A1 · Turkish

Turkish from zero to A1

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Turkish (Türkiye Türkçesi) from zero to A1, taught in English: letters and sounds — ı and i, ö and ü, c, ç, ş and ğ, vowel harmony and stress; meeting people with sen and siz, personal endings, the question particle mı and the negation değil, countries, numbers, age and phone numbers. Then the locative, dative and ablative cases, var and yok, the present tense -yor; things, family and work with possessive endings and the genitive; the time, days of the week, months and dates, postpositions and the imperative. Then town, food and shopping with the accusative, prices, clothing and comparison, the past tense -dı, the weather, hobbies, health and the future tense -acak; extras — the phone, holidays and visiting, a form and the bank; and real-life scenes — café, market and store, bus, dolmuş and taxi, pharmacy and doctor.

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Module 0. Letters and sounds

Lesson 1. The alphabet and the vowels: ı and i, ö and ü

14 exercises · I can read any Turkish word letter by letter, tell ı from i, say ö and ü without turning them into o and u, write İstanbul with the dot, and type a Turkish word on any keyboard.

Lesson 2. Tricky consonants: c, ç, ş, j, y, h, and ğ

17 exercises · I can read c as the j of “jam”, not as k or s, keep h, leave ğ silent, and write a familiar word the Turkish way: otobüs, müze, banka.

Lesson 3. Vowel harmony: -lar / -ler and mı / mi / mu / mü

14 exercises · I can add -lar or -ler to any word and ask “Bu … mı?” with the right form, mı, mi, mu, or mü, by looking at the last vowel of the word — and not slip on words like otel and metro, where the first vowel points the wrong way.

Lesson 4. Stress, the ^ mark, and double consonants

14 exercises · I can put the stress on the last syllable and move it onto -lar, not take the ^ mark for stress, tell kar from kâr, and write anne and teşekkür with double consonants.

Module 1. Meeting people

Lesson 1. Merhaba! Greetings, sen and siz

18 exercises · I can say hello and goodbye to a friend and to a stranger, ask “how are you?”, say thank you, apologize, and answer “you're welcome” — without mixing up sen and siz.

Lesson 2. Bu ne? Bu kim?: the words for “this” and “that”, and the plural

18 exercises · I can ask and say what this is and who this is — one thing or several — point out “here, over there, there”, and address people politely: Zeynep Hanım, Mehmet Bey, hocam.

Lesson 3. Ben öğrenciyim: personal pronouns and personal endings

17 exercises · I can say who I am, who you are, and who he or she is — Ben öğrenciyim, Siz doktorsunuz, O mühendis — and introduce myself: Adınız ne? — Benim adım Anna. Memnun oldum!

Lesson 4. Öğrenci misiniz? — Hayır, değilim: questions with mı and the negative değil

18 exercises · I can ask “are you a student? are you tired?”, answer “yes” or “no, I'm not…”, and say what I'm like and what he or she is like: yorgunum, hazır değilim, O nasıl?

Lesson 5. Nerelisiniz?: countries, nationalities, and languages

18 exercises · I can say where I'm from, my nationality, and which language I know — Amerikalıyım, İngilizce biliyorum — and ask the person I'm talking to: Nerelisiniz?

Lesson 6. Sayılar: numbers from 0 to 100, age, and phone numbers

18 exercises · I can count to a hundred, say how old I am, say a phone number and write one down by ear — and I won't use the plural after a number: iki kitap.

Lesson 7. Module 1 review

18 exercises · I can meet people in Turkish: say hello, say who I am, what I'm like, and where I'm from, ask about the other person, and give my age and phone number.

Module 2. Where I am and what I do

Lesson 1. Nerede?: the locative -da

15 exercises · I can say where I am and where things are — evdeyim, İstanbul'dayım, Banka şurada — and ask “Where are you?” — Neredesin?

Lesson 2. Evde ne var?: var and yok, and the home

17 exercises · I can describe an apartment and ask what's nearby: Dairede büyük bir salon var, Burada market var mı?

Lesson 3. Ne yapıyorsun?: the present tense -yor

17 exercises · I can say what I'm doing now and every day — Türkçe öğreniyorum, İstanbul'da yaşıyorum — and ask “What are you doing?” — Ne yapıyorsun?

Lesson 4. Anlamıyorum. Geliyor musun?: negatives and questions in the present tense

16 exercises · I can say what I don't do and don't understand — Anlamıyorum, Bilmiyorum — and ask “Are you coming?” and “Do you speak Russian?” — Geliyor musun? Rusça konuşuyor musunuz?

