Turkish Grammar For Beginner

Adjective and noun clauses
In this lesson, we will learn how adjective clauses (for describing a noun using an adjective,
like beautiful girl) and noun clauses (for describing ownership relationships between nouns,
like car's door) are formed in Turkish. First, let's start with the adjective clauses which is
simpler and then we'll look at noun clause construction.
Adjective clauses
Constructing adjective clauses in Turkish is very simple and straightforward, almost the same
as in English. The only thing you need to do is to put the correct adjective before the noun.
beautiful girl ==> gzel kz
fast car ==> hzl araba
big house ==> byk ev
thick book ==> kaln kitap
high building ==> yksek bina
hard lesson ==> zor ders
slow train ==> yava tren
If you don't add the adjective before the noun but use it as the main expression in the sentence,
the word order changes in English and it changes the same way in Turkish.
This girl is beautiful. --> Bu kz gzel
This car is fast. --> Bu araba hzl.
Ahmet is tall. --> Ahmet uzun.
I am tall. --> Ben uzunum. (Note the use of verb to be with the adjective)
You are tall. --> Sen uzunsun.
However, note that when you want to say a beautiful girl, the word for a (bir) is placed between
the adjective and the noun.
a small piece ==> kk bir para
a greedy man ==> agzl bir adam
a blue book ==> mavi bir kitap
a short tree ==> ksa bir aa
a long movie ==> uzun bir film
Let's now apply what we've learned in the construction of a few sentences.
This is a red rose. ==> Bu krmz bir gl.
Joe is a quiet kid. ==> Joe sessiz bir ocuk.
Joe is a very quiet kid. ==> Joe ok sessiz bir ocuk.
Noun clauses
Two nouns form a clause in three different ways in Turkish:

Case1:
The first noun tells what the second noun is made of (i.e. metal box, plastic plate...). In this case,
you just write these nouns in the same order as you do in English without adding any suffixes.
metal box ==> metal kutu
plastic plate ==> plastik tabak
Case2:
The first noun describes the second noun, wth any relationship except for the made-of
relationship we saw above and the specific ownership relationship. Examples to this case can be
car key, book shelf, garden door, window glass... In this case, you write the nouns in the same
order as English, but add the suffix -i at the end of the second noun. If the noun to which you
append suffix -i already ends with a vowel, you add the fusion consonant -s between these
vowels to separate the two vowels. The third example below demonstrates this case.
car key ==> araba anahtar

book shelf ==> kitap raf
garden door ==> bahe kaps (note the fusion consonant s here)
window glass ==> pencere cam
Case 3:
There is a specific ownership relationship between the two nouns (the key of the car, the door of
the garden, Kemal's daughter, the door of the car). In this case, you write the describing noun
first and the described noun second as it was done in the preceding two cases. However, you add
the suffix -in to the first noun and the suffix -i to the second noun. If the noun to which you
append the suffix -in already ends with a vowel, you add the fusion consonant n between the two
vowels to separate them. For the suffix -i, the fusion consonant is same as told in the previous
case. You add the consonant s to separate the word ending with a vowel from the suffix -i.
the key of the car ==> arabann anahtar (note the use of fusion consonant n here for the first
noun, araba)
the door of the garden ==> bahenin kaps
Kemal's daughter ==> Kemalin kz
the door of the car ==> arabann kaps (note the use of fusion consonant n for the first noun and
the fusion consonant s for the second noun)
exception: The word for water, su, is an exception for the fusion consonants in noun clauses. The
fusion consonant for water (su) is always 'y'.
color of water --> su-in renk-i --> suyun rengi (not sunun rengi)
water of Kemal --> Kemal-in su-i --> Kemal'in suyu. (not Kemal'in susu)
(Note that ' is used in Turkish to separate the suffixes from private words that need to be always
capitalized, like Kemal in this case)
Negatives
1. Negatives of nouns and adjectives
To make a noun or adjective negative, add the word deil at the end of the adjective or noun.
Positive
Negative
Bu bir araba. [This is a car.]
Bu bir araba deil. [This is not a car]
O bir ev. [That is a house.]
O bir ev deil. [That is not a house]
O ok gzel. [She is very beautiful.]
O ok gzel deil. [She is not very beautiful.]
Bu araba beyaz. [This car is white.]
Bu araba beyaz deil. [This car is not white]
2. Negatives of verbs
To make a verb negative, add the suffix -me at the root of the verb.
to come --> gel-mek
not to come --> gel-me-mek (the negating suffix is always added at the verb root)
Note how the suffix is added at the root. This is always the case. A verb may have many suffixes,
but the negating suffix is always immediately after the verb root. All the other suffixes follow as
if they are being added to the positive of the verb.
gel-di --> geldi --> he came
gel-me-di --> gelmedi --> he did not come
ol-mak ya da ol-ma-mak --> olmak ya da olmamak --> to be or not to be
3. There is, there is not
In Turkish, there are special words for there is and there is not. In particular:
there is --> var

there is not --> yok
Let's make sentences with these words:
There is a book on the table. --> Masada bir kitap var.
There isn't a table in this room. --> Bu odada (bir) masa yok.
The words 'var' and 'yok' are more important than this, since they are used when you want to say
"I have" or "I don't have" as well. In Turkish, to say "I have something", you say "There is my
something". Let's give examples:
I have a book. --> (Benim) kitabm var.
Aylin has a car. --> Aylin'in arabas var.
This woman has seven cats. --> Bu kadnn yedi kedisi var. (Like saying "There is this woman's
seven cats")
I don't have a car. --> (Benim) arabam yok.
My uncle does not have a daughter. --> Amcamn kz yok.
Noun states
In Turkish, a noun has 5 fundamental states, produced using suffixes, that correspond to
meanings of some prepositions in English. It is not necessary to learn these as the states of
nouns, but learning these suffixes is important since they are very commonly used.
State
Meaning
Nothing state (no

suffix)
Just the plain noun.
-i state
Marks the noun as the subject of an

action.
-e state
Adds the meaning of direction (very

similar to the proposition to)
-de state
Adds the meaning of position (Used for

the prepositions in, at, on)
-den state
Adds the meaning of from, used for this

preposition
An important thing to note here is the use of the -i form. It is used to denote the subject of an
action, and adds the meaning of "being known, specified" just as the meaning given by "the".
This will be more clear after looking at the sentences below. (bir --> one, kedi --> cat, grdm
--> I saw)
Bir kedi grdm. --> I saw a cat. (Note that although cat is the object of the action here, the -i
form of kedi is not used since it is not known, i.e. it is a cat, not the cat)
Kediyi grdm. --> I saw the cat. (Note that kedi has the suffix -i, but the two -i's are separated
by the fusion consonant 'y'.)
Now, example sentences for all the cases.
Nothing state:
o
-i state:
o
I saw the house. --> Evi grdm.
-e state:
o
This is a house. --> Bu bir ev.
Go home. --> Eve git. (House and home are the same word in Turkish, 'ev'.)
-de state:
o
The pen is on the table. --> Kalem masada.
Joe is at school. --> Joe okulda.
Your mother is in that room. --> Annen o odada.
-den state:
o
I came from home. --> Evden geldim.
To be
The verb to be (for the is in English) is handled in a special way, it is different from the other
verbs. This is also the case in Turkish, the use of the verb to be is very unique. Unlike all the
other verbs, to be is expressed with suffixes. It can be in one of present tense or past tense. Let
s see it in present tense and past tense for different cases of personal pronouns.
English
Turkish
Suffix
Present tense to be
i am xxx
ben xxx-im
-im
you are xxx
sen xxx-sin
-sin
he \
she | is xxx
it
-(none)
o xxx
or
-dir
we are xxx
biz xxx-iz
-iz
you are xxx
siz xxx-siniz
-siniz
onlar xxx
none
they are xxx
or
or
onlar xxx-ler
-ler
Past tense to be
i was xxx
ben xxx-dim
-dim
you were xxx
sen xxx-din
-din
o xxx-di
-di
we were xxx
biz xxx-dik
-dik
you were xxx
siz xxx-diniz
-diniz
they were xxx
onlar xxx(-y)-diler
(-y)diler
he \
she | was xxx
it
NOTE 1
For the third person of the present tense to be, there are two cases. One with no suffix and one
with -dir. If you are making a personal statement or you are talking in a casual way, you use the
no suffix case. However, if you want to make a definitive or informative statement like one in
an encyclopedia, you use the suffix -dir. Both have the same meaning, and sometimes can be
used interchangeably. Lets see examples to this.
This house is very big. --> Bu ev ok byk.

That is my house. --> O benim evim.
He is a student. --> O bir renci.
Spider is an animal. --> rmcek bir hayvandr. (The -dir case is used since this is an
informative statement)
Sun is larger than earth. --> Gne dnyadan daha byktr. (Again, this is an informative
statement)
NOTE 2
When constructing the third person plural past tense form of to be, the
suffix -ler can be ommitted in some cases. These are explained below:
a. Humans or objects that have no individuality take singular conjugation

for third person plural. But if the speaker wants to give objects individuality
then he can use plural. This would be a poetic sentence.
b. Humans and other things that have individuality (for instance animals
that have names) can take either singular or plural conjugation. Usually if
the subject is defined (if we known them) then we use plural conjugation. If
the subject is undefined then we use singular conjugation.
NOTE 3
Since the verb to be is different for each personal pronoun, personal pronouns can be omitted in
speech or writing. The meaning of person is given with this verb. To say "I am beautiful." you
can use one of:
"Ben gzelim."
"Gzelim.".
Using the personal pronoun adds the meaning of stressing person. We will use the personal
pronoun in parenthesis to indicate that it is optional.
Now, lets see where to be is used:

1. To construct a sentence with a noun or adjective instead of a verb, like in English. The
verb to be is the implicit verb here.
o You are beautiful. --> (Sen) gzelsin.
o You were beautiful. --> (Sen) gzeldin.
o This is a house. --> Bu bir ev.
o That was a house. --> O bir evdi.
2. To construct verbs in different tenses, the suffix for each tense is used with either
present tense of to be or past tense of to be. Actually, it is present tense of to be in all
cases except the regular past tense.
Infinitives and Plurals
1. Infinitives
Verbs in Turkish, when used alone, have the imperative meaning as in English.
do --> yap
come --> gel
go --> git
drink --> i
sleep --> uyu
In order to make a verb infinitive, the suffix -mek is used.

to do --> yapmak (changes to -mak since yap[do] is a hard word)
to come --> gelmek
to go --> gitmek
to drink --> imek
to sleep --> uyumak
The following are examples to the use of infinitives in Turkish:

It is good to sleep. --> Uyumak iyi(dir).
It is difficult to study. --> almak zor(dur).
I want to go. --> Gitmek istiyorum.
I want to walk. --> Yrmek istiyorum.
2. Plurals
To make plurals of nouns, the suffix -ler is used. Below are some examples, note how the suffix
-ler becomes 'sometimes -ler, sometimes -lar' obeying the rules of vowel harmony.
road(s) --> yol --> yollar
tree(s) --> aa --> aalar
rose(s) --> gl --> gller
room(s) --> oda --> odalar
house(s) --> ev --> evler
job(s) --> meslek --> meslekler
Consonant Harmony
Besides the vowel harmony rules, there are other basic rules that affect the way suffixes are
used. A vowel following another is never allowed in Turkish, and there are rules to avoid these
situations when they occur as a result of other rules. There are also rules about consonant
harmony, that make some consonants change in certain cases.
2. Consonant Harmony
Vowel harmony rules cause the vowels of suffixes to be modified when they are added to some
words. There are similar rules about consonants. However, you may feel that all these rules are
too many just for a simple start. Then, I advice you to omit the consonant harmony rules when
you want to say or write something, just for the beginning. You will still be understood.
Consonant harmony is mainly for making speech more fluent, it does not have a major effect
on understandability. You will eventually learn these if you decide to continue learning Turkish,
as you read sentences or listen to Turkish speakers.
Tip
Consonant harmony is mainly for making speech more fluent, it does not have a major effect
on understandability.
There are two different cases of consonant harmony - either the last consonant of the main
word changes, or the first consonant of the suffix changes. The trouble making consonants in
this case are p, , t and k. Lets call the words that end with one of p, , t or k the trouble
words.
CASE A - Word mutation.
Two conditions must be satisfied for word mutation to occur:

1. You have a word ending with one of p, , t, k.
2. You want to add this word a suffix that starts with a vowel.
If the word has only one syllable, like sa, you are safe. The word usually does not change.
sa- --> sa (his/her/its hair)
sap-a --> sapa (to the handle)
However, if the word has more than one syllable, than the consonant at the end usually
changes.
p becomes b
becomes c
t becomes d
k becomes
And here are some examples to this:
aa-a --> aaca (to the tree)

arap-n --> arabn (of the wine)
kat-a --> kada (to the paper)
geyik-e --> geyie (to the deer)
Tip
There are exceptions to both the single syllable and multiple syllable cases mentioned above.
For example:
kap-a --> kaba (to the container)
saat-in --> saatin (the clocks)
You should still learn and apply the rules though, there are not too many of these exceptions.
CASE B - Suffix mutation.
Two conditions must be satisfied for suffix mutation to occur:

1. You have a word ending with one of p, , t, k, f, h, s, .
2. You want to add this word a suffix that starts with c or d.
In this case, the first letter of the consonant changes.
c becomes
d becomes t
Examples:
Leh --> Polish (people)
Leh-ce --> Lehe --> Polish (language)
Trk --> Turkish (people)

