How to Learn Turkish: 6 Effective Ways to Learn Turkish Quickly (2024)

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Do you want to start studying Turkish but can’t find the right tools to build a comprehensive study routine?

In this guide, I’ll show you the best resources you include in your studies to develop all Turkish language skills. I’ve included Turkish language apps, Turkish textbooks, online courses, YouTube channels, and podcasts. If you to study with a teacher, I’ve also included the best online tutoring platforms.

The Langoly team has over 5 decades of combined language learning experience, so we’re quite familiar with the process of acquiring a new language. We’ve personally tested and reviewed over 600 language products to help you find high-quality tools that are worth your time. After reading this article, you’ll be one step closer to reaching your language goals!

Turkish is one of the most spoken languages in the world, with over 88 million speakers. It’s the official language of Turkey and it’s one of the official languages of Cyprus. The US Department of State considers Turkish to be a critical language, or a language vital to national security and economic prosperity. Learning this language can open career opportunities in diplomacy and business. It’s also a gateway language that can help you learn other Middle Eastern languages like Uzbek or Kazakh.

How to Learn Turkish: Use These 6 Methods To Reach Fluency!

The Turkish language might be hard to learn, but that doesn’t mean that it’s impossible. There’s no magic formula that will let you start speaking Turkish immediately, but there are steps you can take to make the process easier and faster. One of the best ways to learn is to use a variety of resources. Using different study methods will help you develop a well-rounded understanding of Turkish.

But, finding language resources that fit your learning style can be time-consuming. To save you time, we’ve created this list with the 6 best resources to start your Turkish studies today. We followed a strict methodology to test each of the resources you’ll find on this list, so you can be sure of the quality of these materials. By using these tools, you can develop all the areas of language you need to become fluent. You can explore the options to find the best methods for you.

Use the Best Turkish Apps

Language apps are a popular option for learning Turkish. Not only do they allow you to study on your own schedule, but they’re also very engaging and entertaining to use. Most apps are interactive and give you incentives to study every day. This is important when you’re studying Turkish, due to the many differences it has with English. The apps listed below, Babbel, Pimsleur, and Mondly can help you acquire the communication skills you need to quickly start understanding and speaking in Turkish.

Commitment: Low
Price: Low-Medium
Convenience: High

Look at more Turkish apps

Babbel

Babbel is the best app to learn Turkish because of its comprehensive method. You practice every language skill: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. The lessons are straightforward and teach you to apply the language in context with quick grammar notes. Babbel also provides some useful information about Turkish culture to help you use the language in real life. In my experience, this is a very comprehensive way to learn the language in a short time. You can try a free lesson to see if you like it or read more about it in this Babbel review.

Pimsleur

Pimsleur is the best app to learn to speak Turkish because it develops your conversational skills quickly. The audio lessons focus on speaking and pronunciation and start with the most essential knowledge to help you speak from the first lesson. In each one, you listen to a conversation between native speakers and learn what they said and how to say it. If you want to be able to communicate clearly, I strongly advise you to start here. You can try Pimsleur for free for 7 days or read more about it in this Pimsleur review.

Mondly

Mondly is an excellent choice for beginners because the lessons are short and simple. They help you learn basic vocabulary and grammar to navigate everyday situations. The app is flexible because you can complete the lessons in any order and study what interests you. I like that you can track your progress to see how fast you’re learning because it motivates me to continue studying. You can try Mondly with a free 7-day trial or read more about it in this Mondly review.

Take an Online Turkish Course

If you prefer a structured way to learn, an online course is a good choice for you. They offer lesson plans that take the guessing out of the game and continually build on what you previously learned. If you want to make sure you constantly improve your skills, they also have interactive tools to make sure you stay on track. The courses below, Turkish Uncovered, Turkish from Beginner to Fluent, and Language Transfer are three options you can use to start or continue your Turkish studies.

Commitment: High
Price: Medium-High
Convenience: Medium

StoryLearning: Turkish Uncovered

Turkish Uncovered is part of the Story Learning series. It follows a story throughout the entire course. In each unit, you listen to a part of the story and then take lessons that break down the grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation from the chapter. The goal of this course is to engage you in the story to make studying Turkish much easier, which I think is an effective way to motivate new students. There are also extensive lesson notes and practice material that help you reinforce and remember what you learned. You can try Turkish Uncovered for free for 7 days.