Lesson 5. Nereye?: the dative -a

18 exercises · I can say where I'm going and whom I'm helping — işe gidiyorum, İstanbul'a gidiyoruz, sana yardım ediyorum — and ask “Where are you going?” — Nereye gidiyorsun?

Lesson 6. Nereden?: the ablative -dan

18 exercises · I can say where I'm from and where I'm coming from — Amerika'dan geliyorum, işten çıkıyorum — say a route “from America to Istanbul”, and ask “Where are you from?” — Nereden geliyorsunuz?

Lesson 7. Module 2 review

18 exercises · I can say where I am, what's nearby, what I do and don't do, where I'm going and where I'm coming from — without mixing up the three Turkish “nots”.

Module 3. Mine: things, family, and work

Lesson 1. Benim evim, senin evin: possessive endings

15 exercises · I can say whose something is — evim, anahtarın, arabası — and ask “Is this your key?” — Bu senin anahtarın mı?

Lesson 2. Kitabım, çocuğum, şehrim: consonant changes and the dropped vowel

16 exercises · I can spell and say kitabım, çocuğum, şehrim correctly and understand why the dictionary shows yatak (yatağı); I can say “in my room” — odamda.

Lesson 3. Kardeşin var mı?: “I have” and the family

17 exercises · I can talk about my family — “I have an older sister and two uncles” — Bir ablam ve iki amcam var — and ask “Do you have any brothers or sisters?” — Kardeşin var mı?

Lesson 4. Bu kimin?: the genitive -ın

16 exercises · I can say whose thing or whose relative it is — Zeynep'in çantası, babamın arabası — and ask “Whose photo is this?” — Bu kimin fotoğrafı?

Lesson 5. Çay içmek istiyorum: “want” + the infinitive

16 exercises · I can say what I want and don't want to do — “I want to rest” — Dinlenmek istiyorum — and ask “Do you want to sleep?” — Uyumak istiyor musun?

Lesson 6. Ne iş yapıyorsunuz?: work and jobs

18 exercises · I can say my occupation and where I work — Tercümanım, bir şirkette çalışıyorum — and ask “What do you do for a living?” — Ne iş yapıyorsunuz?

Lesson 7. Module 3 review

15 exercises · I can review the module: say whose something is, who is in my family, what my relatives do for a living, and what I want.

Module 4. Time and getting around

Lesson 1. Saat kaç?: telling time and the times of day

18 exercises · I can ask and tell the time — Saat kaç? Üç buçuk — and say when I get up, work, and go to bed: sabah yedide, akşam on buçukta.

Lesson 2. Hangi gün?: days of the week and “how often”

18 exercises · I can name the day of the week, say “on Saturday” and “on Fridays” — cumartesi günü, cuma günleri — tell what I do every day and sometimes, and make plans for tomorrow.

Lesson 3. Aylar ve tarih: months, seasons, dates, and ordinal numbers

18 exercises · I can name the month and the season, say “in May” and “in summer”, give a date and my birthday — beş Nisan, doğum günüm — and say which one in order: birinci, ikinci, üçüncü.

Lesson 4. İşten sonra, beşe kadar: the postpositions önce, sonra, and kadar

17 exercises · I can say what I do before and after work, until what time I'm busy, and from what time to what time I study: işten sonra, beşe kadar, dokuzdan beşe kadar.

Lesson 5. Otobüsle, arkadaşımla, senin için: the postpositions ile and için

18 exercises · I can say how and with whom I travel and whom I do something for — otobüsle, arkadaşımla, senin için — without mixing up getting on and getting off: otobüse biniyorum, otobüsten iniyorum.

Lesson 6. Sağa dönün, düz gidin: the imperative

18 exercises · I can ask for and give directions — Sağa dönün, düz gidin, köprüden geçin — say “don't” — gitme, gitmeyin — and get a passerby's attention: Bakar mısınız? Müzeye nasıl giderim?

Lesson 7. Module 4 review

17 exercises · I can name the time, the day, and the date, say “before”, “after”, “until”, “with whom”, “by what”, and “for whom”, and give directions — in new sentences.

Module 5. Town, food, and shopping

Lesson 1. Banka nerede?: place words — yanında, üstünde, karşısında

16 exercises · I can ask where the pharmacy or the bus stop is, understand the answer — bankanın yanında, otelin karşısında — and say where something is: masanın üstünde, çantanın içinde.