Trk-ce --> Trke --> Turkish (lanuage)
yap --> do
yap-di --> yapt --> he did
Vowel Rules
Besides the vowel harmony rules, there are other basic rules that affect the way suffixes are
used. A vowel following another is never allowed in Turkish, and there are rules to avoid these
situations when they occur as a result of other rules. There are also rules about consonant
harmony, that make some consonants change in certain cases.
1. When two vowels come together
In Turkish, two vowels can never come together (note that there are a few exceptions to this
rule). So, what do we do when we need to add a suffix that starts with a vowel at the end of a
word that ends with a vowel? There are two cases here:
1.1. Dropping a vowel
To say my house, you append the suffix meaning my (-im) to the word meaning house (ev).
Simple enough, my house --> evim.
You want to say my car.
Car is araba and the suffix that gives the meaning my is -im. Change the suffix according to
vowel harmony rules so that is can be appended to araba (a hard and flat word) and -im
becomes -m.
So, to put it together, my car becomes araba-m = arabam. However, two vowels can not
come together in Turkish. Trouble...
To avoid this, we drop one of the vowels in this case.
i. If both of the vowels are in the group "-i, -, -u, -" than these two vowels have to be the
same (look at the vowel harmony rules to understand why). Since the two vowels are the same,
it does not matter which one we drop in this case.
ii. However, if one of the vowels is in the group "-i, -, -u, -" but the other is not (meaning that
it is one of "a, e, o, ") then generally the vowel in the group "-i, -, -u, -" is dropped. There
are some exceptions to this, however, and these exceptions will be noted when necessary.
Applying these rules, my car becomes arabam.
1.2. Adding a buffer consonant in between
You are asked where you are going. You want to say "(to) home". Hence, you append the suffix
giving the direction meaning (-e) to the word meaning home (ev) and your reply becomes
"eve".
However, if you are going to the car and you want to tell this to your friend, things are not that
simple for you:
First, change the suffix -e according to vowel harmony rules according to

araba and it becomes -a.
Now, add this suffix -a at the end of our word araba, and get arabaa.
We have two vowels together. Drop one? Unfortunately, not this time.
In this case we need to add a buffer consonant between the two vowels. There is not a simple
rule to tell why. Sometimes one of the two vowels is dropped, sometimes one buffer consonant
is added in between.
However, what you do is consistent for a given suffix. If you are adding the suffix -e to a word
that ends with a vowel (like araba), you always add the fusion consonant y in between. Saying
to the car then becomes arabaya.
Too much effort spent to say a very simple word? More to come. Lets practice on a few other
words:
Coast --> Ky
| To the coast --> Ky-e --> Kyya
Room --> Oda
| To the room --> Oda-e --> Odaya
Ship --> Gemi
| To the ship --> Gemi-e --> Gemiye
This may take some time to get used to, definitely doable. Unfortunately, thats not everything.
The buffer consonant is not y every time. y is the most common one, so you can put y whenever
you dont remember which one to put, chances are high youll be right. The other consonants
that are sometimes used as fusion consonants are s and n.
Lets see different cases where these fusion consonants are used:
a. The suffix -i
If the suffix -i is used as the -i form of a noun, making it a direct object (like the in English),
then the fusion consonant y is used.
araba-i sat -> araba-y- sat -> arabay sat (sell the car)
yaz-i oku -> yaz-y- oku -> yazy oku (read the text)
If the suffix -i is used as the third person posessive (his-her-its), then the fusion consonant s is
used.
araba-i -> araba-s- -> arabas (his-her-its car)
para-i -> para-s- -> paras (his-her-its money)
kedi-i -> kedi-s-i -> kedisi (his-her-its cat)
* Note that the word for water (su) is an exception for this case, the fusion consonant y is used
with the word su (water).
su-i -> su-y-u -> suyu (his-her-its water)
b. The suffix -e (direction suffix, adds the meaning of preposition to)
When the direction suffix -e is added to a word that ends with a vowel, the fusion consonant y
is added in between.
araba-e -> araba-y-a -> arabaya (to the car)
konu-e -> konu-y-a -> konuya (to the topic)
pencere-e -> pencere-y-e -> pencereye (to the window)
c. The suffix -in (gives the genitive meaning, like Andys)
When the suffix -in is added to a word that ends with a vowel, the fusion consonant n is added
in between.
araba-in -> araba-n-n -> arabann (of the car, the cars)
konu-in -> konu-n-un -> konunun (of the topic)
pencere-in -> pencere-n-in -> pencerenin (of the window)
* Note that the suffix -in is also used with the second person posessive meaning.
If the suffix -in used as second person possessive is added to a word that ends with a vowel,
than the letter i of the suffix is dropped. The same is true for the first person possessive suffix,
-im, first person plural possessive suffix, -imiz and second person plural possessive suffix, -iniz.
araba-im -> araba-m -> arabam (my car)
kedi-in -> kedi-n -> kedin (your cat)
kap-imiz -> kap-mz -> kapmz (our door)
para-iniz -> para-nz -> paranz (your (plural) money)

pencere-im -> pencere-m -> pencerem (my window)
There are also other uses of fusion consonants besides separating two vowels.
d. The suffix -le (with, by)

When the suffix -le is added to a word that ends with a vowel, the fusion consonant y is added
in between.
araba-le git -> araba-y-la git -> arabayla git (go by car)
kedi-le oyna -> kedi-y-le oyna -> kediyle oyna (play with the cat)
gemi-le gel -> gemi-y-le gel -> gemiyle gel (come by ship)
e. The suffix -de (location, like propositions at, in, on) and the suffix -den (proposition from)
When the suffix -de or -den is added to a word as the first suffix, no fusion consonant is used.
But when one of -de or -den/ is added to a word that already has a suffix or a series of suffixes
that end with a vowel, the fusion consonant n is added in between.
araba-de -> araba-da -> arabada (in the car)
kedi-den -> kediden (from the cat)
araba-si-de -> araba-s-n-da -> arabasnda (in his-her-its car)
kedi-in-ki-den -> kedi-n-in-ki-n-den -> kedininkinden (from the cats)
gemi-leri-den -> gemi-leri-n-den -> gemilerinden (from their ship)
Notes on Vowel Harmony
Vowel harmony is one of the most fundamental and important aspects of Turkish grammar.
Turkish words generally obey two vowel harmony rules, called the major vowel harmony and
the minor vowel harmony.
These rules change the vowels in the suffixes added to words. A good understanding of these
rules is necessary to be able to use suffixes, hence to be able to make correct and meaningful
sentences.
3. Practical notes about vowel harmony rules
As far as vowel harmony is concerned, we can separate all the suffixes in Turkish into two
main groups. Thinking in terms of these two cases simplifies these seemingly complicated
rules. These are:
Case 1:
The suffixes with first vowel -i (the suffixes -i, -di, -iyor, -im, -in ...)
Case 2:
suffixes with first vowel -e (the suffixes -e, -de, -den, -erek, ...)
All suffixes with first vowel -i, -, -u, - fall into the first group, and they are different forms of
this case modified according to vowel harmony rules.
bal-m --> balm (my honey)
ev-im --> evim (my home)
snf-im --> snfm (my class)
dil-im --> dilim (my tongue)
sol-im --> solum (my left)
gz-im --> gzm (my eye)

okul-im --> okulum (my school)
zm-im --> zmm (my grape)
All suffixes with first vowel -e, -a fall into the second group, and they are different forms of
this case modified according to vowel harmony rules.
araba-den --> arabadan (from the car)
ev-den --> evden (from home)
kap-den --> kapdan (from the door)
deniz-den --> denizden (from the sea)
sol-den --> soldan (from the left)
gz-den --> gzden (from the eye)
okul-den --> okuldan (from school)
kap-den --> kapdan (from the door)
Note that no suffix has -o or - as the first vowel. Actually, no suffix has the letter - in it and
there is only one suffix that has the vowel -o (this is the suffix for present continuous tense,
-iyor and this -o does not change according to any vowel harmony rules).
bak-iyor --> bakyor (he/she/it is looking)
gel-iyor --> geliyor (he/she/it is coming)
sk-iyor --> skyor (he/she/it is squeezing)
bil-iyor --> biliyor (he/she/it knows)
ko-iyor --> kouyor (he/she/it is running)

gr-iyor --> gryor (he/she/it is seeing)
bul-uyor --> buluyor (he/she/it is finding)
gl-iyor --> glyor (he/she/it is laughing)
The suffixes in case 1 are affected from both the major vowel harmony and the minor vowel
harmony. For example, the suffix -di can become -di, -d, -du or -d depending on the word at
which it is appended.
ara-di --> arad
gel-di --> geldi
kr-di --> krd
bil-di --> bildi
sol-di --> soldu
gr-di --> grd
bul-du --> buldu
-di --> d
The suffixes in case 2 are affected by only the major vowel harmony rule. For example, the
suffix -erek can become -erek or -arak depending on the word at which it is appended.
bak-erek --> bakarak (with looking)
sev-erek --> severek (with loving)
sk-erek --> skarak (with squeezing)
bil-erek --> bilerek (with knowing, knowingly)

ko-erek --> koarak (with running)
gr-erek -- grerek (with seeing)
vur-erek -- vurarak (with hitting)
bk-erek -- bkerek (with bending)
Minor Vowel Harmony

the minor vowel harmony. More important than the words obeying these rules, there are ways
these rules change the vowels in the suffixes added to words. A good understanding of these
sentences.
2. Minor Vowel Harmony

We saw that the 8 vowels in the Turkish alphabet are divided into two groups as hard and soft
vowels. Besides this grouping, the 8 vowels are divided into two groups as round vowels and
flat vowels. There are 4 flat and 4 round vowels. A vowels being round or flat is actually
determined from the shape of the mouth when pronouncing that vowel, but it can also be seen
in the shape of the capital characters.
Flat vowels:
A, E, I,
Round vowels:
O, , U,
A Turkish word is either a round word or a flat word depending on its last vowel.
ev[home] is a flat word since its last and only vowel, e, is a flat vowel.
okul[school] is a round word since its last vowel, u, is a round vowel.

kahve[coffee] is a flat word since its last vowel, e, is a flat vowel.
Now, try to guess if the following words are round or flat. Move the mouse over the right table
cell of the word to see the answer.
Word
Round
or Flat
meslek[job]
araba[car]
gzel[beautiful]
yemek[food]
glmse[smile]
abuk[quick]
gl[rose]
gl[lake]
gidelim[lets go]
telefon[telephone]
(Correct answers: flat, flat, flat, flat, flat, round, round, round, flat, round)
Minor vowel harmony states that:

If a suffix starting with -i is appended to a round word, the -i in the suffix becomes -u or -.
This depends on whether the word is hard or soft. The major vowel harmony and the minor
vowel harmony apply to words simultaneously. This means:
If a suffix starting with -i is added to a hard and round word, the -i in the suffix becomes
-u.
o okul --> school [a hard vowel]
o suffix we will add is -im (gives the meaning my)
o my school --> okulum [the suffix -im changes according to vowel harmonies and
becomes -um]
If a suffix starting with -i is added to a soft and round word, the -i in the suffix becomes
-.
o gl --> rose
o suffix we will add is -im (gives the meaning my)
o my rose --> glm [the suffix -im changes according to vowel harmonies and
becomes -m]
my telephone --> telefonum

my beautiful --> gzelim
my lake --> glm
Major Vowel Harmony
the minor vowel harmony. More important than the words obeying these rules, there are ways
these rules change the vowels in the suffixes added to words. A good understanding of these
sentences.
1. Major Vowel Harmony

The 8 vowels in the Turkish alphabet are separated into two groups called hard vowels and soft
vowels. There are 4 hard vowels and 4 soft vowels.
Hard vowels:
a, , o, u
Soft vowels:
e, i, ,
Words of Turkish origin generally (not always) have all hard or all soft vowels. This is just a
generalization that you wont use for constructing Turkish words and sentences. Words that
have hard and soft vowels together are said to violate the major vowel harmony. A word that
violates the major vowel harmony probably has been adopted from another language or has
been changed in the lifetime of the Turkish language.
Each of the hard vowels are the hard counterparts of one soft vowel (and vice versa). Following
this rule, vowels can be paired with their counterparts as follows:
Hard
Soft
A Turkish word is either a hard word or a soft word depending on its last vowel.
ev[home] is a soft word since its last and only vowel, e, is a soft vowel.
okul[school] is a hard word since its last vowel, u, is a hard vowel.
kahve[coffee] is a soft word since its last vowel, e, is a soft vowel.
Now, try to guess if the following words are hard or soft. The correct answers are below the
table.
Word
Hard or Soft
meslek[job]
araba[car]
gzel[beautiful]
yemek[food]
glmse[smile]
abuk[quick]
gl[rose]
gl[lake]
gidelim[lets go]
telefon[telephone]
(Correct answers: soft, hard, soft, soft, soft, hard, soft, soft, soft, hard)
Major vowel harmony states that:
Any suffix appended to a hard word must have hard vowels
Any suffix appended to a soft word must have soft vowels
As an example to this rule lets consider the suffix -de. When added to a noun, this suffix gives
the meaning of "at/in the location expressed by that noun". When added to a soft word like
ev[home], this suffix is -de. However, when added to a hard word like okul[school], the soft
vowels in this suffix are replaced by their hard counterparts and the suffix becomes -da. Hence:
at home --> evde