Turkish From Beginner to Fluent

Turkish From Beginner to Fluent is a language course available on the Udemy platform. It focuses on learning how to navigate everyday situations that you might encounter in a Turkish-speaking country. It’s suitable for complete beginners and will take you up to an intermediate level. You can complete it at your own pace, and communicate with the instructor if you have any questions. It has a 4.8/5.0 star rating with over 3,000 students enrolled. You can watch a preview as well as see exactly what you’ll learn during the course on the Udemy website. If you want to learn more about Udemy, you can read this review.

Language Transfer

Language Transfer is a completely free course that will help you learn the basics of Turkish. They use podcast-style lessons so you can hear the correct Turkish pronunciation. It’s part of a non-profit language project designed to share languages with the world. The lessons are taught in English and you learn important Turkish vocabulary and grammar. Each lesson focuses on teaching you how to think in the language instead of simply memorizing content, which I think is a much better way to learn Turkish. You can listen on the Language Transfer website or on SoundCloud.

Find an Online Turkish Tutor

One of the most effective ways to learn a language is with a teacher. Up until a few years ago, you needed to go to a school or another learning center. But now, thanks to online learning platforms, you can take classes online with a tutor who lives in Turkey, Cyprus, or anywhere in the world. italki, Preply, and Verbling are three platforms that can help you find a Turkish tutor that fits your language needs and budget.

Commitment: Medium
Price: Medium-High
Convenience: Medium

italki

italki is a massive online language-learning platform that connects you with native Turkish teachers. Teachers create their own curriculum so you can focus on exactly what you want to study. There are over 300 Turkish teachers to choose from and you can use different filters like location, availability, and price. What makes this one of my favorite resources is that you can buy as many or as few classes as you want, and message your teachers to tell them what skill you want to focus on. Most teachers offer a discounted trial lesson to see if they fit your learning style. You can also read more in this italki review.

Preply

Preply is a platform that’s very similar to italki. It allows you to search for a Turkish teacher who adjusts to your need for online classes. There are currently 500 Turkish teachers available, and you can visit their profiles to watch an intro video, see their schedule, and read past student reviews. This way, you can decide if they’re the best choice for you. On Preply, you can take a discounted trial class to find a teacher that you like. You can read this Preply review to learn more.

Verbling

Verbling is another quality platform for finding an online Turkish teacher. They only hire teachers with previous teaching experience, so I recommend it if you want a qualified instructor. You can search the teachers’ profiles to see who you want to take lessons with and use filters to find a teacher that fits your expectations and budget. This way, you can review what you previously learned, prepare for a language test, or simply tackle any grammar doubts you have. Most teachers let you take a free trial class to see if you enjoy the class. You can read more in this Verbling review.

Study with High-Quality Turkish Books

Using books is a traditional but effective way to learn Turkish. Not only do they not require any technology, but they also have step-by-step explanations that show you how to apply the language. Many English speakers struggle with Turkish grammar, and books can answer any question in just a few chapters. Most language learning centers use books, and now there are many choices out there designed for self-study. The three books on this list, The Delights of Learning Turkish, Complete Turkish, and Turkish Short Stories for Beginners are excellent choices if you are in a class or are studying on your own. You can find even more options in this Turkish book guide.

Commitment: Low
Price: Medium
Convenience: Medium

The Delights of Learning Turkish

The Delights of Learning Turkish is a comprehensive self-study guide aimed at beginner learners. It teaches both formal and colloquial speech and has detailed grammar explanations and examples. I included this book in this list because of its thorough step-by-step plan. It takes you from the Turkish alphabet and the most frequently used language up to dealing with the past continuous and past perfect. There are also practice exercises (with an answer key) and a dictionary included. You can find out more about the book here.

Complete Turkish

Complete Turkish is a book designed to help you reach the intermediate level. It teaches all the key language skills and focuses on getting you conversational in Turkish. The book is divided into 18 units that have dialogues, grammar points, practice questions, and more. There are also included audio tracks that can be downloaded through an app or listened to online. Overall, this is a comprehensive option if you’re looking for a book with additional resources to develop all the language skills. Check out the book here to see if it’s right for you.

Turkish Short Stories for Beginners

Turkish Short Stories for Beginners has 20 entertaining stories to help you learn new vocabulary and practice reading in Turkish. The stories focus on real-life situations and have dialogues that show how people speak. Each story has a summary in Turkish and English, a vocabulary list, and practice questions to test your understanding of what you read. Best of all, it’s an inexpensive, yet entertaining, option to practice vital language skills. Finding reading material that’s fit for beginners can be hard, so I think it’s great that this book has dialogues written in a way that’s easy for new students to understand. You can learn more about the book here.

