to that British empire. it was a waste of life and nothing more, and the sooner we forget about that disgusting tragedy the better
And the same large component of the population are absolutely bewildered by why anybody would want to go on a ‘’pilgramage’ to Turkey to meditate on the mass blood sacrificial ritual. You call the day ‘sacred’ ?
I don’t mind if you delete this post but I’ll be glad if at least you yourself get to read it. Respectfully, Krista ;-) xoxo
a search for ‘myths behind anzac day’ or ‘lies of world war 1’ etc will reveal a ton of articles.

I know, I’m coming here a bit late... Anyway...
I’ve been using Duolingo for a while (it’s out of Beta, now!), and I find it very useful!
After reading your post, I’ve also taken a look at Turkish Basics: it’s wonderfully clear to me!
Thanks for sharing!

I’m a long-time Turkophile. If you go to the PowerTürk (large radio station conglomerate) website and stream their pop music channels, they include lyrics for most. Awesome for colloquial phrases and listening. The Foreign Service Institute’s Basic Turkish Course is dated but still awesome for listening and basic grammar.

Thanks for the recommendations, Justin.

Hi Donavon and All

I have been learning Turkish for nealy 40 years now. For me, there is still so much to learn even now.

How does one learn? Here is my feeling about it all:

How to learn Turkish - or really, how to learn anything well.

Your study in language will be much like your study in school; you develop so much in one grade to prepare yourself for understanding in the next.

There are to be times when the road will seem a bit rough, but console yourself with the thought that the final goal is more than worth the effort.

All over the world students meet the same problems, and overcome them just as you surely will.

Opportunity lies before you; make the most of it,

Seek Knowledge:
Acknowledge your ignorance and grasp every opportunity to learn. Look for criticism, and never be ashamed to ask questions.

Form Good Associations:
Choose your company wisely. Avoid those who would undermine your resolution. Seek those who will stimulate you to better efforts.

Keep Your Aim High:
Know that enjoyment in language aquisition goes in direct proportion to ability. Always aim high - up and up.

Welcome Difficulty:
Recognize difficulties for what they are - stepping stones along the way to test your will. Once surmounted, they will spur you on.

Have Patience:
Stick by your guns. Know that then you canl attain your goal, however long the road, whatever the obstacles.

Have Courage:
Fortify yourself with firm resolution. Stubborn resolve will bear you up when strength is needed.

Have Faith:
Know that success lies within you. Know that firmness of purpose and perseverance are prerequisites of success. Cast doubt from your mind and believe in yourself.

Good Luck to all Turkish Learners

John Guise - Manisa Turkish Webmaster - Kawerau, New Zealand

Hi Aaron,

I currently live in Turkey and have really wanted to meet up with a college student to practice Turkish and for them, English. How did you go about doing this and at what university? If you could email me, that would be great.

Hannah

Wow, I understood most of that. This was a great post too, I’m so excited to find the listening library!

He is actually pretty good. Congratz.

Aeron is not bad at speaking Turkish, I can understand everything he says as a native Turkish speaker but he needs more practice on Turkish pronunciation.

are you kidding? he is one of the best foreign Turkish speakers I’ve ever seen. You can’t expect foreigners, especially the natives of some languages, to have a perfect pronunciation. it is too hard for them to pronounce some sounds, no matter how hard they try

Hey Sam,

Thanks for the comment. Glad the acquisition vs. learning idea made sense. It’s been an important distinction for me.

Aaron

This is a really good post, with lots of good things to take away. I particularly like the sentence “acquisition will always be deeper, more meaningful and longer lasting than learning”. I’ll definitely be trying to remember that going forward.

Just that sense of being able to communicate, even just a little, at the beginning, is invaluable, and it’s something I’m trying to force myself to do more and more. I had it in Spain this last week (and have blogged about it), and it’s a great feeling to force yourself to do it, and come away having succeeded in communicating - and getting the desired results. Having there be some necessary reason for the communication - getting off the bus, getting a plate of pasta - strengthens that need and that relationship, and makes it more real.