Türkçe Öğrenme Kılavuzu
A comprehensive resource for Turkish phonetics, grammar, and essential language blocks.
🧠 Grammar & Harmony
The Turkish Alphabet (Alfabesi)
The Turkish alphabet is a modified Latin script with 29 letters. It excludes Q, W, and X, and includes 6 additional letters: ç, ğ, ı, ö, ş, ü.
| A a | B b | C c | Ç ç | D d | E e | F f | G g | Ğ ğ | H h | I ı | İ i | J j | K k | L l |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M m | N n | O o | Ö ö | P p | R r | S s | Ş ş | T t | U u | Ü ü | V v | Y y | Z z | |
| Total of 29 letters in the Turkish Alphabet. | ||||||||||||||
a e ı i o ö u ü
- Back Vowels (Kalın): a, ı, o, u
- Front Vowels (İnce): e, i, ö, ü
b c ç d f g ğ h j k l m n p r s ş t v y z
Unique Pronunciation Rules
| Letter | Name | Pronunciation (Approx.) | Turkish Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| A a | a | Like 'sun' vowel | kalem (pen) |
| C c | ce | Like 'J' in jet | Can (Name) |
| Ç ç | çe | Like 'CH' in church | Açı (Angle) |
| I ı | ı | Vowel in cousin or 'i' in sir (No dot) | Kız (Girl) |
| İ i | i | Like 'EE' in meet (Always dot) | Bir (One) |
| J j | je | Like 'S' in leisure | Jale (Name) |
| Ö ö | ö | Like French 'eu' or German 'ö' | Öğrenci (Student) |
| Ş ş | şe | Like 'SH' in ship | Güneş (Sun) |
| Ü ü | ü | Like French 'u' or German 'ü' | Güzel (Beautiful) |
The Soft G (Ğ ğ - Yumuşak Ge) 🌟
The Soft G always follows a vowel and no words start with it. Its sound depends on the preceding vowel:
- After Back Vowels (a, ı, o, u): It lengthens the sound of
that vowel.
Example: Yağmur (yaamur) 🌧️, Ağaç (aaç) 🌳 - After Front Vowels (e, i, ö, ü): It is pronounced as a soft 'y' glide or is almost
silent.
Example: Eğitim (eyitim) 🧑🏫, İğne (iyne) 💉
Vowel Harmony (Ahenk) 🎶
Suffixes must be selected to match the final vowel of the word stem, ensuring phonetic consistency.
A. Two-Way Harmony (E-Type: -ler/-lar) 🔄
| Last Vowel in Word Stem | Suffix Vowel | Example Suffix | Example Usage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Front Vowels (e, i, ö, ü) | e | -ler (Plural) | Ev (ev)ler (Houses) |
| Back Vowels (a, ı, o, u) | a | -lar (Plural) | Kitap (kitap)lar (Books) |
B. Four-Way Harmony (I-Type: -ı, -i, -u, -ü) 🔀
| Last Vowel in Word Stem | Suffix Vowel | Example Suffix | Usage (My...) |
|---|---|---|---|
| a, ı | ı | -ım | Araba (araba)m (My car) |
| e, i | i | -im | Ev (ev)im (My house) |
| o, u | u | -um | Yol (yol)um (My road) |
| ö, ü | ü | -üm | Göz (göz)üm (My eye) |
📚 Vocabulary Hub
Categorized word lists including all details from your notes.
👨👩👧👦 Family & People
🍎 Food & Drink
💪 Body Parts
🗓️ Time & Days
🗳️ Politics & Society
🗳️ Politics
🗓️ Months
🌤️ Seasons
⏰ Times of the Day
🕒 Clock Time
💼 Occupations
🎨 Colors
🐾 Animals
🚗 Transport
🏫 School & Stationery
💬 Key Phrases (Kalıp İfadeler)
👋 Greetings & Essential Manners
🙋♂️ Introductions & Personal Info
🗣️ Daily Conversation
🛍️ Shopping & Eating
🧭 Directions & Travel
🚨 Emergencies & Health
🏃 Verbs & Tenses (Fiiller)
Common Verb Infinitives (-mak / -mek)
Infinitives end with -mak (back vowels) or -mek (front vowels), following Turkish vowel harmony.
🔴 Present Continuous (Şimdiki Zaman)
Definition: Describes actions happening right now or ongoing actions (I am doing / he is doing).