at school --> okulda
in the car --> arabada
at the lake --> glde
Illness
English
Turkish
Sicknesses
sick
hasta, rahatsz
headache
ba ars
to catch a cold
souk almak
flu
grip
measles
nezle
tootache
di ars
stomach ache
karn ars
contagious
bulac
ulcer
lser
cancer
kanser
to faint
baylmak
hiccups
hkrk
migraine
migren
heart attack
kalp krizi
itch
kat
to itch
kanmak
angina
anjin
bronchitis
bronit
Now, some sentences for telling you or somebody is sick.
- I am sick. (Hastaym.)
- I am very sick. (ok hastaym.)
- I have a toothache. (Diim aryor.)
- I have a cold. (Nezleyim. or Nezle oldum.)
- I got sick. (Hasta oldum. or Hastalandm.)
- I dont feel well. (yi hissetmiyorum. )
- My foot is itching. (Ayam kanyor.)
If somebody tells you that he is sick or somebody close to him is sick, you say:
- Gemi olsun. (This is like wishing for recovery.)
House and furniture
English
Turkish
House --- Ev
door
kap
room
oda
front door
n kap
back door
arka kap
window
pencere
kitchen
mutfak
bedroom
yatak odas
dining room
yemek odas
living room
oturma odas
chldren's room
ocuk odas
bathroom
banyo
toilet
tuvalet
balcony
balkon
corridor
koridor
garden
bahe
basement
bodrum
ground floor
zemin kat
garage
garaj
terrace
teras
yard
avlu
upper floor/story
st kat
loft
tavan aras
cellar
kiler
stairs
merdiven
step
basamak
lift, elevator
asansr
wall
duvar
roof
at
fireplace
mine
Furniture --- Eyalar
table
masa
bookcase
kitaplk
chair
sandalye
wardrobe
gardrop
shelf
raf
armchair
koltuk
sofa
koltuk - kanepe
shower
du
trash bin
p kutusu
ashtray
kl tablas
bathtub
kvet
door mat
paspas
tap
musluk
heating
kalorifer
candle
mum
key
anahtar
lamp
lamba
frame
ereve
socket
priz
plug
fi
mirror
ayna
door bell
kap zili
radio
radyo
television
televizyon
computer
bilgisayar
pan
tava
glass
bardak
bottle
ie
plate
tabak
spoon
kak
fork
Character
atal
English
Turkish
Character --- Karakter
behavior
davran
honest
drst
patient
sabrl
impatient
sabrsz
kind
kibar
proud
gururlu
polite
kibar
impolite
kaba
decent
terbiyeli - nazik
skilful
yetenekli
witty, clever
zeki - akll
quite
suskun - sessiz
curious
merakl
Animals
English
Turkish
Animals --- Hayvanlar
animal
hayvan
lion
aslan
tiger
kaplan
sheep
koyun
cow
inek
bull
boa
ox
kz
hen
tavuk
rooster
horoz
pig
domuz
horse
at
donkey
eek
turkey
hindi
Body parts
English
Turkish
Vcudumuz --- Our Body
head
kafa - ba
body
vcut - gvde
arm
kol
leg
bacak
hand
el
foot
ayak
finger
parmak
index finger
iaret parma
thumb
ba parmak
eye
gz
ear
kulak
hair
sa
nail
trnak
Family
English
Turkish
father
baba
mother
anne
brother
(erkek) karde
sister
(kz) karde
elder brother
abi
elder sister
abla
son
oul - erkek ocuk
daughter
kz - kz ocuk
aunt (mother side)
teyze
aunt (father side)
hala
grandfather
dede - bykbaba
grandmother
nine - bykanne
grandmother (mother
side)
anneanne
grandmother (father
side)
babaanne
nephew, niece
yeen
uncle (father side)
amca
uncle (mother side)
day
cousin
kuzen
father-in-law
kaynbaba - kaynpeder
mother-in-law
kaynana - kaynvalide
sister-in-law
baldz
sister-in-law's husband
bacanak
son-in-law
damat
daughter-in-law
gelin
sister's husband
enite
grandson,
granddaughter,
grandchild
torun
twin
ikiz
twin brother, twin

sister
ikiz karde
wife
e, hanm, kar
husband
koca
step mother
vey anne
step father
vey baba
Fruits and vegetables
English
Turkish
Fruits --- Meyveler
banana
muz
apple
elma
orange
portakal
grape
zm
cherry
kiraz
tangerine
mandalina
sour cherry
vine
pear
armut
avocado
avokado
pineapple
ananas
strawberry
ilek
currant
kuzm
grapefruit
greyfurt
Colors
English
Turkish
Black
Siyah
White
Beyaz
Red
Krmz
Blue
Mavi
Orange
Turuncu
Green
Yeil
Purple
Mor
Pink
Pembe
Brown
Kahverengi
Yellow
Sar
Grey
Gri
Color
Renk
Light
Ak
Dark
Koyu
The question for asking colors is constructed similar to the way its done in English:
Eng: What color is XXX?
Tr: XXX ne renk? (Here, ne is what and renk is color)
The answer is also simple:
Eng: XXX is red.
Tr: XXX krmz.
However, note the difference in word ordering when you want to add a color (or any adjective)
to an indefinite noun.
Eng: A red XXX.
Tr: Krmz bir XXX. (Not Bir krmz XXX)
Now, try to understand the following sentences. English translations are below the Turkish
sentences.
1. Bu araba ak mavi.
2. Evim koyu krmz.
3. Gzlerin ne renk?
4. Beyaz bir gmlek aldm.
1. This car is light blue. 2. My house is dark red. 3. What color are your eyes? 4. I bought a
white shirt.
Quantity Words
English
Antonyms
Turkish
a little, some
biraz
very, much, many
ok
enough
yeterli
any, no, none
hi
few
az
too much, too many
ok fazla
too
fazla
more
daha fazla, daha ok
less
daha az
a few
birka (tane)
A set of important antonyms you need to know...

English
Turkish
big-small
byk-kk
fast-slow
hzl-yava
quick-slow
abuk-yava
full-empty
dolu-bo
easy-difficult
kolay-zor
heavy-light
ar-hafif
open-shut
ak-kapal
right-wrong
doru-yanl
old-new
eski-yeni
old-young
yal-gen
first-last
ilk-son
beautiful-ugly
gzel-irkin
free-busy
serbest-megul
Love
good-bad
iyi-kt
better-worse
daha iyi-daha kt
the best-the worst
en iyi-en kt
early-late
erken-ge
cheap-expensive
ucuz-pahal
near-far
yakn-uzak
here-there
burada-orada
right-left
sa-sol
tall-short
uzun-ksa
dark-light
koyu-ak
high-low
yksek-alak
open-closed
ak-kapal
thin-thick
ince-kaln
slim-fat
zayf-iman
In this lesson, we will cover the love words and expressions in Turkish. In English, you can use
words like 'honey, darling, sweetheart' to call the person you love. Let's start with a list of love
words used to call the person you love in Turkish. A general point here is that you always use
these words with possession in Turkish. Instead of saying 'honey', the word you use in Turkish
means 'my honey'. I will also give the direct translations of these words to English. Although
the meaning of some of these words may seem strange, they can all be used to call the person
you love.
Turkish
English
akm
my love
canm
my life
bi tanem
my only one
hayatm
my life
sevgilim
my darling
balm
my honey
tatlm
my sweety (used for

girls)
gzelim
my beautiful (used for

girls)
ieim
my flower (used for girls)
glm
my rose (used for girls)
meleim
my angel (used for girls)
Now, let's see some common love phrases in Turkish and their meanings:
Turkish
English
Seni seviyorum.
I love you.
Seni ok seviyorum.
I love you very much.
Senden ok holanyorum.
I like you very much.
Benimle kar msn?
Would you like to go out with me?
Benimle dans eder misin?
Would you like to dance with me?
Benimle evlenir misin?
Will you marry me?
Evlenme teklifi.
Marriage proposal.
Nianl
Fiancee
Ryalarmn erkeisin/kadnsn.
You are the man/woman of my dreams.
Seninle olmak istiyorum.
I want to be with you.
Seninle kalmak istiyorum.
I want to stay with you.
Seni ok zlyorum.
I am missing you very much.
Seni ok zledim.
I missed you very much.
Biraz daha kalabilir misin?
Can you stay a little longer?
Seni bir daha ne zaman greceim?
When will I see you next?
Bir yerlerde bulualm.
Let's meet somewhere.
Seni grmek istiyorum.
I want to see you.
ok gzelsin.
You are very beautiful.
Now, time to use what you learned.

Date and Time
1. Time
Lets start with simple dialogue sentences about time, the question and different answers.
Time - English
Turkish (Parantheses for explanation only)
What time is it?
Saat ka?
It is ten oclock.
Saat on (10).
It is five past ten.
Saat onu (10-i) be (5) geiyor.
It is five past five.
Saat bei (5-i) be (5) geiyor.
It is five past six.
Saat alty (6-[y]-i) be (5) geiyor.
It is five past three.
Saat (3-i) be (5) geiyor.
It is quarter past ten.
Saat onu (10-i) eyrek (quarter) geiyor.
It is ten twenty.
Saat onu (10-i) yirmi (20) geiyor.
It is half past ten.
Saat on (10) buuk (half).
It is ten thirty five.
Saat on bire (11-e) yirmi be (25) var.
It is ten forty.
Saat on bire (11-e) yirmi (20) var.
It is quarter to eleven.
Saat on bire (11-e) eyrek (quarter) var.
It is ten to eleven.
Saat on bire (11-e) on (10) var.
It is eleven.
Saat on bir (11).
Pronouns 2
In the previous lesson on pronouns, we covered the basic pronouns. The topics covered were:
Personal pronouns (ben, sen, o, biz, siz, onlar)
Demonstrative pronouns (bu, u, o, bunlar, unlar, onlar)
Possessive pronouns
o Personal possessive pronouns (benim, senin, onun, bizim, sizin, onlarn)
o Demonstrative possessive pronouns (bunun, unun, onun, bunlarn, unlarn,
onlarn)
Reflexive pronouns (kendim, kendin, kendisi, kendimiz, kendiniz, kendileri)
There are also other pronouns used for many different situations, like everybody, nothing...
Let's now see the Turkish meanings for these pronouns.
English
Turkish
Basic components of these pronouns

every
her
thing
ey
none
hi
any
herhangibir
one, a
bir
some
baz
all
btn
Pronouns
everything
herey
birey (singular)
something
bireyler (plural)
nothing
hibir ey
anything
herhangibir ey
everybody
herkes
birisi (singular)
somebody
birileri (plural)
nobody
hi kimse
anybody
herhangi birisi
all of these
(bunlarn) hepsi
all of those
(onlarn) hepsi
all of us
hepimiz
all of you
hepiniz
none of these
(bunlarn) hibiri
none of those
(onlarn) hibiri
none of us
hibirimiz
none of you
hibiriniz
some of these
(bunlarn) bazlar
some of those
(onlarn) bazlar
some of us
bazlarmz
some of you
bazlarnz
In English, some of these pronouns that have negative meanings are used in positive sentences.
For example,
There is nobody here. (Instead of there isn't nobody here)
In Turkish, you never do this. If the meaning of a pronoun is negative, it must always be used
in a negative sentence. Similarly, pronouns with positive meanings must always be used in
positive sentences.
There is nobody here. --> Burada hikimse yok.
Now, let's use some of these pronouns in sentences:

Every flower does not smell. --> Her iek kokmaz.
What is this thing? --> Bu ey ne?
There is none left. --> Hi kalmad.
Some students are here. --> Baz renciler burada.
All students are here. --> Btn renciler burada.
Everything's ok. --> Herey yolunda.
Everything is here. --> Herey burada.
Ask something. --> Birey sor.
I saw nothing. --> Hibir ey grmedim.
Is there anything? --> Herhangibir ey var m?
Is everybody here? --> Herkes burada m?

Somebody came. --> Birisi geldi.
Nobody came. --> Hi kimse gelmedi.
Anybody can come. --> Herhangi birisi gelebilir.
All of these are mine. --> Bunlarn hepsi benim.
Pronouns 1
Personal Pronouns
Here are the Turkish translations of the personal pronouns. However, these pronouns are
generally omitted in sentences since person is implied in the adjectives or the verbs in
sentences. They are often used to stress the person.
ben
i am adjective
ben adjective-im
you
sen
you are adjective
sen adjective-sin
he
she
he
o
it
she | is adjective
o adjective
it /
we
biz
we are adjective
biz adjective-iz
you
siz
you are adjective
siz adjective-siniz
they
onlar
they are adjective
onlar adjectiveler
gzel --> beautiful

I am beautiful. --> Ben gzel-im. --> Gzelim. (Personal pronoun is implied)
You are beautiful. --> Sen gzel-sin. --> Gzelsin.
He/she/it is beautiful. --> O gzel. --> Gzel.
We are beautiful. --> Biz gzel-iz. --> Gzeliz.
You are beautiful. --> Siz gzel-siniz. --> Gzelsiniz.
They are beautiful. --> Onlar gzel-ler. --> Gzeller.
kt --> bad
I am bad. --> Ben kt-y-m. --> Ktym. (Note how kt and -m are connected with the
fusion consonant y.)
You are bad. --> Sen kt-sn. --> Ktsn.
He/she/it is bad. --> O kt. --> Kt.
We are bad. --> Biz kt-y-z. --> Ktyz.
You are bad. --> Siz kt-siniz. --> Ktsnz.
They are bad. --> Onlar kt-ler. --> Ktler.
geliyor --> coming (present continuous tense)

I am coming. --> Ben geliyor-um. --> Geliyorum.
You are coming. --> Sen geliyor-sun. --> Geliyorsun.
He/she/it is coming. --> O geliyor. --> Geliyor.