Watch Turkish YouTube Videos

Watching YouTube videos to learn Turkish can be fun, but it’s also an easy way to become familiar with the sounds and pronunciation of the language. The video hosts are native Turkish speakers and use colloquial Turkish, so you can hear how people really speak the language. Most English speakers struggle with pronunciation, but videos offer a great opportunity to practice for free. The three YouTube channels below have hundreds of videos that teach you about the language and its history and culture.

Commitment: Low
Price: Low
Convenience: High

Easy Turkish

Easy Turkish is part of the larger Easy Languages project that brings language videos to the world. The hosts of the videos interview people on the streets of Istambul and other parts of Turkey about popular cultural topics. It’s a great way to hear how Turkish is spoken by normal people, but it can also provide useful insight into the point of view of Turkish people on various topics. If you’re interested in traveling to Turkey but want to learn about its culture first, I recommend you watch this channel. They publish new videos every week.

Jingle Jeff

Jingle Jeff makes high-energy videos that teach vocabulary and grammar in Turkish (as well as a few other languages). He originally made the videos for children but saw that parents liked learning languages, too, and has begun to create more content for adults. There are also quite a few short videos that teach a new word or phrase. I like that he has a great variety of videos: from nursery rhymes to math lessons in Turkish. Jingle Jeff has over 1,000 videos for you to check out.

Yasin Durak

Yasin Durak teaches you Turkish through his series of YouTube videos. His videos take on a no-nonsense approach to learning Turkish and it’s like learning a language in a classroom. He has videos that teach language basics as well as common expressions used in everyday life. He explains the phrases in English and then you practice how to say them correctly in Turkish. His explanations are very thorough and show clear examples, which helped me understand basic topics. There are over 150 videos already uploaded on his YouTube channel for you to practice with.

Listen to Turkish Podcasts

Podcasts are an effective and modern way to learn Turkish while you’re on the go. Since they are audio-based, you can listen to a podcast wherever you can bring your phone or other devices. It’s a convenient way for busy people to squeeze in some language practice. There are podcasts for news outlets, cultural topics, and language lessons, so you can easily find something that interests you. TurkishClass101, Let’s Learn Turkish, and Turkishaholic are 3 options that have hundreds of episodes you can listen to to learn about the Turkish language and culture.

Commitment: Low
Price: Low
Convenience: High

TurkishClass101

TurkishClass101 is both an app and an online platform that features thousands of podcast-style lessons. The lessons cover important language topics like vocabulary and grammar but also include interesting cultural information to teach you how to apply the language in context. There are tons of additional practice exercises and detailed lesson notes you can use to review or refresh your knowledge. One of the reasons why I included this resource was that it has English translations, PDFs, and audio tracks you can use to go over the parts you didn’t understand. From my experience, it’s perfect for beginner learners. You can try TurkishClass101 free for 7 days or read more about its parent company in this Innovative Language review.

Let’s Learn Turkish

Let’s Learn Turkish is a podcast created to help beginners learn Turkish. Meltem is from Turkey and made the podcast to teach her Spanish partner the language. In it, she breaks down different topics like the difference between hom*ophones, popular Turkish stories, holidays, beliefs, and more. Some episodes even focus on conversation, which I find very helpful if you want to listen to casual spoken Turkish. You can listen to all episodes of Let’s Learn Turkish for free on Spotify and a variety of other platforms.

Turkishaholic

The Turkishaholic podcast is hosted by Gokberk Talu, a Turkish language teacher. In the episodes, he explains different vocabulary and grammar concepts in English and teaches you how to say them correctly in Turkish. He also has an interesting “Learn Turkish Through Stories” series. If you’re a beginner, this is an easy way to start building your vocabulary while you work on your listening skill. You can listen to all of the episodes for free on Spotify and other platforms, and you also have the option to sign up for a Turkishaholic membership to receive additional learning material.

How to Learn Turkish: Final Thoughts

Hopefully, this list has helped you find a useful study tool and motivated you to continue learning Turkish. It won’t happen overnight, but with a consistent study routine and by using the right resources, you’ll be conversing in Turkish in no time. Finding a study method that works well for you will make learning Turkish a breeze. Iyi şanslar!

Want to learn more? Check out our Turkish resource page.

How to Learn Turkish: FAQ