A selection of useful sites for learning Turkish. Save it for yourself so you don’t lose it!
- turkishclass.com. Free English language website for learning Turkish. Turkish language lessons include sections: pronunciation, vocabulary, chat, stories, poetry, site rules and contacts. The site is convenient for practicing vocabulary. In addition, there is a lot of information about Turkey, photographs, detailed reports from students and travelers, sketches and essays. The user must log in and then select a lesson from one of the teachers on the desired topic. There is both theoretical material and homework for the lesson. The site will be of interest not only to students, but also to teachers. After authorization, the teacher can post his version of the lesson.
- turkishclass101.com. Free English-language site. The material is divided into levels - from zero to intermediate. The menu contains the following sections: “Audio lessons”, “Video lessons” for pronunciation training, and a dictionary for vocabulary. There is a support service and user instructions. It is possible to take notes in a special form during the lesson. Lessons in PDF can be downloaded. There are iPhone, iPad, Android Apps free. Content is divided into free and paid. To work with the say, authorization is required. Quick user registration is available.
- umich.edu. English language site. The University of Michigan has prepared a selection of electronic lessons, textbooks, tests, training exercises, here you will also find literary works and reference materials. You can download audio and video files that are used in different universities around the world when studying the Turkish language. There are a lot of materials, there is content for learning the Old Turkish language.
- sites.google.com. An English-language site that contains theoretical information on Turkish grammar. There is an interesting application that conjugates Turkish verbs.
- lingust.ru. Free Russian-language site, suitable for beginners and beginners. Theoretical material is arranged by lesson, which makes it easier to find the desired topic. There are no training exercises, but there is audio support and lessons from Radio "Voice of Turkey" (TRT-World).
- cls.arizona.edu. An English-language online textbook developed by the University of Arizona for learning Turkish from beginner to advanced levels. After authorization, the user works with DVD lessons; after each video there is a training exercise on grammatical topics, pronunciation or understanding of what was heard.
- book2.de. English and German language site. Simple and convenient interface. You can use the main services of the site for free and without authorization. The main sections are vocabulary, pronunciation examples, flash cards for strengthening vocabulary, you can download audio for free for work. There is an iPhone App and an Android App . The textbook can be purchased. Suitable as additional material.
- internetpolyglot.com. Free website, Russian version of the menu is available. It is an interesting and convenient additional tool in language learning. The site offers to memorize words and expressions by performing lexical games. There is a demo version. Authorization will help you track your success and allow you to post your materials on the site.
- languagecourse.net. A free website for learning Turkish with an intuitive interface, suitable for vocabulary training. Ukrainian and Russian language versions of the site are available. Suitable for vocabulary training. Levels from beginner to advanced. You can choose the desired topic for training - work, travel, transport, hotel, business, romance/date, etc. When registering, success is tracked and learning results are saved. Training material is available for downloading and working on a PC. The service also offers to buy a language trip to the country or pay for a course at a language school anywhere in the world.
- franklang.ru. Russian-language free site, extremely easy to use. It contains a lot of useful information - Turkish language textbooks in PDF, a library of texts in Turkish, Turkish language via Skype with teachers from the I. Frank school, texts for reading using the I. Frank method and useful links to Turkish channels, radio stations, TV series.
- www.tdk.gov.tr. Free Turkish site where you will find different types dictionaries, publications by Turkish bloggers and an online library of works of various genres.
- www.w2mem.com. A free site with a Russian menu, but before you start you need to log in. Very simple interface. The site was created for practicing vocabulary - you compile your own dictionary, and then consolidate your knowledge by completing tests.
- languages-study. A free site that contains links to services that allow you to study the Turkish language from all aspects - grammar, aphorisms, poetry, crosswords, different types of dictionaries.
- seslisozluk.net. Free online Turkish dictionary. Working languages: Russian, Turkish, German, English. Services that are provided for in the rules for using the site - translation and decoding of words and expressions, text editor, correspondence, pronunciation. The site offers training exercises in the form of online games to reinforce vocabulary.
- onlinekitapoku.com. Free Turkish site where you will find books, reviews, overviews, information about the author. Quick search available. The site contains electronic and audio books of different genres.
- hakikatkitabevi.com. Free Turkish-language site where you can find and download free audio books in Turkish.
- ebookinndir.blogspot.com. A free resource where you can download books in Turkish in PDF format in different genres.
- www.zaman.com.tr . Website of a daily Turkish online newspaper, the main headings of the publication are politics, sports, economics, culture, blogs of public and political figures, video reports.
- resmigazete.gov.tr. The site of a Turkish online legal newspaper that publishes laws and bills, legislative acts and other legal documents.
