Turkish from Scratch!
Acting as a bridge between Europe and the Middle East, Turkey and the Turkish language have long attracted the attention of people from all over the world. Over 80 million people speak Turkish, and you can become one of them – Lingust gives you this opportunity for free.
About the Turkish course on the website
On the site, you will find a specially designed self-study guide for learning Turkish without a tutor, for absolute beginners. The course consists of 27 online lessons and 12 reading texts. Throughout the lessons, exercises will be provided to test your knowledge, the answers to which can be viewed by hovering your mouse over the key: 
. Special forms are provided for entering your answers, and to the right of them, you will see a virtual keyboard to help you type characters that might be missing from your native language.
Go to the → list of lessons ← (Click)
Is Turkish difficult?
The Turkish language belongs to the Turkic language family – it is related to Azerbaijani, Kazakh, Uzbek, and other Turkic languages. Its main feature is agglutination: new grammatical forms are created by attaching suffixes to the root of a word. This is unusual for English speakers, but on the bright side, Turkish has almost no exceptions to the rules – the logic of the language is very consistent. Words are pronounced exactly as they are written, and the alphabet is Latin, so you can master reading in literally just one lesson.
Why learn Turkish?
- Travel. Turkey is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. Even a few phrases in Turkish will bring genuine joy to the locals and open up a completely different level of communication. Try it out – just completing the first lesson is enough.
- Career and business. Turkey has the largest economy in its region and is a major global trade partner. Knowing Turkish opens up opportunities in business, trade, and diplomacy.
- A bridge to Turkic languages. By learning Turkish, you will understand the basics of Azerbaijani, Turkmen, and partially Uzbek and Kazakh.
- Culture. Turkish TV series (dizi) are watched in more than 100 countries. Understanding the original language offers a completely different viewing experience.
- 3 million Turks in Germany. If you are learning German, knowing Turkish will be an added advantage – the Turkish diaspora in Germany is one of the largest in Europe.
- Music and cuisine. From Tarkan to modern Turkish pop, from kebabs to baklava – Turkish culture is vibrantly present in daily life all over the world.
Interesting facts about the Turkish language
- Until 1928, Turks used the Arabic alphabet. Atatürk’s reform transitioned the entire country to the Latin script in just a few months – one of the most radical linguistic experiments in history.
- There are no grammatical genders in Turkish – no masculine, feminine, or neuter. The pronoun o means “he”, “she”, and “it” all at once.
- Turkish is one of the few languages where words are read strictly as they are written. Once you learn the alphabet, you will be able to correctly pronounce any Turkish word.
- A single Turkish word can replace an entire sentence. For example, Çekoslovakyalılaştıramadıklarımızdanmışsınızcasına is one word that translates to “as if you are one of those whom we could not make Czechoslovak.”
- There is vowel harmony in Turkish – vowels in suffixes must “adapt” to the vowels in the root of the word. This is unusual, but it gives the language a special melodic quality.
Start learning Turkish right now
Turkish is a logical, consistent language with no exceptions, using the Latin alphabet and clear pronunciation. The 27 lessons of our course will guide you from the alphabet to confident reading and an understanding of grammar. Everything is free, everything is online.
Go to the → list of lessons ← (Click)