Learn Turkish: From Your First Merhaba to Real Conversations

You’ve been to Istanbul or Antalya more than once. You can say merhaba and teşekkürler, and then the conversation is over. Here’s how to get past those first two words and actually talk to people, with a method that fits into 20 minutes a day.

Turkish is spoken by more than 80 million people as a first language, mainly in Turkey and Cyprus, and by large communities in Germany, the Netherlands, the UK and the US. Millions of people visit Turkey every year, and many of them come back again and again. Yet most visitors never get beyond merhaba, because Turkish looks so unfamiliar at first glance.

I’ve been learning languages on my own for over 20 years and have written four books about language learning. I’ll be upfront: Turkish isn’t one of my languages. What I bring to this guide is the method side, an honest look at the difficulty and a clear plan for which resources really help you.

Why so many Turkey fans never get past “merhaba”

Most people who want to learn Turkish tell a similar story. They downloaded an app before their holiday, learned to say “the cat drinks milk”, arrived in Turkey and still couldn’t order a tea, ask for the bill or understand the friendly question the shop owner asked them. After the trip, the app was forgotten until the next booking.

The problem is rarely you. It’s how you start:

• Random words, no system. A few words from an app, a few from a phrasebook, a few from the hotel staff. Without a system, they’re gone after three weeks.
• Grammar shock. Turkish builds words like Lego bricks. If nobody explains the logic, the long words feel impossible.
• Only learning before trips. Two weeks of cramming before a holiday and nothing in between means starting from zero every time.

When I started Norwegian in 2005, I made the same mistake: I collected phrases from everywhere and learned nothing systematically. Things only clicked when I switched to a fixed daily routine with spaced repetition. That approach is the backbone of this guide.

And the reward is real. In my experience, a few sentences in the local language change the tone of every conversation. You’re no longer just another tourist. People smile, slow down, ask where you learned it and often take a little more time for you.

Is Turkish hard to learn for English speakers?

The US Foreign Service Institute places Turkish in Category III, together with languages like Greek, Polish and Russian. For English speakers, it estimates around 1,100 class hours to reach professional working proficiency (FSI language categories, state.gov). That’s the benchmark for diplomats who negotiate in Turkish. For holidays, friendships and everyday conversations, you need a fraction of that.

What makes Turkish challenging:

• Words are built with endings. Turkish is an agglutinative language: you stack suffixes onto a word. ev means “house”, evler “houses”, evlerimiz “our houses” and evlerimizde “in our houses”.
• Vowel harmony. The vowels in those endings change to match the word. That’s why it’s evler (houses) but kitaplar (books). It sounds complicated, but after a few weeks your ear does most of the work.
• The verb comes last. Turkish usually follows the order subject, object, verb. Ben çay içiyorum literally means “I tea am drinking”.
• Few familiar words. Turkish isn’t related to English, so you can’t guess much vocabulary. You’ll still find loanwords like otobüs, taksi, bilet and istasyon.

What makes Turkish easier than its reputation:

• Latin alphabet. Since the alphabet reform of 1928, Turkish uses Latin letters. No new script to learn.
• Written as it’s spoken. Every letter has exactly one sound. Once you know the 29 letters, you can read every word correctly out loud.
• Very regular grammar. There’s no grammatical gender, no articles like “the” and very few irregular verbs. Once you understand a pattern, it works almost everywhere.
• Patient, encouraging speakers. Turkish hospitality is famous for a reason. Learners who try a few words are usually met with warmth, not impatience.

How long does it take to learn Turkish?

With 20 minutes of focused study every day, a realistic timeline looks like this:

• After 4 to 6 weeks: greetings, ordering food and drinks, asking for prices and directions
• After about 3 months: simple conversations about yourself, your family and your trip
• After about 6 months: a solid A2 level, enough for most holiday situations and small talk
• After 12 to 18 months: conversational B1, where you can follow everyday conversations and talk about your opinions

The biggest factor isn’t talent, it’s consistency. 20 minutes every day beats three hours on a Sunday, because spaced repetition only works when you come back regularly.

How to learn Turkish: my step-by-step method for beginners

This is the approach I’d use myself, based on how I structured my own learning for Norwegian, Danish and Swedish, adapted to what makes Turkish special.