We are coming. --> Biz geliyor-uz. --> Geliyoruz.
You are coming. --> Siz geliyor-sunuz. --> Geliyorsunuz.
They are coming. --> Onlar geliyor-lar. --> Geliyorlar.
For nouns other than these pronouns, you must use the third person case.
Marzena is beautiful. --> Marzena gzel.
Marzena is very beautiful. --> Marzena ok gzel.
Joe is bad. --> Joe kt.
Joe is coming. --> Joe geliyor.
Demonstrative pronouns
These are the pronouns used for obects instead of people.

this
bu
that (between
this and that)
that
these
bunlar
those
(between
these and
those)
unlar
those
onlar
kitap --> book

Bu bir kitap. --> This is a book.
u bir kitap. --> That is a book.
O bir kitap. --> That is a book.
Bunlar kitaplar. --> These are books.
unlar kitaplar. --> Those are books.
Onlar kitaplar. --> Those are books.
Possessive Pronouns
Personal posessive pronouns:
my
ben-im
my noun
ben-im noun-im
your
sen-in
your noun
sen-in noun-in
his
her
his
o-n-un
its
her | noun
o-n-un noun-i
its /
our
biz-im
our noun
biz-im noun-imiz
your
siz-in
your noun
siz-in noun-iniz
their
onlar-n
their noun
onlar-n noun-leri
Notice his/her/its is o-n-un instead of o-un. Since two vowels dont come together in Turkish,
one fusion consonant is added in between. It is n in this case. Either a fusion consonant is
added in between, or one of the vowels is dropped whenever a vowel is followed by another
vowel. Which technique must be used changes among different rules, but it is consistent in a
single rule. This will be mentioned in different lessons when necessary.
ev --> house
my house --> ben-im ev-im --> evim (personal pronoun is implied)
your house --> sen-in ev-in --> evin
his/her/its house --> o-n-in ev-i --> onun evi --> evi
our house --> biz-im ev-imiz --> evimiz
your house --> siz-in ev-iniz --> eviniz
their house --> onlar-n ev-leri --> evleri
araba --> car

my car --> ben-im araba-m --> arabam (the suffix -im becomes -m when added after a vowel,
since two vowels dont come together in Turkish)
your car --> sen-in araba-n --> araban
his/her/its car --> o-n-in araba-s- --> onun arabas --> arabas (Instead of dropping one vowel,
here the fusion consonant s is added between vowels since the suffix is only a single vowel.)
our car --> biz-im araba-mz --> arabamz

your car --> siz-in araba-nz --> arabanz
their car --> onlar-n araba-lar --> arabalar
For nouns other than these pronouns, always the third person form is used.
Gizems house --> Gizemin evi
Gizems car --> Gizemin arabas
My mothers house --> Annemin evi
Demonstartive posessive pronouns:

of this
bu-nun
of that
(between this
and that)
u-nun
of that
o-n-un
of these
bunlar
-n
of those
(between
these and
those)
unlarn
of those
onlar-
Bunun evi --> The house of this

unun evi --> The house of that
Onun evi --> The house of that
Bunlarn evleri --> The house of these.
unlarn evleri --> The house of those.
Onlarn evleri --> The house of those.
For nouns other than these pronouns, always the third person form is used.
The room of the house --> Evin odas
Cats food --> Kedinin yemei
Reflexive Pronouns
The way reflexive pronouns are constructed in Turkish is very similar to the way we do it in
English. The Turkish word for self is kendi. The reflexive pronouns hence are as follows:
myself
ken
diim
kendi
m
yoursel
ken
kendi
diin
ken
disi
kendi
si
ourselv
es
ken
diimi
z
kendi
miz
yoursel
ves
ken
diiniz
kendi
niz
thems
elves
ken
dileri
kendi
leri
himself
herself
itself
Numbers
Constructing numbers in Turkish is simple and straightforward. The rule is to line up the parts
in decreasing magnitude like in English, but without putting any conjunctive words in between.
For example, direct translation of 1256 from Turkish would be thousand two hundred fifty six.
Lets continue to construct numbers after you take a look at the table below. The numbers from
0 to 10 definitely need to be learned without any rule, as well as 10, 20, ..., 100 and 1,0001,000,000-1,000,000,000.... After that, its all about applying the simple-straightforward rules
and practicing.
sfr
21
yirmi bir
bir
22
yirmi iki
iki
30
otuz
40
krk
drt
50
elli
be
60
altm
alt
70
yetmi
yedi
80
seksen
sekiz
90
doksan
dokuz
100
yz
10
on
137
yz otuz
yedi
11
on bir
200
iki yz
Alphabet
Turkish alphabet consists of 29 letters - 8 vowels and 21 consonants.
Each letter has exactly one associated sound which never changes.
Three letters of the English alphabet are missing in the Turkish alphabet.
1. (Q-q)
2. (W-w)
3. (X-x)
There are seven additional characters not found in the English alphabet.
1. (-)
2.
(-)
3.
(I-)
4. (-i)
5. (-)
6. (-)
7. (-)
The letters of Turkish alphabet and the sounds associated with these are in the following table...
Lette
r
A, a
Pronunciation
like the a in car
B, b
like the b in bet
C, c
like the g in gender
like the ch in chance
D, d
like the d in debt
E, e
like the e in less
F, f
like the f in felony
G, g
like the g in game
this is a very weak sound, not

pronouncing at all will be ok
H, h
like the h in hello
I,
like the e in halted
, i
like the ee in keen
J, j
like the s in leisure
K, k
like the k in kelly
L, l
like the l in lamb
M, m
like the m in man
N, n
like the n in neighbor
O, o
like the a in ball
like the u in urge
P, p
like the p in pen
R, r
like the r in rent
S, s
like the s in send
like the sh in shed
T, t
like the t in tennis
U, u
like the oo in good
like the u in nude
V, v
like the v in vent
Y, y
like the y in yes
Z, z
like the z in zen
Introduction
Grammar
Turkish grammar is simplistic once you get used to the style. However, it can seem to be very
difficult since the grammatical structure is totally different from the Indo-European languages.
This is because Turkish is from a different language family called Ural-Altaic languages. Some
languages similar to Turkish are Finnish, Hungarian, Estonian, Japanese, Korean, Mongolian,
Kazak, Uzbek, Tatar, Manchu. Compared to English, the most fundamental differences in
Turkish grammar can be listed as:
Ordering of sentence parts

o A typical Turkish sentence is ordered as (subject + object + verb)
Arkadam [My friend --> subject] araba [car -->object] ald [bought--
>verb].
No gender
o There are no articles in Turkish, and no gender associated with words
o No gender in personal pronouns (the Turkish word for he, she and it is o)
Vowel harmony
o Harmony of vowels is a very fundamental property of Turkish. The rules
concerning vowel harmony need to be learned as one of the first steps because
they affect the way almost all the other rules are applied.
Use of suffixes
o Suffixes are very widely used in Turkish. The meaning of prepositions, personal
pronouns and tenses are all countered by adding suffixes to word roots.
Kalbimdesin [You are in my heart]
Once you get to these differences and learn the basic harmony rules, the rest of the grammar is
quite simple. Almost everything follows well defined, simple rules.
Sounds
Another important point is the way you read a written text. There is exactly one sound for each
character in Turkish. A character always represents the same sound, regardless of its position in
a word or the characters next to it. Therefore, it is straightforward to pronounce a word that you
see for the first time once you are familiar with the characters in the Turkish alphabet.
Vocabulary
Once you are comfortable or at least familiar with the harmony rules, the main challenge will
be the vocabulary. Turkish vocabulary can be very challenging since the words have no
resemblance to the European languages except the few words adapted directly from these
languages.
Present Continuous Tense
Tenses
There are 5 fundamental tenses in Turkish. These are:
1. Present simple tense (Geni zaman)
2. Present continuous tense (imdiki zaman)
3. Future tense (Gelecek zaman)
4. Past tense with -di (-di'li gemi zaman) --> Regular past tense
5. Past tense with -mi (-mi'li gemi zaman) --> Also called the story past tense
In the basic grammar lessons, we will cover the present continuous tense and the future tense.
Rest will be covered in the intermediate level lessons.
To start with, let's review some verbs we'll use in the following lessons and their meanings:
gelmek --> to come
gitmek --> to go
okumak --> to read
kapatmak --> to close
komak --> to run
aramak --> to call
konumak --> to talk
vermek --> to give
kaynamak --> to boil
almak --> to work
yemek --> to eat

beklemek --> to wait
The meaning of tenses are given using some suffixes. There are some important properties
common to all these suffixes denoting tense:
The suffix for tenses is added right after the verb root if the verb is positive, or after the
negating suffix if the verb is negative.
The present tense for of 'to be' comes after the suffix for tense.
o
Therefore, the order becomes: verb root + (negative) + tense + present tense to
be
This is different only for the regular past tense, where past tense form of to be is
used.
The suffix for present continuous tense is -iyor. Present continuous tense is used, very much
like the one in English:
To tell what you are currently doing

o
I am working now. --> imdi alyorum.
I am eating ice cream. --> Dondurma yiyorum.
To tell something you will do in the close future

o
Wait, I'm coming in 5 minutes. --> Bekle, 5 dakika iinde geliyorum.
Present continuous tense is used only for verbs, it is not meaningful for nouns and adjectives.
Present continuous tense of a verb is constructed this way:
verb root + (negative) + iyor + present tense to be
If the verb you want to add the suffix -iyor ends with a vowel, drop the last vowel and add
-iyor. Otherwise, just simply add -iyor. Be careful about the vowel harmony rules for the 'i' of
-iyor. Let's see how a verb is put into present continuous tense on the following examples:
gel-iyor --> geliyor --> he is coming
git-iyor-im --> gidiyorum --> i am going
oku-iyor --> okuyor --> he is reading
kapat-iyor-iz --> kapatyoruz --> we are closing
ko-iyor --> kouyor --> he is running
ara-iyor-sin --> aryorsun --> you are calling
konu-iyor --> konuuyor --> he is talking
ver-me-iyor --> vermiyor --> he is not giving
ye-me-iyor --> yemiyor --> he is not eating
gel-me-iyor-siniz --> gelmiyorsunuz --> you are not coming (plural you)
And let's see how present continuous tense is used with different cases of person.
English
Turkish
to come --> gelmek
i am coming
(ben) geliyor-im --> geliyorum
you are coming
(sen) geliyor-sin --> geliyorsun
he \
she | is coming
it
(o) geliyor
we are coming
(biz) geliyor-iz --> geliyoruz
you are coming
(siz) geliyor-siniz --> geliyorsunuz
they are coming
(onlar) geliyor-ler --> geliyorlar
Future Tense
Tenses
In the basic grammar lessons, we will cover the present continuous tense and the future tense.
Rest will be covered in the intermediate level lessons.
To start with, let's review some verbs we'll use in the following lessons and their meanings:
gelmek --> to come
gitmek --> to go
okumak --> to read
kapatmak --> to close
komak --> to run
aramak --> to call
konumak --> to talk
vermek --> to give
kaynamak --> to boil
almak --> to work
yemek --> to eat

beklemek --> to wait
The meaning of tenses are given using some suffixes. There are some important properties
common to all these suffixes denoting tense:
The suffix for tenses is added right after the verb root if the verb is positive, or after the
negating suffix if the verb is negative.
The present tense for of 'to be' comes after the suffix for tense.
o
Therefore, the order becomes: verb root + (negative) + tense + present tense to
be
This is different only for the regular past tense, where past tense form of to be is
used.
The suffix for future tense in Turkish is -ecek. There are not two different cases like in English
will and is going to. Future tense is always constructed using the suffix -ecek. The uses of the
Turkish future tense is just like a union of the uses of will and going to in English.
To express any action that will take place in the future.
Future tense is used only for verbs, it is not meaningful for nouns and adjectives.
Future tense of a verb is constructed this way:

verb root + (negative) + ecek + present tense to be
When you want to append the suffix -ecek to a verb that ends with a vowel, you add the fusion
consonant 'y' between the verb and the suffix to separate the two vowels. Otherwise, just simply
add the suffix -ecek. Be careful about the harmony rules though, as always. Let's see how future
tense is obtained using some example verbs:
gel-ecek --> gelecek --> he will come
git-ecek-im --> gideceim --> I will go
oku-ecek-sin --> okuyacaksn --> you will read
kapat-ecek-iz --> kapatacaz --> we will close
ko-ecek-siniz --> koacaksnz --> you will run (plural you)
ara-ecek-ler --> arayacaklar --> they will call
konu-me-ecek --> konumayacak --> he will not talk
ver-me-ecek-sin --> vermeyeceksin --> you will not give
To see the use of future tense with different cases of person, check the following table:
English
Turkish
to close --> kapatmak
i will close
(ben) kapatacak-im --> kapatacam
you will close
(sen) kapatacak-sin --> kapatacaksn
he \
she | will close

it
(o) kapatacak
Questions
we will close
(biz) kapatacak-iz --> kapatacaz
you will close
(siz) kapatacak-siniz --> kapatacaksnz
they will close
(onlar) kapatacak-ler --> kapatacaklar
Question Sentences
Question sentences in Turkish can be classified into two groups like in English:
1. Yes-no questions
2. Regular questions
There are also question tags, i.e. questions of the form "You are coming, aren't you?".
In this lesson, we will see how these different types of questions can be asked in Turkish.
Before looking at how questions are constructed, let's see the question words in Turkish.
English
Turkish
what?
ne?
who?
kim?
which?
hangi?
where?
nere?
when?
ne zaman?
how?
nasl?
how many?
ka tane?
how much?
ne kadar?
how often?
ne sklkla
Now, let's see how different types of question sentences can be constructed.
1. Yes-no questions
In Turkish, yes-no questions are constructed with the question suffix '-mi'. It is important to
note, however, the question suffix -mi is written separate from the word it is appended to. You
can ask at this point: "Why is it a suffix instead of a separate word if it is written separately?".
The reason question suffix -mi is regarded as a suffix is that it has to satisfy the major and
minor vowel harmony rules for the word it is appended to. Let's see some example sentences
demonstrating the use of the question suffix -mi.
A. This is a book. --> Bu bir kitap.
B. Is this a book? --> Bu bir kitap m? (Note how the regular sentence is turned into a yes-no
question sentence by the addition of the question suffix -mi)
A1. Yes, this is a book. --> Evet, bu bir kitap.
A2. No, this is not a book. This is a notebook. --> Hayr, bu bir kitap deil. Bu bir defter.
A. His name is Ahmet. --> Onun ad Ahmet.