- evrensel.net. Official website of the Turkish newspaper. Lots of sections, reviews and applications.
- filmifullizle.com. Free Turkish site where you can watch or download films with Turkish translation or dubbing. Each video has a short description of the plot. A review section is also available.
Good Turkish language textbook can become a serious help and reliable adviser when mastering new material. It can be used both for independent learning of the Turkish language at home, and as an auxiliary aid during language courses. How to choose a “helper” among the many books on the market? We have selected for you the best Turkish language textbooks, which will come to the aid of both those who are beginning to learn a new language and those who want to improve their knowledge.
- Bengis Rona "Turkish in three months." The author is an experienced language teacher at the University of London. Turkish language textbook for beginners with lots of illustrations. Well-chosen examples, tests and exercises have answer keys. The first lesson can be used as a reference book - it contains all the features of consonant alternation and vowel harmony in the Turkish language.
- Morozov A., Shen Y., Akhmetov B. Yeni Diyalog Turkce kursu “Learning to speak Turkish.” Consisting of 18 lessons manual in Russian language, contains a grammar section with several topics. For each topic there are special exercises to reinforce the material, dialogues and texts. Simple presentation of material, interesting topics and well-chosen exercises allow you to acquire excellent knowledge.
- Karepina I.V. “How to speak Turkish clearly.” If you dream of speaking Turkish like a native of this sunny country, this book is for you. The manual teaches correct conversational speech, step by step the necessary pronunciation is developed and the accent disappears.
Sign up for a free Turkish language lesson
- Hengirmen Mehmet “Turkish in thirty lessons.”Russian-Turkish textbook designed for learning the language from “zero level”. At the end of each lesson there are reinforcement exercises, there is also a dictionary.
- Kabardin O.F. "Turkish language self-teacher."Author does not offer a breakdown of lessons - the student is encouraged to go at the speed with which he is able to master the material. The chapters are divided into different topics, which allows you to use the tutorial as a phrasebook. The answers come immediately after the exercises.
- Ahmet Aydin, Maria Bingul “Textbook of spoken Turkish. Funny interjections." An educational publication describing “emotional signals” - interjections; the situations in which they are used are also given. An excellent option for improving knowledge and enriching vocabulary.
- Kuznetsov P.I. “Textbook of the Turkish language. Beginning course." All basic information on the phonetics of the Turkish language, rules of syntax and morphology are presented. There are detailed instructions on pronunciation features. At the end of each topic, 30-50 new words are added separately.
- Olga Sarygez “languages in tables for beginners”. An excellent tool for systematizing knowledge - summary tables, pictures and diagrams greatly facilitate the acquisition of knowledge. Can be used in lessons as teaching material.
The Dialogue Language Center offers a textbook store where you can purchase books for learning Turkish, phrase books and dictionaries.
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In many ways it is extremely logical, consistent and understandable, despite the fact that it differs significantly from the system of European languages that we are accustomed to and therefore at first glance seems frighteningly confusing. Today we will look at those aspects of Turkish that are easiest for those who start from a “zero” level, and we will tell you how to make your life easier in mastering Turkish.
- A beginner's guide to learning Turkish
I spent several days looking through textbooks and manuals from the point of view of understandability for someone learning a language from scratch, and I realized that, undoubtedly, the best option would be “Colloquial Turkish: The Complete Course for Beginners” (authors Ad Backus and Jeroen Aarssen).
This textbook provides the most necessary grammar and basic vocabulary in all areas and topics in a logical sequence, which allows you to read full-fledged original passages in Turkish after the first chapters. In addition, the focus is precisely on, in contrast to the formal “academic” version of the language.
This manual does not repeat answers and translations of what has already been explained or analyzed once, which encourages you to turn to information that has already been studied and assimilated.
- Reading Turkish is very easy
The first thing to note is that Turkish is a phonetically written language, and modern Turkish uses the Latin alphabet. Before the Atatürk Revolution and the reform of 1928, during which the Latin alphabet was adapted to Turkish pronunciation of sounds, the Turkish language used the Arabic alphabet.
So, in Turkish, each letter corresponds to one sound, there are no combinations of consonants (such as sh, ch, ght), so each letter is pronounced separately. Pronunciation generally matches what you see in written text, with the following exceptions:
- c pronounced like English j (j am), so the word sadece(only, only) pronounced like sah-deh-jeh.
- ç pronounced like English ch (ch arge), not to be confused with French ç , which is pronounced like s.
- ğ – unpronounceable letter (lengthens the previous vowel sound)
- ş pronounced like English sh .