Structure: Verb Stem + buffer vowel (if needed: ı / i / u / ü) + -yor + personal ending
Personal endings (examples by vowel harmony)
- Ben —
-(ı)ıyorum / -(i)yorum / -(u)yorum / -(ü)yorum - Sen —
-ıyorsun / -iyorsun / -uyorsun / -üyorsun - O —
-ıyor / -iyor / -uyor / -üyor - Biz —
-ıyoruz / -iyoruz / -uyoruz / -üyoruz - Siz —
-ıyorsunuz / -iyorsunuz / -uyorsunuz / -üyorsunuz - Onlar —
-ıyorlar / -iyorlar / -uyorlar / -üyorlar
Examples
- Gitmek → gidiyorum — I am going.
- Yemek → yiyorum — I am eating.
- Konuşmak → konuşuyorsun — You are speaking.
- İzlemek → izliyoruz — We are watching.
Negative: insert -ma/-me before
-yor → yapmıyorum (I am not doing).
Question: split after -yor and add mu (→
gidiyor musun?).
Notes: buffer vowel is used when stem ends in a vowel; some stems change (t → d) before suffixes — practice with irregulars.
🔴 Present Simple / Aorist (Geniş Zaman)
Definition: Habitual actions, general truths, repeated events (I eat, he goes, water boils).
Structure (overview): Verb stem + -r OR -ar/-er OR -ır/-ir/-ur/-ür + personal ending
When to use which form
- -r when stem ends in vowel (e.g.
oku → okur). - -ar / -er when stem ends in consonant & is 1 syllable (e.g.
yaz → yazar). - -ır / -ir / -ur / -ür when stem ends in consonant & has multiple syllables (e.g.
kullan → kullanır).
Personal examples (common)
- Ben yerim — I eat.
- Sen yersin — You eat.
- O yer — He/She eats.
- Biz yeriz — We eat.
- Siz yersiniz — You (pl) eat.
- Onlar yerler — They eat.
Negative: add -ma/-me (stem +
-maz/-mez) → yemem (I do not eat).
Question: split after the added r or use mı/mi →
yazar mısın?
Notes: many common verbs have exceptions (e.g.
demek → der, istemek → ister). Teach students to memorize high-frequency
irregulars.
🔴 Definite Past (Di'li Geçmiş Zaman)
Definition: Completed actions you witnessed or are certain about (I wrote, she came).
Structure: Verb Stem + -dı / -di / -du / -dü (or -tı/-ti/-tu/-tü after voiceless consonants) + personal ending
Personal endings (by last vowel)
| Person | a/ı | e/i | o/u | ö/ü |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ben | -dım | -dim | -dum | -düm |
| Sen | -dın | -din | -dun | -dün |
| O | -dı | -di | -du | -dü |
| Biz | -dık | -dik | -duk | -dük |
| Siz | -dınız | -diniz | -dunuz | -dünüz |
| Onlar | -dılar | -diler | -dular | -düler |
Examples & notes
- Ben yazdım — I wrote.
- Sen gördün — You saw.
- O geldi — He/She came.
Voiceless consonant rule: if stem ends in
ç/f/h/k/s/ş/t/p use -tı/-ti/-tu/-tü (e.g.
konuş → konuştum).
Negative: add -ma/-me then past
suffix → yazmadım. Question: add mı/mi after the tense (→
yazdın mı?).
🔴 Reported Past (Miş’li Geçmiş Zaman)
Definition: Hearsay/past not directly witnessed or used to report something someone said (He reportedly did X).
Structure: Verb Stem + -mış / -miş / -muş / -müş + personal ending
Personal endings (short)
- Ben —
-mışım / -mişim / -muşum / -müşüm - Sen —
-mışsın / -mişsin / -muşsun / -müşsün - O —
-mış / -miş / -muş / -müş - Biz —
-mışız / -mişiz / -muşuz / -müşüz - Siz —
-mışsınız / -mişsiniz / -muşsunuz / -müşsünüz - Onlar —
-mışlar / -mişler / -muşlar / -müşler
Examples & usage
- O gitmiş — He/She has apparently gone (I was told / it seems).
- Arkadaşım gelmiş — My friend reportedly came.
Also used to express surprise or a recent realization: Ne güzelmiş!
Negative: add -ma/-me before
-mış → gitmemiş.
Question: split after -miş and add mi (→
gelmiş mi?).