B. Is his name Ahmet? --> Onun ad Ahmet mi?
A1. Yes, his name is Ahmet.
A2. No, his name is not Ahmet. His name is Mehmet. --> Hayr, onun ad Ahmet deil. Onun
ad Mehmet.
A3. No. His name is Mehmet. --> Hayr. Onun ad Mehmet.
A. This is my house. --> bu benim evim

B. Is this your house? --> Bu senin evin mi?
A1. Yes, this is my house. --> Evet, bu benim evim.

A2. No, this is not my house. This is my mother's house. --> Hayr, bu benim evim deil. Bu
annemin evi.
2. Regular questions
Regular questions are the ones constructed using the question words listed above and the
answers to these questions are not simply yes or no. In English, there is a certain word order for
regular question sentences. The question word comes first, and the rest of the sentence elements
follow it. In Turkish, however, questions are constructed in a quite different way. To learn how
to construct a question, a simple way is to follow the following steps. This will work in most
cases:
1. Construct the answer sentence.
2. Locate the word or phrase that is the actual answer to the question.
3. Just replace that word or phrase with the appropriate question word.
Let's apply this on an example. The question we want to ask is, "Who is this?".
1. The answer sentence will be something like "This is my brother. --> Bu
benim kardeim."
2. The answer to the question is the phrase "my brother --> benim kardeim".
3. Replace this phrase with the question word "who --> kim" and the question
sentence becomes "Bu kim?".
To summarize, a question sentence has the same word order as a regular sentence. The
difference is that the part of the sentence that is asked is replaced by the appropriate question
word. The question word takes all the suffixes of the word it is replaced for.
Consider the sentence "Ahmet eve gidiyor. --> Ahmet is going home."
Who is going home? --> Kim eve gidiyor? (Ahmet in the regular sentence is replaced by who.
The rest of the sentence is the same.)
Where did Ahmet go? --> Ahmet nereye gitti? (ev in the regular sentence is replaced by nere.
Note that the question word nere also takes the suffix -e of the word ev and becomes nereye,
meaning 'to where')
What is Ahmet doing? --? Ahmet ne yapyor? (The phrase 'eve gidiyor' in the original sentence
is replaced by "ne yapyor --> what's he doing")
Note that to make a question sentence asking a verb, we use :

"What + to be (in the appropriate tense) + object + to do (in the appropriate tense)"
Ex1: What are you doing?
Ex2: What did Ahmet do?
In Turkish, this structure becomes:
"Object + ne + yapmak (in the appropriate tense and person)"
Ex1: (Sen) ne yapyorsun?
Ex2: Ahmet ne yapt?
This is simply the regular sentence where the action is replaced by "ne + yapmak", which is
consistent with our rule for constructing question sentences.
3. Question tags
Question tags are the questions of the form:

You are home, aren't you?
He did his homework, didn't he?
Mehmet will come today, won't he?
Constructing question phrases in Turkish is very simple and straightforward. You just add
"deil mi" at the end regardless of the sentence. The translations for the question tags above are
then:
Evdesin, deil mi?

devini yapt, deil mi?
Mehmet bugn gelecek, deil mi?
Imperatives - Let
Making a verb imperative for the second singular person (sen), is the same as it is done in
English. Just use the plain verb without any suffix or change. When you want to order
something to a single person listening to you, you just say the plain verb. Examples:
Come! --> Gel!
Go! --> Git!
Read! --> Oku!
Sit down! --> Otur!
Stand up! --> Kalk!
However, different from English, there is an imperative form for different cases of person. Let
s see now how these are constructed:
Personal Pronoun
Suffix
Ben
No first person singular form
Sen
- (no suffix)
-sin
Biz
No first person plural form
Siz
-in
Onlar
-sinler
Now, lets see the meaning of each case using the verb to go (gitmek).
Case
Meaning
(sen) git
go! (singular, to a single person)
(o) git-sin --> gitsin
let him go (not like "allow him to go", this has the
meaning that you want him to go in an imperative
way)
(siz) git-in --> gidin
go! (plural, to multiple people)
(onlar) git-sinler -->

gitsinler
let them go (again, the meaning is not like

"allow them to go", gitsinler means that you
want them to go and you are expressing this in
an imperative way)
As you can see, a commonly used clause, "lets", is included in the imperative definition. If you
want to say "Lets go to the movie", it becomes "Sinemaya gidelim" in Turkish. Now, lets see
how the example verbs we used above are made imperative with respect to different cases of
person.
Personal
Pronoun
gelmek - to
come
gitmek to go
okumak to read
oturmak to sit down
kalkmak to stand
up
sen
gel
git
oku
otur
kalk
gelsin
gitsin
okusun
otursun
kalksn
siz
gelin
gidin
okuyun
oturun
kalkn
onlar
gelsiler
gitsinler
okusunlar
otursunlar
kalksnlar
There is no first person singular or first person plural form of the imperatives, but there is
another form called wish clause that gives a similar meaning for the first person singular and
plural. Note that only the first person singular and first person plural forms of the wish clause
are used in practice. Here is how the wish clause is constructed:
Personal Pronoun
Suffix
Ben
-eyim
Biz
-elim
Case
Meaning
(ben) git-eyim --> gideyim
let me go
(biz) git-elim --> gidelim
lets go
Personal
Pronoun
gelmek - to
gitmek - to
okumak - to
oturmak - to
kalkmak - to
come
go
read
sit down
stand up
Ben
Geleyim
gideyim
okuyaym
oturaym
kalkaym
Biz
Gelelim
gidelim
okuyalm
oturalm
kalkalm
Degrees of Adjectives
Comparatives and superlatives are constructed in a very straightforward way in Turkish.

Besides these, there is a special way of making adjectives stronger in Turkish and this is not
very trivial. I this lesson, we will cover all these topics.
1. Comparatives
1.1. More, Less
Comparative of an adjective is obtained by adding the word "daha" before the adjective. We
can say that daha is the word for more and all adjective comparatives are constructed like 'more
clever' (not like faster).
faster --> daha hzl
slower --> daha yava
more intelligent --> daha zeki
more hardworking --> daha alkan
more beautiful --> daha gzel
If you want to say less beautiful or less hardworking, then replace the word 'daha' with 'daha
az'.
less fast --> daha az hzl
less intelligent --> daha az zeki
less hardworking --> daha az alkan
less beautiful --> daha az gzel
Now, let's see how the comparative form of an adjective is used in sentences.
I am beautiful. --> (Ben) gzelim.
I am more beautiful. --> (Ben) daha gzelim.
You are more beautiful. --> (Sen) daha gzelsin.
She is more beautiful. --> (O) daha gzel.
This is a fast car. --> Bu hzl bir araba.

This is a faster car. --> Bu daha hzl bir araba.
This car is faster. --> Bu araba daha hzl.
1.2. More than
If you want to compare two nouns with respect to an adjective, the structure used in English is
as follows:
noun1 is more adjective than noun2
Ex1: Ahmet is more hardworking than Mehmet.

Ex2: I am more intelligent than you.
The structure to express the same meaning in Turkish is as follows:
noun1 noun2-den daha adjective
Ex1: Ahmet Mehmet'ten daha alkan. (Note that the ' sign is used to separate private names
from their suffixes)
Ex2: Ben senden daha zekiyim.
Now, let's see a few example sentences with this expression.

- Beril is beautiful. --> Beril gzel.
- Gke is more beautiful. --> Gke daha gzel.
- Gke is more beautiful than Beril. --> Gke Beril'den daha gzel.
- He is more hardworking than me. --> O benden daha alkan.
- My car is faster than your car. --> Benim arabam senin arabandan daha hzl.
- US is larger than Turkey. --> Amerika Trkiye'den daha byk.
1.3. As ... as
If you want to say that two nouns are equal with respect to an adjective, the strctre used in
English is:
noun1 is as adjective as noun2
Ex1: Beril is as beautiful as Gke.
Ex2: I am as beautiful as you.
The structure to express the same meaning in Turkish is as follows:

noun1 noun2 kadar adjective .
or
noun1 de noun2 kadar adjective
Both of these expressions have the same meaning, you will understand the very slight
difference as you see them used. One point to note here is that if noun2 is a simple pronoun
(like ben, sen, bu, u) then it is used in possessive form (like benim, senin, bunun, unun).
Ex1: Beril de Gke kadar gzel.
Ex2: Ben de senin kadar gzelim.
Now, let's see a few example sentences with this expression.
- Beril is beautiful. --> Beril gzel.
- Gke is also beautiful. --> Gke de gzel. (de means 'also', 'as well')
- Gke is as beautifl as Beril. --> Gke de Beril kadar gzel.
- He is as hardworking as me. --> O da benim kadar alkan.
- My car is as fast as your car. --> Benim arabam da senin araban kadar hzl.
- US is almost as large as China. --> Amerika neredeyse in kadar byk. (neredeyse means
almost)
2. Superlatives
Superlatives are also straightforward in Turkish, like it is in English. Instead of 'the most', you
use 'en', and all superlatives are constructed using this word.
the fastest --> en hzl
slower --> en yava
the most intelligent --> en zeki

the most hardworking --> en alkan
the most beautiful --> en gzel
Now, let's see how the superlative form of an adjective is used in sentences.
I am beautiful. --> (Ben) gzelim.
I am more beautiful. --> (Ben) daha gzelim.
When you want to use the superlative form in a sentence, there are two different cases:
I am the most beautiful. --> (Ben) en gzelim. (This has the meaning of describing yourself,
like an answer to the question "What are your traits?")
I am the most beautiful. --> En gzel benim. (This has the meaning of the answer to the
question "Who is the most beautiful?")
I am the most beautiful girl. --> En gzel kz benim.

I am the most beautiful girl in this class. --> Bu snftaki en gzel kz benim.
You are the most beautiful girl in this class. --> Bu snftaki en gzel kz sensin.
She is the most beautiful girl in this class. --> Bu snftaki en gzel kz o.
3. Making an adjective stronger

3.1. Very
In English, when you want to make an adjective stronger, you use the word 'very'. Saying very
fast is a stronger statement than just saying fast. The same method is applied also in Turkish,
and the word for very is 'ok'. Hence:
very fast --> ok hzl

very slow --> ok yava
very intelligent --> ok zeki
very hardworking --> ok alkan
very beautiful --> ok gzel
You are very beautiful. --> (Sen) ok gzelsin.
She is a very beautiful girl. --> (O) ok gzel bir kz.
This girl is very beautiful. --> Bu kz ok gzel.
3.2. Too
Another way of making an adjective stronger, but this time giving the meaning extreme, is to
use the word too. Saying something is too fast gives the meaning that it is extremely fast and
should be slower. The word for too in Turkish is 'fazla'.
too fast --> fazla hzl
too slow --> fazla yava
too intelligent --> fazla zeki
too hardworking --> fazla alkan
too beautiful --> fazla gzel
We are too fast. --> (Biz) fazla hzlyz.
This car is too fast. --> Bu araba fazla hzl.
3.3. Other ways
A third way commonly used in Turkish (which is not seen in English) to make an adjective
stronger is adding a modified form of the first syllable before the adjective. Important points to
note here are:
There is not a rule for how this first syllable should be modified, which makes this rule
hard to learn.
This gives the same meaning as using the word 'very' and makes the adjective stronger.
All adjectives can't be made stronger using this method, and there is not a rule to
understand for which adjectives this method can be used. A group of adjectives you can
always use this method is colors, to express that the color is strong. However, there is
no rule to exactly say which adjectives can be made stronger like this.
Because there is not a well-defined rule, it will be very difficult to go over adjectives
and see what the stronger form of each adjective is. I think you should not try to learn
this for each adjective at this step. The best strategy here would be to note that there is a
rule like this and when you see it used, you will understand what it means. In your
sentences, you simply can use 'ok + adjective' instead and you will be clearly
understood.
Let's see some examples to this rule:

hzl --> fast
hphzl --> very fast
sar --> yellow
sapsar --> very yellow, strong yellow
mavi --> blue
masmavi --> very blue, strong blue
beyaz --> white
bembeyaz --> very white, strong white
abuk --> quick
arabuk --> very quick
kaln --> thick
kapkaln --> very thick
Another way to make an adjective stressed and stronger is to repeat it twice. Again, this is not
done with all adjectives and the best way to learn for which adjectives this rule is applicable is
to note when you hear an adjective used like this. Don't be afraid by these rules, you will learn
how to use them if you start reading Turkish texts or if you speak to native speakers. You can
still express yourself without using these methods for making adjectives stronger. Simply use
the word 'ok' before the adjective. I am giving these rules now so that you know the meaning
when you see such a usage somewhere.
byk byk evler --> big houses, the property big is stressed
sar sar elmalar --> yellow apples, the property yellow is stressed
There is also another way to stress an adjective and make it stronger. That is, adding a modified
form of the adjective after the original form. This is again an irregular rule and you don't need
to know this completely, just understand it when you see this usage. Sometimes, an adjective
followed by the modified form of that adjective may have a slightly different meaning.
yal --> old (for people)
yal bal --> old, mature
eski --> old (for objects)
eski psk --> very old and useless
Present Simple Tense
Tenses
Present simple tense (Geni zaman)
The present simple tense is used, very much ike the one in English:
To make general statements

o
Water boils at 100 degrees. --> Su 100 derecede kaynar.
To mention things you do regularly

o
I run every morning. --> Her sabah koarm.
Present simple tense is used only for verbs, it is not meaningful for nouns and adjectives.
Present simple tense of a verb is constructed this way:

verb root + ir or er + present tense to be
The suffix for constructing the present simple tense of a verb is not always the same. The suffix
is sometimes -ir, sometimes -er. This is the only tense with this irregularity, but there are
certain rules that will tell you which one to choose most of the time. The rules that will help
you choose which one of -ir or -er to use as suffix are as follows:
1. If the verb ends with a vowel, the vowel of the suffix falls and you add only -r.
o
ara-r --> arar --> he calls
oku-r --> okur --> he reads
2. If the verb has more than one syllable, use -ir

o
kapat-ir --> kapatr --> he closes
konu-ir --> konuur --> he talks
3. If the verb has only one syllable:

o
If the vowel of this syllable is 'a' or 'e' and if the verb ends with 'l', 'n' or 'r' then
use -ir
gel-ir --> gelir --> he comes
ver-ir --> verir --> he gives
Use -er for the other single syllable cases
git-er --> gider --> he goes
ko-ar --> koar --> he runs
Now, let's look at how the present simple tense is used with different personal pronouns:
English
Turkish
Example 1
to come --> gelmek
i come
(ben) gelir-im --> gelirim
The negative of present simple tense is a little different than just adding the negative-making
suffix -me. Construction of negatives of present simple tense is given in the table below. The
negative-making suffix becomes -mez except for I and we. Moreover, when negative suffix is
used, the present simple tense suffix is not used.
English
Turkish
Example 1
to come --> gelmek
i don't come
(ben) gel-me-im --> gelmem
you don't come
(sen) gel-mez-sin --> gelmezsin
he \
she | doesn't come
(o) gel-mez --> gelmez
it /
we don't come
(biz) gel-me-iz --> gelmeyiz
you don't come
(siz) gel-mez-siniz --> gelmezsiniz
they don't come
(onlar) gel-mez-ler --> gelmezler
Present simple tense is the most irregular tense in Turkish, it's not simple as the name implies.
Past Tense
Tenses
Past tense with -di (-di'li gemi zaman) --> Regular past tense
There is no suffix for the regular past tense. The only point is that you must use the past tense
form of to be. Be careful about the harmony rules though, as always. The use of the past tense
with -di is almost the same as the English past tense.
To tell an action that took place in the past.

o
He came. --> Geldi.
To make a statement that was true in the past.