- ı - looks like i without a dot. What's confusing is that Turkish capitalizes ı - this is I (like I is capitalized in English), but capitalized in Turkish I- This İ , so the city where all the tourists end up is not I stanbul (Istanbul), and İ Stanbul. ı pronounced as a neutral vowel sound.
Umlauts ö/ü pronounced as in German.
Once you know these rules and exceptions, you should be able to read something in Turkish, although be prepared for the fact that locals may pronounce words slightly differently. For example, I discovered that the letter “e” in words was pronounced by many as “a”.
- You already know many Turkish words
I was very happy to find many familiar words in Turkish that I recognized instantly. As with all languages, you typically start with a base of thousands of words before you even begin learning the language. Turkish has borrowed many brand names and technological terms from English, as have most other languages.
But what I found much more interesting was that Turkish has a huge number of borrowed words from other languages, the most surprising (and useful for me) being borrowings from French. One source I found claims that there are approximately 5,000 words in Turkish that come from French. By comparison, 6,500 words came from Arabic, 1,400 from Persian, about 600 came from Italian, 400 from Greek and about 150 from Latin. In many cases, a loanword has a Turkish counterpart, which is considered preferable in everyday communication, but in some cases the loanword is the only designation of a word or concept, and sometimes both words are used (as şehir And kent for "city", where şehir is a non-Turkish word).
Loanwords that I have personally encountered include kuaför, şans, büfe, lise (lycee), bulvar, asensör, aksesuar, kartuş, ekselans, sal ...and I'm sure there are many more. Of course, they are sometimes difficult to recognize, because they are written in accordance with the rules of Turkish transcription, but when pronounced they are very similar to French words (although they do not have French nasals). Even if you don't speak French, you will certainly recognize many of these words, since many of them are well established in English.
It's funny that I even recognized the Spanish word banyo in Turkish!
As for the vocabulary, which is unique and originally Turkish, it can be mastered surprisingly quickly if you simply apply effective memorization methods or download a selection of basic vocabulary, load it into the application for memorizing and practicing words and run it regularly to get the fastest possible results. get used to new combinations of sounds. The roots of words in Turkish, as a rule, are short, which makes them even easier to remember and then, based on them, to decipher more complex derivative words.
- Suffixes will help you expand your active vocabulary
Returning to derivative words, it is important to note that a key skill in working on expanding your vocabulary will be an understanding of how the structure of a word works and how the language “works”. In this regard, vocabulary and grammar are quite closely related to each other: you will not be able to look up most words in the dictionary as they are written in the text, but if you know the basic grammatical structures, you will immediately determine the root of the word and be able to look up its meaning in the dictionary.
One of the most quick ways expand your vocabulary - remember standard suffixes. Many of them perform important functions: turning nouns into adjectives (or vice versa) or verbs (infinitives ending in -mek/-mak), or designation of a person who belongs to a particular profession, for example, using suffixes -ci/-ci (öğrenci– student from the verb öğrenmek- study).
Another important suffix is the possessive formation suffix. You will encounter it everywhere, so learn to recognize it. For example, Istiklal is the name of the main street/avenue, or cadde, next to which I lived, so the street is called Istiklal caddesi. Suffix -si here reflects the meaning of possessiveness, and the word Istiklal means "independence". (Consider the English example: it turns out that in Turkish they prefer to speak Avenue of independence, but not Independence avenue). In the same way, the names of all universities (üniversite) in the city have university si .
Thus, Turkish suffixes express meanings that in other languages would be conveyed by separate words, such as prepositions.
Another important observation regarding all suffixes and words in general: the laws of vowel harmony, which you just have to get used to. I also encountered this in the Hungarian language, but in other languages this phenomenon practically does not occur, so it is necessary to accustom yourself to a completely different way of thinking. Like many other aspects of Turkish, vowel harmony is easier than it seems, but takes time to develop the habit of arranging the vowels in a certain order. By the way, at the initial stage in the conversation you will still make mistakes, but in most cases people will still understand you.
- Put words and sentences together like a jigsaw puzzle
One point that requires some “restructuring” of thinking with an orientation towards the Turkish language is that the usual verbs “to be” or “to have” simply do not exist in the Turkish language. This may sound absurd, but once you get a little used to saying “my car exists” instead of “I have a car”, you will understand what's what.
Another "weird" aspect of Turkish is word order. For example, verbs tend to come at the end of sentences. So, you say: Türkçe öğreniyorum- “I’m studying Turkish.” In my opinion, this is even more logical than in English, because what you study is more important than what you study it. It is very important to remember that languages have different ways of “processing” information, and not to panic if something in the language does not fit into our usual thinking model.
