Travel
Menus, dolmuş drivers, and government offices in Turkey run in Turkish. Coastal tourism English fades as soon as you leave the hotel strip.
Aprender turco
Elige turco como idioma de aprendizaje. Los menús se quedan en el idioma que ya sabes; las palabras se dicen en turco.
- Speakers
- About 85 million, mostly in Turkey
- Where it sits
- Official in Turkey; large communities in Germany, the Netherlands, and Austria
- In the app
- Istanbul Turkish, tr-TR audio
Dónde se usa
Turkish is the official language of Turkey. It is also used in northern Cyprus and is a recognized minority language in the Republic of Cyprus. Large communities in Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Belgium, and France speak it at home. Balkan towns in Bulgaria, Greece, and North Macedonia still have Turkish-speaking neighbourhoods. Azerbaijani is close enough that a lot of basic meaning comes through; it is not the same language. The Latin alphabet has been official since 1928. What you learn here is the Istanbul standard, which is what national media uses.
- TurkeyOfficial. From Edirne to Van, the public language is Turkish.
- CyprusA recognized minority language in the Republic of Cyprus; widely used in the north.
- GermanyThe largest Turkish-speaking community outside Turkey. Berlin, Cologne, Stuttgart.
- Netherlands & AustriaLong-standing labour-migration communities. Turkish in homes and shops, Dutch or German at school.
- BalkansMinority communities in Bulgaria, Greece, and North Macedonia.
- Azerbaijan (related)Azerbaijani is a sister language. Useful overlap, not a free pass.
Para qué sirve
Work
Trade between Turkey and the EU, tourism, and jobs in German-speaking countries that deal with Turkish customers.
Family and neighbourhoods
If you live near a Turkish-speaking community in Europe, the language is on the shop window already.
Ciudades donde de verdad lo usarás
Istanbul is not the whole country. Anatolian cities will reward the same standard and will not switch to English for you.
Istanbul
Turkey
Two continents, ferry announcements, bazaar Turkish. You will hear every region of the country in one city.
Ankara
Turkey
The capital. Official Turkish, less tourist English than the coast.
İzmir
Turkey
Aegean city. Slightly looser street speech, still the same standard.
Antalya
Turkey
Tourism on the coast; Turkish in the rest of the city. A fair test of whether you only learned hotel phrases.
Bursa
Turkey
Industry and daily Turkish without a resort layer.
Gaziantep
Turkey
Southeast. Food city, a different rhythm, the same written language.
Trabzon
Turkey
Black Sea. Local colour in the voice; signs stay standard.
Göreme / Cappadocia
Turkey
Small towns and balloon tourism. English in the agencies; Turkish in the village.
Qué variedad lee la app
Audio is tr-TR. Regional speech in the Black Sea or the southeast can sound far from the lesson. People still understand Istanbul Turkish. If Turkish is already the language you know, it is not offered as a learning language.
Para quién
Si el turco no es tu lengua materna. Este sitio tiene versión turca para los menús: aprender turco es para quienes tienen los menús en otro idioma.
En la app
El turco está en la misma lista de aprendizaje que el inglés. La pronunciación es tr-TR. Si el turco ya es el idioma que sabes, no se ofrece como idioma de aprendizaje.
Algunas palabras
| Turkish | English |
|---|---|
| Merhaba | Hello |
| Benim adım... | My name is... |
| Nasılsın? | How are you? |
| Tanıştığımıza memnun oldum | Nice to meet you |