o
She was beautiful. --> Gzeldi.
The same way regular past tense is applied to verbs, it can also be applied to nouns and
adjectives using the past tense form of to be. The meaning in this case is the same as the
meaning of 'was' in English.
He was good. --> yiydi.
I was successful. --> Baarlydm.
Regular past tense of a word is constructed this way:
word root + (negative) + past tense to be
Let's see how a verb is used in regular past tense on the following examples:
gel-di --> geldi --> he came
git-me-di --> gitmedi --> he did not go
oku-di --> okudu --> he read
kapat-dik --> kapattk --> we closed
ko-din --> kotun --> you ran
ara-diniz --> aradnz --> you called (plural you)
konu-me-di --> konumad --> he did not talk
ver-me-dim --> vermedim --> I did not give
al-ma-dik --> almadk --> we did not work
ye-diler --> yediler --> they ate
bekle-me-diler --> beklemediler --> they did not wait
Note that making the past tense of a verb and making the past tense of a noun or adjective is the
same, but only as long as they are positive. The negative suffix for verbs is -me, but negatives
of nouns and adjectives are constructed using deil. Deil is not a suffix, it is used as a seperate
word. Let's see a few examples to how nouns and adjectives are expressed in past tense.
She was beautiful. --> Gzeldi.
She was not beautiful. --> Gzel deildi. (Note what we did is just to replace the suffix -me for
verbs with the word deil in the case of nouns and adjectives. The ordering is still the same.
Past tense of to be, which followed -me for verbs, is now put after deil)
You were not kids. --> ocuk deildiniz.
Let's see how these personal suffixes are used on some example verbs:
English
Turkish
to wait --> beklemek
i waited
(ben) bekle-dim --> bekledim
you waited
(sen) bekle-din --> bekledin
he \
she | waited
it
(o) bekle-di --> bekledi
we waited
(biz) bekle-dik --> bekledik
you waited
(siz) bekledi-niz --> beklediniz
they waited
(onlar) bekle-diler --> beklediler
to work --> almak
i worked
(ben) al-dim --> altm
you worked
(sen) al-din --> altn
he \
(o) al-di --> alt
she | worked
it
we worked
(biz) al-dik --> altk
you worked
(siz) al-diniz --> altnz
they worked
(onlar) al-diler --> altlar
Story Past Tense
Tenses
Past tense with -mi (-mi'li gemi zaman) ==> Also called the story past tense
To obtain the story past tense of a verb, we append the suffix -mi to the verb. Be careful about
the harmony rules. Past tense with -mi is used:
To talk about something you learned from somebody else or some other resource, there
is some uncertainty in the statement. If you use the story past tense when talking about
something, it implies that you are not the source of the information and you shouldn't be
responsible for the mistakes.
o
To talk about something you just learned or understood

o
I talked to his mother. He went to school. --> Annesiyle konutum. Okula gitmi.
(The part about talking to the mother is your direct experience, so you tell it
using regular past tense. However, the part about he going to school is
information you got from the mother, so you tell it using story past tense.)
Is this your daughter? She is very beautiful. --> Bu senin kzn m? ok

gzelmi. (You just noticed that she is beautiful, and you express this using story
past tense)
Simple stories are written and told in using this tense.
Story past tense of a word is constructed this way:
word root + (negative) + mi + present tense to be
The same way story past tense is applied to verbs, it can also be applied to nouns and
adjectives.
I talked to Kemal about her. She is sick. --> Kemal'le onun hakknda konutum. Hastaym.
(You learned that she is sick from Kemal)
Prime minister was in France yesterday. --> Babakan dn Fransadaym. (You use story past
tense because you learned this from somebody else or from the news)
Prime minister was not in France yesterday. --> Babakan dn Fransada deilmi. (Remember
that negatives of non-verbs are made with deil)
Let's see the use of story past tense on some example verbs.
gel-mi --> gelmi --> he came
git-mi-siniz--> gitmisiniz --> you went (plural you)
oku-mi-sin--> okumusun --> you read
kapat-mi-ler--> kapatmlar --> they closed
ko-me-mi--> komam --> he did not run
ara-me-mi-sin--> aramamsn --> you did not call
konu-me-mi-ler--> konumamlar --> they did not talk
ver-mi-iz--> vermiiz --> we gave
Finally, let's see how a verb is used in the story past tense with different personal pronouns.
English
Turkish
to wait --> beklemek
i waited
(ben) beklemi-im --> beklemiim
you waited
(sen) beklemi-sin --> beklemisin
he \
she | waited
it
(o) beklemi
we waited
(biz) beklemi-iz --> beklemiiz
you waited
(siz) beklemi-siniz --> beklemisiniz
they waited
(onlar) beklemi-ler --> beklemiler
Must, Have to, Need to, Want to

1. Must
The best counterpart in Turkish for the meaning of necessity that is given with 'must' in English
is the suffix '-meli'. The skeleton for using a verb with this suffix is as follows:
verb-meli-to be
I must go --> git-meli-im --> gitmeliyim (note the use of the fusion consonant y)
We must study --> almalyz (note that the suffix -meli becomes -mal due to the major
vowel harmony)
You must sit down (plural) --> oturmalsnz

You must go home now. --> imdi eve gitmelisin.
We can show how to express the necessity of a verb the for different cases of person:
Personal Pronoun
Suffix
Ben
-meliyim
Sen
-melisin
-meli
Biz
-meliyiz
Siz
-melisiniz
Onlar
-meliler
2. Have to
The meaning of formal obligation that 'have to' gives in English is best given by the word
'lazm' in Turkish. The structure for using this construct is as follows:
verb-me-possession (blank space) lazm
This might seem confusing, let us explain how this structure works. The suffix -me allows a
verb to be used like a noun, it is similar to a gerund. You might ask at this point, wasn't the
suffix -me used for negating verbs? That is right, but the suffix for negating verbs and the
suffix for using a verb like a noun are the same. So, okuma can mean either don't read or
reading according to the context in which it is used. In this case, we are concerned about the
second meaning. So, in the phrase okumam lazm, the part okumam means my reading and
the part lazm means required. When we put these together, it becomes my reading is required
and this is what we use for I have to read in Turkish. Let's look at a few examples to clarify
this further:
I have to go to school tomorrow. --> Yarn okula gitmem lazm.
I have to work now. --> imdi almam lazm.
We have to get ready. --> Hazrlanmamz lazm.
You have to go. --> Gitmen lazm.
3. Need to
This is very similar to the use of have to, both in meaning and structure. The word we use to
give the meaning of need to is 'gerekiyor'. It is similar to 'have to' in meaning, so that it can be
used interchangeably with have to (lazm). It is similar in structure, which can be seen in the
structural skeleton:
verb-me-posession (blank space) gerekiyor
The following examples will clarify this further:
I need to go home. --> Eve gitmem gerekiyor.
You need to be here at 2. --> Saat ikide burada olman gerekiyor.
You need to sleep early. --> Erken uyuman gerekiyor.
She needs to see a doctor. --> Doktora gitmesi gerekiyor.
4. Want to
The use of want to is logically almost identical to the English counterpart. One important
difference is that you use the verb 'to want' in present continuous tense instead of present
simple. The turkish verb for to want is istemek. The structure goes as follows:
verb(infinitive) (blank space) istiyor-to be

I want to go. --> Gitmek istiyorum.
I want to sleep. --> Uyumak istiyorum.
I want to take a rest. --> Dinlenmek istiyorum.
I want to go home. --> Eve gitmek istiyorum.
What do you want? --> Ne istiyorsun?
Konumak istiyor musun? --> Do you want to talk?
Trende - On the Train

Turkish
Vural: Affedersiniz, buras bo mu?
Blent: Evet bo, buyurun oturun.
Vural: Teekkr ederim.
Blent: Birey deil.
Vural: Nereden geliyorsunuz?
Blent: stanbul'dan geliyorum, siz de mi stanbul'dan geliyorsunuz?
Vural: Hayr, Almanya'dan geliyorum.
Blent: Hangi ehirden?
Vural: Berlin'den. Siz stanbul'da m oturuyorsunuz?
Blent: Hayr, Ankara'da oturuyorum. Siz nereye gidiyorsunuz?
Vural: Ben de Ankara'ya gidiyorum. Sigara ier misiniz?
Blent: Hayr, teekkr ederim, imiyorum.
Vural: Ankara'da ne i yapyorsunuz?
Blent: Stajyer doktorum. Sizin mesleiniz ne?
Vural: Ankara niversitesi'nde asistanm.
Blent: Hangi blmde?
Vural: Alman Dili ve Edebiyat blmnde.
Blent: Evli misiniz?
Vural: Evet, evliyim. ki ocuum var. Siz de evli misiniz?
Blent: Hayr, henz bekrm. Einiz ne i yapyor?
Vural: O da niversitede asistan, birlikte alyoruz.
Memur: Biletler ltfen!

Vural: Buyurun bakn.
Turgut: Trende rtar var m acaba?
Memur: Hayr, yok. Bir saat sonra Ankara'dayz.
Turgut: Erzurum ka saat sryor?
Memur: Erzurum alt saat sryor.
Turgut: Teekkr ederim.
Memur: Bir ey deil, hepinize iyi yolculuklar.
English
Vural: Excuse me, is this seat free?
Blent: Yes, it is free, please sit down.
Vural: Thank you.
Blent: You are welcome.
Vural: Where are you coming from?
Blent: I am coming from Istanbul, are you also coming from Istanbul?
Vural: No, I am coming from Germany.
Blent: From which city?
Vural: From Berlin. Do you live in Istanbul?
Blent: No, I live in Ankara. Where are you going?
Vural: I am also going to Ankara. Do you smoke?
Blent: No, thank you, I don't smoke.
Vural: What do you do in Ankara?
Blent: I am a trainee doctor. What is your job?
Vural: I am an assistant in Ankara University.
Blent: At which department?
Vural: At the Department of German Language and Literature.
Blent: Are you married?
Vural: Yes, I am married. I have two children. Are you also married?
Blent: No, I am yet single. What does your spouse do?
Vural: She is also assistant at the university, we are working together.
Conductor: Tickets please!
Vural: Here you are, look.
Turgut: Is there a delay for the train?
Conductor: No, there is not. We will be in Ankara in one hour.
Turgut: How long does it take to Erzurum?
Conductor: It takes six hours to Erzurum.
Turgut: Thank you.
Conductor: You are welcome, have a nice trip.
stanbul-Ankara Treni - Istanbul-Ankara Train

Turkish
Vural: stanbul-Ankara aras ka kilometredir?
Memur: 598 kilometre.
Vural: stanbul-Ankara aras ka saat?
Memur: Yedi saat.
Blent: Ankara'dan stanbul'a ilk tren saat kata hareket ediyor?
Memur: Sabahleyin saat 8.15'te.
Vural: stanbul-Ankara treninde rtar var m?
Memur: Hayr, yok.
Blent: Tren biletlerinde renciler iin indirim var m?
Memur: Evet, %50 (yzde elli) indirim var.
Vural: Baka kimlere indirim var?
Memur: ocuklara, askerlere de %50 indirim var.
Blent: Gidi-dn biletlerinde de indirim var m?
Memur: Evet, %10 indirim var.
Blent: Verdiiniz bilgiler iin ok teekkr ederiz.
Memur: Bir ey deil, grevimiz.
English
Vural: How many kilometers is it between Istanbul and Ankara?
Cashier: 598 kilometers.
Vural: How many hours is it between Istanbul and Ankara?
Cashier: Seven hours.
Blent: When does the first train depart from Istanbul to Ankara?
Cashier: At 8.15 in the morning.
Vural: Is there a delay in the Istanbul-Ankara train?
Cashier: No, there is not.
Blent: Is there a discount for students at the train tickets?
Cashier: Yes, there is a %50 (fifty percent) discount.
Vural: Who else do you have discounts for?
Cashier: There is %50 discount also for children and soldiers.
Blent: Is there also a discount at the roudtrip tickets?
Cashier: Yes, there is a %10 discount.
Blent: Thank you very much for the information you gave.
Cashier: You are welcome, it is our job.
stasyonda - At the Station

Turkish
Sevim hanm: Hadi yavrum, bin artk trene. Vakit tamam.
Blent: Daha be dakika var, anneciim.
Sadun bey: Annen hakl olum. Hadi bin artk.
Blent: Peki baba. Allahasmarladk anneciim. Ver elini peyim.
Sevim hanm: Gle gle olum. Mektup yaz.
Blent: Allahasmarladk Gnder.
Gnder: Gle gle aabey.
Blent: Derslerine iyi al.
Gnder: Peki aabey.
Sevim hanm: Gle gle olum.
Sevim hanm: Hadi hadi. abuk ol!
Blent: Tamam anneciim, tamam, daha iki dakika var. Hemen biniyorum.
Sevim hanm: Pencereyi a! Pencereyi a! Valizler nerede?
Blent: te burada anneciim.
Sevim hanm: Paketler nerede?
Blent: Onlar da burada.
Sevim hanm: yi. Paketlerde brek var, reel var. Sabahlar yersiniz.
Sadun bey: Valizlere dikkat et. Trende unutma.
Blent: Olur baba, unutmam.
Sevim hanm: Kendine iyi bak! Mektup yaz!
Blent: Allahasmarladk!
Sevim hanm: Gle gle!
Sadun bey: yi yolculuklar olum!
Blent: Hepiniz hoa kaln.
English
Mrs. Sevim: Come on dear, get on the train. Time is up.
Blent: There are still five minutes, mum.
Mr. Sadun: Your mother is right, son. Come on, get on.
Blent: Okey father. Take care mum. Let me kiss your hand.
Mrs. Sevim: See you son. Write to us.
Blent: Take care Gnder.
Gnder: See you brother.
Blent: Study hard.
Gnder: Okey brother.
Mrs. Sevim: See you son.
Mrs. Sevim: Come on. Be quick!
Blent: Okey mum, okey, there are still two minutes. I am getting on right away.
Mrs. Sevim: Open the window! Open the window! Where are the luggages?
Blent: Here they are mum.