Step 1: The Turkish alphabet and pronunciation (week 1 to 2)

The Turkish alphabet has 29 letters, including 8 vowels. Because spelling is completely phonetic, two weeks of pronunciation practice pay off for the rest of your learning. The letters that trip English speakers up most:

• c: like the “j” in “jam” (cami, mosque)
• ç: like the “ch” in “church” (çay, tea)
• ş: like the “sh” in “shop” (şeker, sugar)
• ğ: not pronounced as a sound of its own, it lengthens the vowel before it (dağ, mountain, sounds like “daa”)
• ı (without a dot): an unrounded, short sound similar to the vowel in the second syllable of “cousin”
• ö: say “e” with rounded lips, like the German “ö”
• ü: say “ee” with rounded lips, like the German “ü”
• r: a light tap of the tongue, never swallowed like in British English

Stress usually falls on the last syllable of a word. Place names like İstanbul or Ankara are common exceptions, so listen to native speakers rather than guessing.

Step 2: Your first 50 phrases (week 2 to 4)

Phrases give you the quick wins that keep you motivated. Start with the ones you’ll use every single day in Turkey:

• Merhaba: hello
• Teşekkür ederim: thank you
• Lütfen: please
• Bir çay, lütfen: a tea, please
• Ne kadar?: how much is it?
• Hesap, lütfen: the bill, please
• Biraz Türkçe konuşuyorum: I speak a little Turkish

Two expressions you’ll hear constantly and that make locals smile when you use them yourself: Afiyet olsun (enjoy your meal) and Kolay gelsin, literally “may it come easy”, a friendly thing to say to anyone who is working. You’ll find the full list in our Turkish phrases.

Step 3: Core vocabulary with spaced repetition (month 1 to 3)

From my own experience, the method that really sticks is spaced repetition: you review words at growing intervals, right before you would forget them. That’s the core of what I describe in my books. For Turkish, focus first on food and drinks, numbers, shopping, directions, time and the most common verbs (to be, to have, to go, to want, to eat, to drink). Those topics carry most of your first conversations in Turkey.

Step 4: Grammar in small doses, starting with vowel harmony (from month 2)

Don’t start with suffix tables. Learn vowel harmony first, because it’s behind almost every ending in Turkish. Then add the plural (-ler/-lar), the possessive endings (my, your, our) and the present continuous with -iyor, which you’ll use all the time. Once you see that every new ending follows the same harmony rules, the long words stop being scary.

Step 5: Listen every day and speak from week one

Turkish TV series, known as dizi, are watched all over the world and are a great way to train your ear. Start with Turkish subtitles as soon as you can, not English ones. Turkish pop music and the news on the public broadcaster TRT help too. For speaking, use every chance you get: your next holiday, Turkish neighbours or shop owners at home, or a tutor online. Ask people to correct only one mistake per conversation. That keeps it fun for both sides.

Learn Turkish online: the 17-Minute-Languages course

If you want a structured path instead of collecting words from everywhere, an online course is the most flexible option. My main recommendation for Turkish is the course from 17-Minute-Languages, because it’s built on the same spaced repetition method I use myself and covers all levels from beginner to advanced.

Here’s what you really get, without the marketing copy:

• Vocabulary in context: According to the provider, the beginner course covers over 1,300 words, embedded in dialogues and phrases instead of isolated word lists.
• Native speakers: All words, phrases and dialogues are recorded by native Turkish speakers, so you learn the real pronunciation from day one.
• Daily plan: The software sets your tasks every day. You decide how many new words you learn and switch between multiple choice, writing and listening exercises.
• 15 to 20 minutes a day: on your phone, tablet or PC, with your progress saved automatically.
• Goal: a solid A2 foundation after about three months of daily practice.
• Risk-free start: a free 2-day trial without payment details and a 31-day money-back guarantee.

How the long-term memory method works

The vocabulary comes back again and again in a fixed daily rhythm. If you know a word several days in a row, it moves into your long-term memory and shows up less often. A word you’ve forgotten goes back to the start of the loop. From my experience with this method: it works, because you spend your time on the words you don’t know yet instead of repeating the ones you already have.

What the course doesn’t replace is real conversation. That’s where your next trip, Turkish speakers around you or a tutor come in.

Online course, local class or private tutor?

Which format is right for you depends on one question: how, when and where will you really study? Here’s an honest comparison:

My honest take: For most learners, the best combination is an online course for vocabulary and structure plus regular speaking practice with a real person. Turkish evening classes exist in larger cities, but outside of them, they’re hard to find, and fixed class times rarely survive a busy life.