Once you think about some of the designs and understand how they work, they will become logical and obvious. For example:
Nerelisin(iz) means "Where are you from?" Let's look at it in parts: Ne-re-li-sin(iz): -sin= you, -siniz= you (polite form/form plural), -li= from, place suffix, -ne= what (or just nere= where). Because there is no verb be, the meaning of a phrase consists of individual significant components of the word.
The same is the case with the word nereye, which means “Where to?” ( nere+ e (To) and letter "y" to separate two vowels).
- The grammar will seem extremely logical to you
How it happened to me. There are so few exceptions in the language, and the conjugation and word formation are so consistent, that the system of grammar is very easy to get used to: simple past tense, two present tenses (one similar to the English continuous tense, the other is the standard present tense), future tense, etc.
One example of the formation of the present tense using the ending -er there will be a verb donmek(turn), which in the third person singular sounds familiar to everyone doner.
Yes, there are differences with English or Russian, but based on my experience of learning other languages, Turkish has far fewer exceptions and completely unimaginable and illogical constructions.
In addition, Turkish has no grammatical gender, no definite or indefinite articles, and no irregular plurals (in some cases you don't even need to add a plural suffix -ler/-lar, if the meaning of the plural is clear from the context, for example, when used with a numeral).
The only case that may cause you some problems at the beginning is the accusative, which has already frayed a lot of my nerves in German. If the very idea of the accusative confuses you, then I strongly recommend that you study Esperanto for at least a few weeks: using the accusative in Esperanto helped me understand it better than any theoretical explanation in Turkish or German, plus it is almost the only “difficult” » to understand grammatical construction throughout the language.
Using ĉu in Esperanto also helped me intuitively understand the suffix/particle issue mi/mı/mü in Turkish. This particle is added to questions that require a simple yes/no answer (in English we would simply show this difference using intonation). It's actually very easy to understand, but not easy to get used to, so learning it in a simpler language first can really give you a "jump start" in your understanding.
For example, the word çalışıyor means “it works” and çalışıyor mu? - "she works?"
Turkey is a republic located in South-West Asia. The inhabitants of this state have their own language. Turkish is also spoken in Northern Iraq, Syria, and Bulgaria. After the abolition of the visa regime, the country became one of the most popular holiday destinations for a large number of Russians. Is it easy to learn Turkish? This is possible if you learn a number of grammatical rules and remember words and expressions that help maintain a conversation.
How to learn Turkish on your own - ways.
What is required to learn Turkish?
Some people visit Turkey for trade purposes. They need to know the local language so that they do not communicate through gestures. Someone goes there to visit, relax or improve their health. Those wishing to learn Turkish will find it useful:
· textbooks and manuals on the language (they contain the necessary grammatical rules that allow you to compose sentences);
· training programs (they are available on the Internet, special disks are also sold that contain theory and practice with tests, this is convenient for those who do not like to read books);
· Turkish dictionary and phrasebook (during the exercises, write down unfamiliar words and then look for them in the dictionary);
· audio recordings and video materials (with the help of these tools you can further expand your vocabulary).
To systematize the acquired knowledge, they are recorded on paper. New words with transcription, individual rules and expressions - everything is written down in a notebook, so that later you can open it and repeat what you have learned.
How to learn Turkish at home from scratch?
Any language can be learned if a person strives for it. It doesn’t matter whether he gets a job with a tutor or starts studying on his own, using textbooks and dictionaries, he will have to mobilize his intellectual abilities. The right attitude is important here. How to learn Turkish on your own?
Turkey is a kind of bridge between the Middle East and Europe, so for many centuries its culture, traditions and language have attracted people from different parts of the world. In the era of globalization, distances between states are decreasing, peoples communicate with each other, maintain friendly relations, and establish businesses. Knowledge of the Turkish language will be useful for both tourists and entrepreneurs, managers, and scientists. It will open doors to another world, introduce you to the culture and history of such a colorful and beautiful country.
Why learn Turkish?
So, it would seem, why learn Turkish, Azerbaijani, Chinese or some other language if you can master English and communicate with representatives of different nationalities only in it? Here everyone must set priorities for themselves, understand what they are doing and why. It is impossible to learn a foreign language if there is no desire and motivation. Indeed, basic English is enough to go to Turkey once; Turks in resort areas also understand Russian quite well. But if your goal is to move to live in this country, establish business with its representatives, go to study abroad, build a career in a company cooperating with Turkish companies, then the prospects for learning the language seem very tempting.