🔴 Future Tense (Gelecek Zaman)
Definition: Actions that will happen / plans or expectations (I will do, she will come).
Structure: Verb Stem + -acak / -ecek + personal ending
Personal endings (overview)
- Ben —
-(y)acağım / -(y)eceğim - Sen —
-(y)acaksın / -(y)eceksin - O —
-(y)acak / -(y)ecek - Biz —
-(y)acağız / -(y)eceğiz - Siz —
-(y)acaksınız / -(y)eceksiniz - Onlar —
-(y)acaklar / -(y)ecekler
Examples & notes
- Ben gideceğim — I will go.
- Sen okuyacaksın — You will read.
If stem ends in vowel add y before
-acak/-ecek. The final k often becomes ğ before vowel
personal endings (e.g. gideceğim not gideceğimk).
Negative: insert -ma/-me before
future suffix — a buffer y is always used there: gitmeyeceğim.
Question: split after -ecek/-acak and add mi (→
gidecek misin?).
🔴 Passive Voice (Edilgen)
Definition: Focus on the action or recipient (something is done), not who does it.
Common formations:
stem + n + (mak/mek) (if stem ends with vowel)
stem + -ın/-in/-un/-ün + (mak/mek) (if stem ends with l)
stem + -ıl/-il/-ul/-ül + (mak/mek) (if stem ends with other consonants)
- izlemek → izlenmek — to be watched
- bulmak → bulunmak — to be found
- açmak → açılmak — to be opened
Example sentences: Tahta silindi (The board was wiped), Kitap bulundu (A book was found).
🔴 Imperative (Emir Kipi)
Definition: Commands, requests, invitations (Go!, Don't go!, Let's eat!).
Formation (positive)
- Sen (singular informal): stem alone —
Git!(Go!) - Siz (plural/formal): add
-ın/-in(if stem ends in vowel addy) —Gidin! - O (let him/her): add
-sın/-sin—Gitsin! - Biz (let's): use optative/1pl
-elim/-alım—Gidelim!
Negative imperative
Use me/ma + present simple forms or gelme
(Don’t come!), or gelmeyin (Don’t come — formal/plural).
Examples
- Bekle! — Wait! (sen)
- Bekleyin! — Wait! (siz)
- Gidelim! — Let's go!
- Gitme! — Don't go!
🔴 Ability — "Can" (-ebilmek)
Definition: Add -ebil/-abil to express
ability or possibility (can / be able to).
Structure: Verb Stem + -e / -a + bil + tense/person endings
(treated as a verbal auxiliary)
- Yapabilirim — I can do it.
- Gidebilirsin — You can go.
- Görebiliriz — We can see.
Notes: bil conjugates like a normal verb; place
negation me/ma before bil → yapamıyorum (I cannot do it).
🔴 Obligation — "Must" (-meli / zorunda)
Definition: Expresses necessity or obligation. Two common
ways: the suffix -meli/-malı and the phrase zorunda (have to).
Structure: Verb Stem + -malı/-meli + personal endings
(or: — (infinitive) + zorundayım / zorundasın / zor + etc.)
- Gitmeliyim — I must go.
- Çalışmalısın — You must study.
- Okula gitmek zorundayım — I have to go to school.
Notes: -malı/-meli usually expresses general
duty/advice; zorunda is used for stronger personal obligation and often requires an
infinitive phrase (—mek zorundayım).
🔴 Conditionals (If — Koşul)
Definition: Express hypothetical or real conditions using
-se/-sa (attached to verb stem).
Structure: If clause: VerbStem + -se/-sa → Main clause (any tense)
- Gelirse, gideriz. — If he comes, we'll go.
- Yağmur yağarsa iptal ederiz. — If it rains, we'll cancel.
- Gelseydin, görürdün. — (Unreal past) If you had come, you would have seen.
Notes: The conditional suffix -se/-sa is
appended to the verb stem and follows vowel harmony. For counterfactuals use past-tense forms
combined with conditional patterns.
🔴 Subjunctive / Wishes (Dilek Kipi)
Definition: Express wishes, regrets, suggestions, or polite requests (I wish, would that...).
Common patterns: Keşke + verb (a/e form) or conditional + optative
(e.g. —se forms)
- Keşke gelse — I wish he would come.
- Erken gitsen iyi olurdu — It would be good if you went early.
- Yapsa da görsek — If only he would do it so we could see.