Beyond the basics: intermediate Turkish (B1 to B2)

Once you can handle small talk and holiday situations, the next step is to understand longer conversations and express your own opinions. That’s the point where many self-learners stall, because free material for intermediate Turkish is much thinner than for beginners.

The 17-Minute-Languages intermediate Turkish course picks up exactly there. According to the provider, it adds over 1,800 new words and authentic dialogues on topics such as:

• Everyday life: restaurants, shopping, looking for an apartment
• Work and career: job search, office life, meetings
• Relationships: friendship, love, disagreements
• Travel and culture: booking a hotel, the airport, festivals, traditions and food
• Emergencies: health, accidents, traffic situations
• Technology, media and nature: vocabulary for news, the internet and the environment

All dialogues are recorded by native speakers. An audio trainer is included: you hear a word in English, think of the Turkish translation and then hear the native speaker. That’s perfect for the car, the train or a walk. If you’re aiming even higher, 17-Minute-Languages also offers an advanced Turkish course for levels C1 to C2.

Learn Turkish for free: resources that actually help

Can you learn Turkish for free? For the first steps, yes. For a structured path to real conversations, free resources alone rarely get you there, because they don’t tell you what to learn next. These free resources are worth your time:

• Our Turkish phrases: the most important everyday expressions for your next trip. → Turkish phrases
• Turkish series and music: dizi on streaming platforms and YouTube, plus Turkish pop on Spotify. Pick what you enjoy and switch to Turkish subtitles as early as possible.
• TRT: Turkey’s public broadcaster streams news and programmes online. Even if you understand little at first, your ear gets used to the rhythm.
• Yunus Emre Institute: Turkey’s official cultural institute runs Turkish courses in many countries and offers learning material online.
• Free 2-day course trial: test the structured method before you decide. → Try the Turkish course for free*

Looking for a free PDF? There’s no shortage of Turkish word lists online, but a list alone won’t make the words stick. The free eBook below isn’t a Turkish textbook. It shows you the method behind fast language learning, which you can apply to Turkish right away.

Free book: “How to learn any language in just 7 weeks”

Learn all the tricks that will help you learn Turkish quickly and efficiently, much faster than you ever thought possible.

*

For more on building vocabulary that sticks, see my guide to learning vocabulary successfully.

Apps and tutors for Turkish

Turkish is well covered by the big language apps. Babbel, Mondly and Duolingo all offer Turkish courses, and each has its own strengths and gaps. I’ve compared them in detail, including prices and who each app suits best, in my guide to the best apps to learn Turkish.

Apps are great for building a habit, but they rarely get you speaking. If you want to practise real conversations before your next trip, a live tutor is the fastest shortcut. On Preply, you’ll find Turkish tutors for every budget and can book a single trial lesson. → Find a Turkish tutor on Preply*

Frequently asked questions about learning Turkish

Is Turkish hard to learn for English speakers?

Turkish is in the FSI’s Category III, which means it takes longer than Spanish or French. The Latin alphabet, phonetic spelling and very regular grammar make it easier than its reputation. The biggest hurdles are vowel harmony and the long words built with endings.

How long does it take to learn Turkish?

With 20 minutes a day, expect holiday phrases after 4 to 6 weeks, simple conversations after about 3 months and a solid A2 level after around 6 months. The FSI estimates about 1,100 class hours for professional working proficiency.

Can I learn Turkish in 3 months?

You can reach a basic A2 level in 3 months if you study every day. That’s enough for holiday situations and simple conversations, but not for fluent discussions. Fluency takes one to two years of regular practice.

Can I learn Turkish for free?

You can learn your first phrases and train your listening for free with series, music, TRT and our phrase list. For a systematic path to real conversations, a structured course or a tutor is much faster.

Is Duolingo enough to learn Turkish?

Duolingo is a good way to build a daily habit, but on its own it rarely gets you to real conversations. Combine an app or course with listening practice and speaking with real people. You’ll find an honest comparison in our guide to the best apps to learn Turkish.

Can I learn Turkish on my own?

Yes. With a structured course, a daily routine and regular listening practice, you can get very far on your own. Add a tutor or a language partner for speaking once you know the basics.

How do you say hello and thank you in Turkish?

Hello is Merhaba and thank you is Teşekkür ederim, or the shorter Teşekkürler. More everyday expressions are in our Turkish phrases.

Related links

• Common Turkish phrases for everyday life and travel
• The best apps to learn Turkish
• The different ways of learning languages
• Learning vocabulary successfully
• Motivated language learning
• Train your listening comprehension
• Learning languages quickly, is it possible?

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