A1 · Beginner
Greetings and introductions
A greeting in Turkish depends on the time of day, and on whether you are arriving or leaving. Names and “how are you” also change when you speak politely.
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Three lessons each at A1, A2, and B1. The explanation follows the language of this page. The examples stay in Turkish.
This lesson is free practice. It does not award a CEFR certificate.
A1 · Beginner
A1 · Beginner
Saying am, is, and are
In the present, Turkish does not use a separate word for “am,” “is,” or “are.” A personal ending attaches to the noun or adjective, and the question particle stays a word of its own.
Open lessonA1 · Beginner
This, that, and plurals
Turkish has three words where English has “this” and “that.” The plural of those words is irregular, while ordinary nouns follow vowel harmony.
Open lessonA2 · Elementary
A2 · Elementary
The definite past
The definite past presents an event as finished and known. The ending follows the last vowel of the verb, and a voiceless stem turns d into t.
Open lessonA2 · Elementary
Four main cases
Turkish marks a specific object, a destination, a location, and a starting point with endings on the noun. Whether the ending begins with a vowel or a consonant decides the buffer and the final consonant.
Open lessonA2 · Elementary
What is happening now
The present in -iyor says what is happening now. The vowel before yor follows the stem, and one common verb softens t to d only in the positive.
Open lessonB1 · Intermediate
B1 · Intermediate
Can and cannot
Turkish marks ability with an ending on the verb. The vowel of that ending comes from the last vowel of the stem, and the negative is a different ending, not a plain “not.”
Open lessonB1 · Intermediate
Who does it, and what is done
Turkish builds “the man who comes” and “the book that I read” with two different endings. The second one takes a possessive suffix, and that suffix changes k to ğ.
Open lessonB1 · Intermediate
Real conditions
An open condition in Turkish puts se or sa on an aorist stem. The result is an aorist too. A wish can use the same ending without that aorist vowel in front of it.
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