Lesson 2. Kahvaltıda ne yiyorsun?: the accusative -ı

17 exercises · I can say what I eat and drink for breakfast and ask for one particular thing: çay içiyorum, but bu peyniri istiyorum; and say “I'm waiting for you” and “I'm calling my mom” — seni bekliyorum, annemi arıyorum.

Lesson 3. Türk kahvesi, mercimek çorbası: two-word names

17 exercises · I can read a menu and name a dish correctly — mercimek çorbası, tavuk kebabı, şekersiz Türk kahvesi — and say “with milk” and “without salt”: sütlü, tuzsuz.

Lesson 4. Pazarda: prices, weight, and money

18 exercises · I can ask about prices and weight at the market — Elmanın kilosu kaç lira? — understand an answer with hundreds and thousands, say “I need half a kilo”, “it's expensive”, and “is there a discount?”, and pay.

Lesson 5. Giyim ve renkler: clothes and colors

18 exercises · I can name clothes and colors, give my size, ask to try something on — Bunu deneyebilir miyim? — and explain that it's too big or too small.

Lesson 6. Daha ucuz, en güzel: comparison

16 exercises · I can compare two things and choose — otobüsten daha hızlı, en ucuz — ask in a store “do you have anything cheaper?”, and give my opinion: bence, bana göre.

Lesson 7. Module 5 review

18 exercises · I can say where things are, choose between “this one” and “in general”, read a menu, ask the price, try something on, and compare two purchases.

Module 6. The past, free time, and plans

Lesson 1. Dün ne yaptın?: the past tense -dı

15 exercises · I can say what I did yesterday and last week: Dün sinemaya gittim, arkadaşımla buluştum — and ask: Dün ne yaptın?

Lesson 2. Gitmedim. Gittin mi?: negatives and questions in the past tense

16 exercises · I can say what I didn't do and ask the other person: Gittin mi? Neden gelmedin? — and explain why: Çünkü çok yoruldum.

Lesson 3. Hava nasıldı?: “was” and “were” — -ydı, and the weather

16 exercises · I can say where I was, what the day was like, and what the weather was like: Dün evdeydim, hava soğuktu — and ask: Hava nasıldı?

Lesson 4. Boş zamanında ne yapıyorsun?: hobbies and sevmek

16 exercises · I can say what I love and what I do in my free time: Müziği seviyorum, fotoğraf çekmeyi seviyorum — and say how I spent the weekend.

Lesson 5. Neyiniz var?: the body and “it hurts”

16 exercises · I can name body parts and tell a doctor what hurts: Başım ağrıyor, boğazım ağrıyor — and answer the question Neyiniz var?

Lesson 6. Yarın ne yapacaksın?: the future tense -acak

16 exercises · I can talk about my plans for tomorrow, for a holiday, and for a vacation: Yarın evde çalışacağım, bayramda dedemi ziyaret edeceğiz — and ask: Yarın ne yapacaksın?

Lesson 7. Module 6 review

18 exercises · I can talk about yesterday and about my plans, ask and answer about the weather, hobbies, and how I feel, and keep the three tenses apart.

Module 7. A1 extras

Lesson 1. Alo? Efendim?: the phone and the internet

17 exercises · I can answer a call and make one myself, ask for someone, ask the person to repeat and speak more slowly, ask for the Wi-Fi password, and write a short message.

Lesson 2. İyi bayramlar!: holidays, good wishes, and visiting

18 exercises · I can wish someone a happy birthday and happy holidays, say the right good wish to someone who is working, visit someone and welcome a guest, offer tea, and suggest doing something together.

Lesson 3. Form ve adres: forms, addresses, and the bank

18 exercises · I can fill in a simple form, dictate and write down an address, find “withdraw money” on an ATM screen, name my documents, and ask about the rent.

Module 8. A1 practice

Lesson 1. Kafede ve lokantada

18 exercises · I can get a table at a café or a lokanta, order tea and food, answer “tea or coffee?”, ask for the check, and pay by card.

Lesson 2. Pazarda ve markette

17 exercises · I can ask the price per kilo and per piece at the market and the store, buy by weight and by the piece, ask for something cheaper, bargain, answer the cashier, and get my change.

Lesson 3. Şehirde: otobüs, dolmuş, taksi

17 exercises · I can read the signs on doors, top up a transit card, ask which bus or ferry goes where I need to go and where to get off, stop a dolmuş, and give a taxi driver the address.

Lesson 4. Eczanede ve doktorda

17 exercises · I can go in to see the doctor, say what hurts and for how many days, understand the doctor's instructions, buy medicine and ask how to take it, and wish a sick person a quick recovery.