Mrs. Sevim: Where are the packages?
Blent: They are also here.
Mrs. Sevim: Good. There are pastries in the packages, and there is jam. You will eat
in the mornings.
Mr. Sadun: Be careful with the luggages. Don't forget them on the train.
Blent: Okey father, I won't forget.
Mrs. Sevim: Take care! Write to us!
Blent: Take care!
Mrs. Sevim: See you!
Mr. Sadun: Have a nice trip son!
Blent: Good bye all.
Bar Bey - Mr. Bar

Turkish
Bar bey iine her sabah 8'de gidiyor.
O, bir okulda retmendir.
Bar bey le yemeini okulda yiyor.
Evine saat 18'de geliyor.
Evde hi bir ey yapmyor.
nk ok yorgundur.
Yalnz gazete okuyor, radyo dinliyor.
Bar bey Cumartesi ve Pazar gnleri okula gitmiyor.
nk okul kapaldr.
Cumartesi ve Pazar gnleri evde oturuyor, kitap okuyor, resim yapyor.
English
Mr. Bar goes to work at 8am every morning.
He is a teacher at a school.
Mr. Bar eats lunch at school.
He comes home at 6pm.
He doesn't do anything at home.
Because he is very tired.
He just reads newspaper, listens to the radio.
Mr. Bar doesn't go to school on Saturdays and Sundays.
Because school is closed.
On Saturdays and Sundays he sits at home, reads books, draws pictures.
Kahvalt - Breakfast
Turkish
Tamay: Kahvalt yapacaksn deil mi?
Blent: Hayr yapmayacam. A deilim. ok yorgun ve uykusuzum. imdi hemen
uyuyacam.
Tamay: ay hazr. Bir du al. Yorguluun ksn. Kahvaltda bir eyler ye, sonra da
uyu.
Blent: Kahvaltda neler var?
Deniz: Sen ne istiyorsun? Ben imdi bakkala gideceim. Yumurta, bal, zeytin
alacam.
Blent: u paketi an. inde brek ve reel var. Annem koydu.
Tamay: Hem de vine ve ilek receli var.
Deniz: Brekler de ok gzel.
Blent: Annem gzel brek yapar.
Tamay: Haydi, sen du al.
Blent: Acele etmeyin, du alacam.
Tamay: Ama kahvalt hazr, bizi bekletme.
Blent: Deniz bakkala gidecek. Bal, yumurta, zeytin alacak.
Deniz: Tamam, ben bakkala gidiyorum. Sen de du al, tra ol.
Blent: Ben be dakikada hazr olacam.
Tamay: Ben de kahvalt sofrasn hazrlayacam.
Blent: Bir tabaa vine reeli koy.
Tamay: Olur. Kahvaltda st m, ay m ieceksin?
Blent: Siz ne ieceksiniz?
Tamay: Biz ay ieceiz.
Blent: Ben de ay ieceim. Yorgunlua iyi gelir.
Tamay: yi bir kahvalt yorgunluun en iyi ilacdr.
Blent: Bu szn doru. Haydi sen kahvalty hazrla. Ben de hemen geleceim. Bir
dakika! Sormay unuttum. Mektup kad ve zarf var m?
Tamay: Var, kime yazacaksn?
Blent: Anneme yazacam. Sz verdim.
English
Tamay: You will have breakfast, won't you?
Blent: No, I won't. I am not hungry. I am very tired and sleepy. I will sleep right
away.
Tamay: Tea is ready. Take a shower. You will feel rested. Eat something for breakfast,
then sleep.
Blent: What is there for breakfast?
Deniz: What do you want? I will go to the grocery store now. I will buy eggs, honey
and olives.
Blent: Open this package. There is pastry and jam inside. My mother made.
Tamay: And it is sourcherry and strawberry jam.
Deniz: The pastries are also delicious.
Blent: My mother makes good pastries.
Tamay: Come on, take a shower.
Blent: Don't hurry, I will take shower.
Tamay: But breakfast is ready, don't make us wait.
Blent: Deniz will go to the grocery store. She will buy honey, eggs and olives.
Deniz: Okey, I am going to the grocery s tore. And you take a shower and shave.
Blent: I will be ready in five minutes.
Tamay: And I will prepare the breakfast table.
Blent: Put sourcherry jam in a plate.
Tamay: Okey. Will you drink milk or tea for breakfast?
Blent: What will you drink?
Tamay: We will drink tea.
Blent: I will also drink tea. It helps tiredness.
Tamay: A good breakfast is the best medication for tiredness.
Blent: This is right. Come on, prepare the breakfast. And I will be back soon. One
minute! I forgot to ask. Do we have envelope and paper for a letter?
Tamay: Yes, who will you write to?
Blent: I will write to my mother. I promised.
Kasapta - At the Butcher's

Turkish
Kasap: Buyurun hanmefendi, arzunuz!
Bayan: Dana eti var m?
Kasap: Evet var.
Bayan: Ltfen yarm kilo dana eti.
Kasap: Bifteklik mi?
Bayan: Evet, bifteklik.
Kasap: Baka arzunuz?
Bayan: yz gram da kyma.
Kasap: Dana etinden mi?
Bayan: Hayr, koyun etinden. Ltfen biraz yal olsun.
Kasap: yz gram kyma yz elli lira, yarm kilo dana eti iki yz elli lira. Hepsi
toplam drt yz lira.
Bayan: Buyurun, be yz lira.
Kasap: Bu paranzn st.
Bayan: Teekkr ederim.
English
Butcher: Yes madam, how can I help you!
Bayan: Do you have veal?
Butcher: Yes, we have.
Bayan: Please, half a kilogram veal.
Butcher: For steak?
Bayan: Yes, for steak.
Butcher: Anything else?
Bayan: Three hundred grams of ground meat.
Butcher: From veal?
Bayan: No, from lamb. Please make it a little fatty.
Butcher: Three hundred grams of ground meat is hundred and fifty liras, hald a
kilogram veal is two hundred and fifty liras. Total is four hundred liras.
Bayan: Here you are, five hundred liras.
Butcher: This is your change.
Bayan: Thank you.
Introduction
The good news is that, on a Turkey holiday, even a little Turkish goes a long way. The Turkish
are a very friendly, welcoming people and theyll be thrilled to hear you try a few words or
phrases.
Here are a few simple Turkish words and phrases with pronunciation tips to help you get
around, be understood and importantly order that meal or glass of wine!
Useful Turkish words

Turkish greetings
Learn to talk about yourself
Pleasantries
Useful phrases while shopping in Turkey
Days of the week and times in Turkish

Restaurants
Counting to ten
Places
Accommodation
Common expressions
Some basic tips for talking Turkish:
The Turkish like to pronounce every letter in a word. Its difficult to remember sometimes if
your native language is English, which often has many silent letters, but make an effort to
pronounce every letter in Turkish and youre half way there!
Every letter in Turkish has the same sound no matter how it is used
Turkish has six/seven extra letters that dont exist in the English alphabet. While all the useful
words and phrases above come complete with a pronunciation guide, heres a quick guide to the
extra letters and how to pronounce them:
almost silent, it is okay to not pronounce this
, i
like the i in king
I,
like the u in urge
like the sh in shed
like the u in nude
Introduction
The good news is that, on a Turkey holiday, even a little Turkish goes a long way. The Turkish
are a very friendly, welcoming people and theyll be thrilled to hear you try a few words or
phrases.
Here are a few simple Turkish words and phrases with pronunciation tips to help you get
around, be understood and importantly order that meal or glass of wine!
Useful Turkish words

Turkish greetings
Learn to talk about yourself
Pleasantries
Useful phrases while shopping in Turkey
Days of the week and times in Turkish
Restaurants
Counting to ten
Places
Accommodation
Common expressions
Some basic tips for talking Turkish:
The Turkish like to pronounce every letter in a word. Its difficult to remember sometimes if
your native language is English, which often has many silent letters, but make an effort to
pronounce every letter in Turkish and youre half way there!
Every letter in Turkish has the same sound no matter how it is used
Turkish has six/seven extra letters that dont exist in the English alphabet. While all the useful
words and phrases above come complete with a pronunciation guide, heres a quick guide to the
extra letters and how to pronounce them:
almost silent, it is okay to not pronounce this
, i
like the i in king
I,
like the u in urge
like the sh in shed
like the u in nude
Turkish Greetings
Meeting and greeting in Turkey

The Turkish are a friendly people and chances are youll hear some of these phrases as you go
about your holiday. Learn how to say hello, goodbye, good day and more
English
Turkish
Pronunciation
Hello
Merhaba
mehr-hah-bah
Good morning
Gnaydn
gew-naye-dun
Good evening
yi akamlar
ee ahk-shahm-lahr
* This is used from late afternoon onwards, and can be used as a greeting and farewell
Good day
yi gnler
ee guhn-lehr
* This can be used morning or early afternoon and can be a greeting or a farewell
Goodbye
Hoa kaln
hosh-cha kaluhn
* this can be used at any time for farewell
Pleased to meet you
Memnun oldum
mem-noon oll-doom
Pleased to meet you too
Ben de memnun oldum
deb-deh mem-noon oll-doom
Talk About Yourself in Turkish
A few basic Turkish phrases to help you communicate while on your holiday...
English
Turkish
Pronunciation
What is your name?
Adnz ne?
ah-duh-nuhz neh
My name is Mary
Benim adm Mary
ben-im ah-duhm Mary
How are you?
Naslsnz?
nah-suhl-suhn-uz
I am fine
yiyim
ee-yeem
- Practice saying your name
* This is the standard response to "Naslsnz?"
Mr
Bay
bayh
Mrs
Bayan
bayh-an
I am Amerikan
Amerikalym
Amer-ika-le-yum
I am English
ngilizim
In-gi-li-zim
I am German
Almanm
Al-ma-num
Anlamadm
an-la-ma-duhm
- More nationalities here
I dont understand
Pleasantries
In Turkish there are set pleasantries for certain occasions. Learn a few and you can
get away with knowing fewer words in Turkish!
.
Afiyet olsun!
af-ee-yeht ul-sun
Said to someone who is eating or has just finished eating (literal translation: Bon
Appetite/ Let Health Be)
.
Elinize salk!
el-ee-nee-ze saah-lik
Said to praise someones cooking (literal translation: Health to your hands)

.
Kolay gelsin!
koh-lay gel-sin
Said to someone working (literal translation: May it come easy)

.
Gemi olsun!
gech-mish ol-suhn
Said to someone who is ill (literal translation: Get well soon/ may it pass)
.
ok yaa!
chok yash-ah
Said to someone who just sneezed, similar to god bless you (literal translation: Live
long)
.
Shhatler olsun!
suh-hut-ler ol-suhn
Said to someone who just took a shower, or to a guy who just got a haircut or shaved
(literal translation: Let there be health)
.
Shopping in Turkey
Useful words to help you shop, haggle and buy your way around Turkey!
English
Turkish
Pronunciation
Open
Ak
ah-chuhk
Closed
Kapal
kah-pah-luh
Entry
Giri
gee-rish
Is there / do you have?
Var m?
vahr-muh?
Do you have bread?
Ekmek var m?
ek-mek vahr-muh
There is
Var
vahr
There is bread
Ekmek var
ek-mek vahr
There is not
Yok
yohk
There is no bread
Ekmek yok
ek-mek yohk
This bread
Bu ekmek
boo ek-mek
What?
Ne?
neh
What is this?
Bu ne?
boo neh
How much (money)?
Ka para?
kahch pah-rah
Cheap
Ucuz
oo-juuz
Expensive
Pahal
pah-ha-luh
* Dont forget to haggle for everything but the food in Turkey!!
Days of the Week and Times in Turkish
English
Turkish
Pronunciation
Sunday
Pazar
pah-zahr
Monday
Pazartesi
pah-zahr-tesi
Tuesday
Sal
sah-luh
Wednesday
aramba
char-sham-bah
Thursday
Perembe
pehr-shem-beh
Friday
Cuma
juma
Saturday
Cumartesi
jumar-tesi
Tomorrow
Yarn
yahr-uhn
Today
Bugn
boo-guhn
Day
Gn
guhn
Week
Hafta
haf-tah
Morning
Sabah
sah-bah
Evening
Akam
ahk-shahm
Turkish in a Restaurant
When ordering food in a restaurant or in a shop, it is enough to simply ask for the food you
would like and add the Turkish word for please ltfen on the end. It is considered perfectly
polite.
English
Turkish
Pronunciation
Restaurant
Lokanta
lo-can-tah
* Traditional Turkish restaurants may be called restaurant or, in some cases, lokanta
Menu please
Men tfen
men-oo lewt-fen
Price list
Fiyat listesi
fee-yot lis-tesi
* It is always good to ask for a price list first. If they do not have one be wary.
Waiter! Excuse me!
Garson! Bakar msnz?
bakar-muh-suhn-uhz
Cheers! / Good health!
erefe!
sher-ef-eh
Wine list please
arap listesi ltfen
shah-rap lis-tesi lewt-fen
Two beers
ki bira
ee-kee beer-ah
White wine
Beyaz arap
bey-az shah-rap
Red wine
Krmz arap
kur-muh-zuh shah-rap
Tea
ay
chy
Coffee
Kahve
kah-vey
The bill
Hesap
hes-up
Thats enough
Yeter
yeht-uhr
* This is a useful word if they bring out the meze tray you may find that the waiter brings a huge
tray of starters to the table without you having ordered them. It is custom to stop him, choose what
you want and send the rest back. Yeter is a helpful word for this.
Counting in Turkish
One thing that makes counting in Turkish easier is the lack of the plural. Asking for two beers,
for instance, simply becomes two beer. Three oranges, for instance, becomes three orange.
English
Turkish
Pronunciation
One
bir
beer
Two
iki
ee-kee
Three
ewch
Four
drt
dirt
Five
be
besh
Six
alt
ahl-tuh
Seven
yedi
yeh-dee
Eight
sekiz
seh-keez
Nine
dokuz
doh-kooz
10
Ten
on
ohn
11
Eleven
on bir
ohn beer
12
Twelve
on iki
ohn ee-kee
13
Thirteen
on
ohn ewch
and so on...
Places in Turkish
Turkish place names... know what to ask for if you want the restroom, the pharmacy, the airport
or more!
English
Turkish
Pronunciation
Where is ...?
... nerede?
neh-reh-dey
Restroom / toilet
Tuvalet
too-vah-let
Where is the toilet?
Tuvalet nerede?
too-vah-let neh-reh-dey
Pharmacy / chemist
Eczane
ejch-zan-eh
Bus station
Otogar
auto-garh
Post office
Postane
post-han-eh
Grocers shop
Bakkal
bahk-kal
Bank
Banka
ban-kah
Turkish bath
Hamam
ham-am
Learn about Turkish baths with our partner website
Hospital
Hastane
has-tan-eh
Museum
Mze
moo-zey
Airport
Havaliman
hav-ah-lee-man-uh
Police station
Karakol
kah-rah-kol
Accommodation in Turkish
Whether youre staying in an hotel or a pansiyon (guest house), here are a few
simple words to make your stay that much easer.
English
Turkish
Pronunciation
Hotel
Otel
oh-tel
Room
Oda
oh-dah
For
in
ee-chin
Number
Numara
noo-ma-rah
How many?
Ka?
Kah-ch
Arrival
Geli
gel-ee-sh
Departure
Gidi
gee-dee-sh
Bathroom
Banyo
ban-yoh
Air conditioning
Klima
klee-mah
One person
Bir kii
beer ki-sh-ee
One night
Bir gece
beer geh-jeh
Breakfast included
Kahvalt dahil
kah-val-tuh da-heel
Hot water
Scak su
see-jack soo
Common expressions in Turkish
Turkish words and phrases youll hear again and again.
As your holiday in Turkey progresses, youll probably find that your ear slowly becomes
attuned to the Turkish around you. Thats when youll start to hear the same key words and
phrases everywhere you go.
Sometimes youll even hear the same word in a variety of different situations. Here we look at
some of those words and phrases, examine what they mean and how you can respond.
1. Buyurun
Pronunciation: Booh-rohn
Youll hear the word buyurun everywhere you go in Turkey, in shops, restaurants and markets
in particular. There is no direct English equivalent. Instead, buyurun acts as an all-purpose
word to prompt you meaning welcome, please come in, sit down, there you are, how can I
help you or would you like anything else, depending on the context in which it is used.
You may also hear a variation buyurun efendim. (Pronounced booh-rohn afen-dehm)
Efendim is a gender-neutral way of addressing a man or a woman, a polite way of saying Sir or
Madam. You may also hear Turkish people answering the telephone using this form of address.
2. Hadi!
Pronunciation: had-ee
You will no doubt hear hadi almost as often as buyurun in Turkey. It means Come on! Or go
on!
3. Ho geldiniz
People may say this to you when you arrive in Turkey, check into your hotel, go to a restaurant,
enter a shop or visit someones home. It translates as Welcome in English.
There is a set response expected to this ho bulduk. Your response equates to Happy to be
here.
Welcome
ho geldiniz
hosh-gel-dinn-iz
Happy to be here
ho bulduk
hosh-bol-duhk
4. Naslsnz?
This is a popular greeting when two people meet. It loosely translates as How are you? Again,
there is a set response to this iyiyim, teekkr ederim. This means I am fine, thank you.
How are you?
Naslsnz?
nah-suhl-suhn uz
I am fine
yiyim
ee-yeem
Thank you
teekkr ederim
teh-she-kewr eh-deh-rehm
When the Turkish speak English
Turkish people will be delighted if you try to speak even a few words of their language, but if
you holiday in the resorts around the country, youll probably find quite a lot of the Turks there
want to speak English. Sometimes even when you dont want them to!
That said, however, its not always that easy to understand their English either. Here we
highlight a couple of little facts that might help you understand their English a little better!
Turks cant traditionally pronounce th as there is no equivalent sound in