Don't forget about self-development. Chekhov also said: “The number of languages you know, the number of times you are human.” There is a lot of truth in this statement, because each country has its own culture, traditions, rules, and worldview. By learning a language, a person trains his memory, slows down the aging of the brain, increasing its activity. In addition, it becomes possible to read literature, watch films in the original, and how nice it is to listen to your favorite singer and understand what they are singing about. By learning Turkish, people expand the vocabulary of their native language and remember the rules of writing words.
Where to start studying?
Many people have a logical question - where to start, which textbook, self-instruction video or audio course to take? First of all, you need to set a specific goal. You can’t just want to know Turkish; you need to clearly define what it’s for. Motivation and an irresistible desire will do their job and help you cope with critical moments, overcome laziness, and reluctance to continue studying. In addition, there must be love for the country, its culture and history. If you don’t have a soul for it, then progressing in language learning will be many times more difficult.
How to “immerse yourself” in Turkish as quickly as possible?
You need to surround yourself with appropriate materials on all sides. Some experts advise going to Turkey to learn the language on the spot. It should be noted that without basic knowledge it is not even worth taking such a step, since not every native Turk will be able to explain grammar, rules for using certain words, etc. It is enough to learn 500 of the most common phrases in order to speak. Turkish is not that difficult for a tourist. You just need to choose the most common words, learn them, familiarize yourself with the grammar (boring, tedious, but you can’t do without it) and rehearse the pronunciation. You definitely need to surround yourself with textbooks, dictionaries, films and fiction books in the original language.
Read, listen, talk
You cannot do only writing and reading, because the chances of speaking in this case will be negligible. Studying grammar, translating texts, reading, writing - this is all good and you can’t do without these exercises. But still, if the goal is to understand speech by ear and communicate with Turks, then you need to learn Turkish a little differently. Studying can be supplemented with audio and video courses. It is best to print out the text spoken by the speaker, write down unfamiliar words on a piece of paper, and try to remember them. While listening to the dialogue, you need to follow the printout with your eyes, listen to the intonations, and grasp the essence. Also, don’t be shy about repeating words and entire sentences after the speaker. Let nothing work out at first, a terrible accent will appear. Don’t be upset or embarrassed, these are the first steps. Turkish for beginners is like a mother tongue for kids. At first, only babbling can be heard, but with practice, pronouncing foreign words becomes easier and easier.
When and where should you exercise?
You need to do small but frequent approaches. The Turkish language requires constant repetition, so it is better to improve it for 30 minutes every day than to sit for 5 hours once a week. Professional tutors do not recommend taking breaks for more than 5 days. There are days when you can’t find a free minute, but you still shouldn’t give up and let everything take its course. While stuck in traffic on the way home, you can listen to several dialogues from the audio course or songs in the original language. You can also take 5-10 minutes to read one or two pages of text. In this way, new information will be received and the information already covered will be repeated. As for where to study, there are no restrictions. Of course, it is best to translate, write, and learn grammar at home, but you can read, listen to songs and audio courses anywhere: walking in the park, relaxing in nature, in your car or public transport. The main thing is that studying brings pleasure.
Is it difficult to learn Turkish?
Is it easy to learn a language from scratch? Of course, it’s difficult, because these are unfamiliar words, sounds, sentence construction, and its speakers have a different mentality and worldview. You can learn a set of phrases, but how to use them, what to say in a given situation in order to express yourself clearly and not accidentally offend your interlocutor? In parallel with studying grammar and words, you need to get acquainted with the history of the country, its culture, traditions, and customs. For rare tourist trips, it is not so important what level the Turkish language is. Translation of individual texts and books can only be carried out with a good knowledge of Turkey, its history, and laws. Otherwise it will be superficial. To express yourself well, it is enough to know 500 frequently used words, but you shouldn’t stop there. We need to move on, comprehend new horizons, discover unfamiliar sides of Turkey.
Is it necessary to communicate with native speakers?
Communication with Turks will be useful if you already have basic knowledge. A native speaker gives good practice, because they can tell you how to correctly pronounce this or that word, which sentence is more appropriate in a particular situation. In addition, live communication allows you to expand your vocabulary. Therefore, it is worth going to Turkey to improve your Turkish language. Words are remembered easier and faster, and an understanding of the correct construction of sentences appears.
Turkish language is one of the most beautiful languages in the world!
At first acquaintance, many may think that the Turkish dialect is too harsh and rude. Indeed, there are a lot of growling and hissing sounds in it, but they are also diluted with gentle, bell-like words. You only need to visit Turkey once to fall in love with it once and for all. Turkish belongs to the group of Turkic languages, spoken by more than 100 million people, so it provides the key to understanding Azerbaijanis, Kazakhs, Bulgarians, Tatars, Uzbeks, Moldovans and other peoples.