Turkish. You may find that they say Tank you instead of Thank you or Der
instead of There.
They also have a tendency to pronounce W as V. Thats because there is no

W in the Turkish alphabet!
Turkish has a different rhythm of language to English. If a Turk hasnt fully

mastered the English rhythm, you may still find it difficult to understand
them even if they use the right words.
They may confuse you by saying they are going to drink smoke. Really,
they probably mean they are going to have a cigarette but in Turkish to verb
to drink and the verb to smoke is the same imek. No wonder theyre
confused!
Basic Grammar Glossary

1. PARTS OF SPEECH
1.1 NOUN
A word giving name to a thing, person or idea, e.g. door, mechanic, love.
Depending on a language, nouns have:
number (singular/plural)
gender (masculine/feminine/neuter)
cases (nominative/genitive/dative/accusative/locative/vocative etc)
TYPES of NOUNS:
Possessive nouns: Nouns that describe owner of something or, in other words, a noun that has
something. E.g. Mike's car, car's engine
Proper nouns: Nouns that are a name of a specific person, place or thing. E.g. Mary, Germany,
Islam
Common nouns: All other nouns giving general names to people, places or things. E.g. girl,
country, religion
Concrete nouns: Nouns describing things we can see, touch, or smell. E.g. stone, chair, vanilla
Abstract nouns: Nouns describing things we cannot see, touch or smell (ideas etc). E.g. love,
friendship, childhood
Countable nouns: Nouns that take plural forms, nouns that can be counted. E.g. chair, car, child
Uncountable nouns: Nouns that don't take plural forms, nouns that can't be counted. E.g. love,
water, air
1.2 VERB
A word describing an action or a state, e.g. run, learn, lie, be

Depending on a language, verbs have:
tense (past/present/future)
aspect (perfective/imperfective/simple/continuous)
mood (optative/conditional/imperative etc)
voice (active/passive)
TYPES of VERBS:
Dynamic verbs: Most verbs, they describe an action (kill, find)
Stative verbs: Don't usually take the continuous form (-ing ending). Typically they denote
emotions (love, hate), abstract ideas (want, need) or possession (have, own)
Auxiliary verbs: Verbs (be, have, do) that have little meaning but have their functions like
creating questions (Do you like coffee?) or tenses (He has been unconscious for three days)
Modal verbs: Specific verbs (can, could, may, might, shall, should, ought to, must, that express
necessity, obligation, possibility, certainty or lack of thereof.
1.3 PRONOUN
A word able to replace a NOUN or another pronoun in a sentence
TYPES of PRONOUNS:
Subject personal pronouns: (I, you, he, she etc) - Replace subject in a sentence
Possessive pronouns: (mine, yours, his, hers etc)
Object personal pronouns: (me, you, him, her, etc) - Replace object in a sentence
Demonstrative pronouns: (this, that, these, those)
Interrogative pronouns: (why, what, where, when, etc) - Those words that open a question
Relative pronouns: (who, which, that, whose, etc) - Words that link two sentences
Indefinite pronouns: (many, some, any, all, etc) - Those that describe an indefinite number of
something
Reflexive pronouns: (myself, yourself, himself, ourselves, etc) - We use them if subject and
object of a sentence are the same, or, in other words, if subject performs an action on
himself/herself. E.g. I washed myself . He hurt himself.
1.4 ADJECTIVE
A word giving extra information about a NOUN or PRONOUN. E.g. old hut, silly me
TYPES of ADJECTIVES:
Possessive adjectives: (my, your, his, her etc) - Used before a NOUN describe who it belongs to
Comparative adjectives: (older, bigger) - Used to compare qualities of two things
Superlative adjectives: (oldest, biggest) - Used to compare qualities of more than two things
1.4 ADVERB
A word modifying an ADJECTIVE or a VERB.
TYPES of ADVERBS:
Adverbs of manner: State how something is done, e.g. She types quickly.
Adverbs of time: State when something happens, e.g. See you tomorrow.
Adverbs of frequency: State how often something happens, e.g. We meet twice a month.
Adverbs of degree: State how much of something is done, e.g. I like him a lot.
Adverbs of place: State where something is, e.g. It's here.
There are many other adverbs that give us extra information in a sentence, e.g. comments
(fortunately, alas, etc) or join ideas (although, even though, however, thus, etc)
1.5 PREPOSITION
A word that tells us where something is in relation to another object. E.g. on the table, under the
bed
1.6 CONJUNCTION
A word that links words, phrases or clauses, e.g. and, or, so
2. PARTS OF SENTENCE
2.1 SUBJECT
A NOUN, PRONOUN or NOMINAL PHRASE that give information who or what the sentence
is about, in active voice it is the doer of the action described by the verb. In English it is usually
before the verb.
E.g.
John has ironed all his shirts. John is a proper noun, doer of action, hence the subject.
He has ironed all his shirts. He is a pronoun, doer of action, hence the subject.
The person I live with has ironed all his shirts. The person I live with is a nominal phrase, the
doer of action, hence the subject
**BUT**
All shirts have been ironed by John. Although, logically, John has ironed the shirts, passive voice
reverses subject/object relations so it is All shirts that function as subject in this sentence.
2.2 OBJECT
A NOUN, PRONOUN or NOMINAL PHRASE that completes the verb. In English it goes after
the verb. In other words, it is the noun (pronoun or noun phrase) in a sentence that is not a
subject.
E.g.
I like coffee.
I like it.
I like that dark drink with caffeine.
TYPES of OBJECTS:
Direct: Answers whom or what is the recipient of the action described by the verb.
E.g. I gave her flowers. (What did I give to her?)
Indirect: The other object that is the recipient of the direct object
E.g. I gave her flowers. (Who got flowers).
Although it seems confusing at first, we may say that indirect object can be preceded by a
preposition after some modifications, e.g. I gave flowers to her. If you cannot separate an object
from the verb by means of preposition, it must be a direct object. If a verb has just one object, it
must be direct. Some verbs don't take any objects at all, e.g. He jumps high.
2.3 VERB
A word describing action or state of a subject.

TYPES of VERBS:
Transitive: Take OBJECTS. E.g. She sells shoes. They can be used in Passive Voice, e.g. Shoes
are sold by her.

Intransitive: Don't take objects. E.g. He died yesterday. They can't be used in Passive Voice.
Linking verbs: Don't describe an action but link subject and object. The most typical are verbs
be, become, seem. E.g. He is nice. (Nice is a quality of the subject, not an object of the verb).
3. OTHER USEFUL TERMS
3.1 BASIC FORM OF A VERB
Infinitive without the participle to. Its form doesn't indicate tense, aspect or mood. E.g. swim, be,
dance. All endings are added to this form of verb.
3.2 CONSONANT
A sound that is not a vowel. Consonants can be divided into different groups depending on the
place and manner of their articulation as well as other features involved into pronouncing them.
E.g.
/B/ is plosive, bilabial and voiced;
/P/ is plosive, bilabial and voiceless;
/M/ is nasal, bilabial and voiced;
/N/ is nasal, bilabial and voiceless.
3.3 CONSONANT HARMONY
Rule that defines which consonants may follow given consonants. E.g. voiceless /k/ can be
followed only by voiceless consonants like /t/
3.4 GERUND
Verb with the -ing ending that functions as a noun. E.g. Swimming is healthy. (subject); I love
dancing. (object)
3.5 INFINITIVE
Basic form of a verb usually preceded by the participle to. E.g. to swim, to be, to dance
3.6 PARTICIPLE
Verb forms that have two types:

Present Participle: Identical to gerund (verb with -ing ending) but it doesn't function as a noun.
- Forms progressive (continuous) aspect, e.g. They are dancing.
- Modifies nouns, e.g. We saw a dancing dog.
- Modifies verbs, e.g. He stopped, knowing nobody was listening to him anyway.
Past Participle: Regular verb with -ed ending or 3rd form of irregular verbs, e.g. cooked, swum,
forgotten.
- Forms the perfect aspect, e.g. I have never danced.
- Forms the Passive Voice, e.g. Everything was lost.
- Modifies nouns, e.g. He soon forgot about the lost keys.
- Modifies verbs, e.g. Questioned like that, he decided not to reply.
3.7 VOWEL
A sound pronounced without any obstruction in the vocal tract. English vowels are: /a/, /e/, /i/, /o/
,/u/.
3.8 VOWEL HARMONY
Rule that defines which vowels can follow given vowels. E. g. "dotted" vowels can only be
followed by vowels from the same group.

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What are the different types of clauses discussed in the passage?

What are the different types of clauses discussed in the passage?

What are the three ways that two nouns can form a clause in Turkish according to the passage?

What are the three ways that two nouns can form a clause in Turkish according to the passage?

Adjective and noun clauses

Two nouns form a clause in three different ways in Turkish:

car key ==> araba anahtar

Bu bir araba. [This is a car.]

Bu bir araba deil. [This is not a car]

O bir ev. [That is a house.]

O bir ev deil. [That is not a house]

O ok gzel. [She is very beautiful.]

O ok gzel deil. [She is not very beautiful.]

Bu araba beyaz. [This car is white.]

Bu araba beyaz deil. [This car is not white]

3. There is, there is not

there is --> var

Nothing state (no

Just the plain noun.

Marks the noun as the subject of an

Adds the meaning of direction (very

Adds the meaning of position (Used for

Adds the meaning of from, used for this

I saw the house. --> Evi grdm.

This is a house. --> Bu bir ev.

The pen is on the table. --> Kalem masada.

Joe is at school. --> Joe okulda.

Your mother is in that room. --> Annen o odada.

I came from home. --> Evden geldim.

you are xxx

you are xxx

they are xxx

you were xxx

you were xxx

they were xxx

This house is very big. --> Bu ev ok byk.

a. Humans or objects that have no individuality take singular conjugation

Now, lets see where to be is used:

In order to make a verb infinitive, the suffix -mek is used.

The following are examples to the use of infinitives in Turkish:

CASE A - Word mutation.

Two conditions must be satisfied for word mutation to occur:

And here are some examples to this:

aa-a --> aaca (to the tree)

CASE B - Suffix mutation.

Two conditions must be satisfied for suffix mutation to occur:

In this case, the first letter of the consonant changes.

Trk --> Turkish (people)

1. When two vowels come together

1.1. Dropping a vowel

1.2. Adding a buffer consonant in between

First, change the suffix -e according to vowel harmony rules according to

| To the coast --> Ky-e --> Kyya

Room --> Oda

| To the room --> Oda-e --> Odaya

Ship --> Gemi

| To the ship --> Gemi-e --> Gemiye