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Turkish for Beginners: free lessons, 500 phrases & A1 course

Turkish for Beginners is the free site of teacher Fatih Koçoğlu, a Turkish language and literature graduate and linguist. Here you can start from zero: 500 everyday phrases with audio and pronunciation, a free A1 video course, 25 school units with quizzes, and practical guides for travel in Türkiye. You do not need an account.

Written by Fatih, Turkish language and literature graduate & linguist

How to start

Learn the eight Turkish letters that English does not have — they come back in almost every sentence.
Learn your first greetings in Unit 1: Greetings & first words, starting with Merhaba!.
Watch lesson 1 of the free A1 course, then keep going lesson by lesson.
Follow the study plan below, mark each phrase as learned and take the short quiz at the end of every unit.

Alphabet and pronunciation

Turkish is written with a 29-letter Latin alphabet. Most letters sound close to English. The ones that usually slow beginners down are these eight, and every phrase page on this site points them out with an English hint and audio.

Ş ş like sh in “shoe”
İyiyim, teşekkürler. — I'm fine, thanks.
I ı no dot: a relaxed “uh”, like the e in “open”
Nasılsın? — How are you?
İ i like ee in “see”
İyi günler! — Have a nice day!
Ç ç like ch in “chair”
Hoşça kal! — Goodbye! (said by the one leaving)
C c like j in “jam”
İyi geceler! — Good night!
Ü ü say “ee” with rounded lips (French u)
Günaydın! — Good morning!
Ğ ğ silent: makes the vowel before it long (dağ = daa)
Sağ ol! — Thanks! (casual)
Ö ö like ur in “fur”, lips rounded (German ö)
Görüşürüz! — See you!

Say the letters out loud, then open the example phrase and use the listen button. Pronunciation on this site is written in a simple English-friendly spelling, so you can read it even before you know the alphabet well.

Vowel harmony

Turkish vowels fall into two groups: front vowels (e, i, ö, ü) and back vowels (a, ı, o, u). Endings usually follow the last vowel of the word. You can already hear this in the first unit:

Nasılsın? — “How are you?” uses -sın after the back vowel ı.
Nasılsınız? — the polite form keeps the same back vowel: -sınız.
İyiyim, teşekkürler. — “I’m fine, thanks” follows the front vowel i in iyi.

You do not need to memorise a chart on day one. Listen for the pattern in the first 50 phrases; it will start to sound natural.

The first 50 phrases

The first 50 everyday phrases are in the first three school units. Each one has audio, a meaning, and a pronunciation guide. Start with Unit 1, then move on — do not skip ahead until the greetings feel easy.

Unit 1: Greetings & first words

Unit 2: Introducing yourself

Unit 3: Magic Turkish phrases

After these 50, Units 4 and 5 add numbers, time and days and tea and coffee, which is exactly what the later A1 course lessons cover.

Basic grammar order

Two patterns will carry you a long way as a beginner.

The verb usually comes last. In Masa ayırtmak istiyorum. (“I’d like to book a table”), the verb istiyorum (“I want”) stands at the end.

The ending often tells you the person. Benim adım Fatih. is “My name is Fatih.” Ben öğretmenim. is “I’m a teacher” — the -im already means “I am”, so you do not add a separate word for “am”.

There is a familiar and a polite “you”. Use Nasılsın? with friends, and Nasılsınız? with someone you have just met or want to be formal with. You will see this pair all through the first units.

A simple study plan

This plan uses only what is already on the site: the school units, the quizzes, and the free A1 course. Your progress is saved in this browser; you do not create an account.

Days 1–2. Read the letters above. Finish Unit 1 and watch course lesson 1. Mark each phrase as learned and take the unit quiz.
Days 3–4. Unit 2: Introducing yourself and course lesson 2 — your name, where you are from, and how to ask someone to repeat.
Days 5–7. Unit 3: Magic Turkish phrases and course lesson 3 — thanks, sorry, and everyday kindness like Kolay gelsin!
Week 2. Unit 4 and Unit 5, plus course lessons 4 and 5. By then you have numbers, time, and how to accept a glass of tea.
After that. Continue through the 25-unit A1 school, one unit at a time. Keep the daily streak if it helps you come back tomorrow.

The free A1 course

The free A1 course is five short video lessons, or one 24-minute film with the 100 most useful everyday phrases. It is made for people starting from zero: greetings beyond Merhaba, a first conversation, everyday moments, numbers and time, and ordering tea and coffee. Watch it in order, then practise the same language in the school units.

Learn with Turkish series

When the greetings feel comfortable, you can listen to real Turkish in official full episodes, with a short spoiler-free summary. Some episodes also have a word list and a quiz taken from the captions. Open the Watch Turkish series section to see what is available.

Guides and travel in Türkiye

For longer explanations with examples, open the Turkish guides — greetings by time of day, taxis and airports, ordering food, etiquette, and words from dizis. If you are planning a trip, the Travel Türkiye guides add the phrases you will actually use on the road.

Frequently asked questions

What is Turkish for Beginners?

Turkish for Beginners is the free website of teacher Fatih Koçoğlu at turkishforbeginners.com. It offers 500 everyday phrases with audio and pronunciation, a free A1 video course, 25 school units with quizzes, and practical travel guides for Türkiye. No account is required.

How should a complete beginner start learning Turkish?

Start with the eight letters that English does not have, then learn the greetings in Unit 1 and watch lesson 1 of the free A1 course. After that, follow the study plan on this page: one school unit at a time, with the quiz at the end of each unit.

Is there a free A1 Turkish course?

Yes. The free A1 course has five short video lessons and a 24-minute full version covering the 100 most useful everyday phrases. You can watch it without creating an account.

How many Turkish phrases can I learn on this site?

The school has 500 everyday phrases in 25 units of 20 phrases each, from greetings to travel and sightseeing. Each phrase has audio, a meaning, a pronunciation guide and a culture tip. You can mark phrases as learned and take a short quiz at the end of every unit.

Do I need to learn the Turkish alphabet first?

It helps to know the eight letters that differ from English — Ş, I, İ, Ç, C, Ü, Ğ and Ö — because they appear in almost every sentence. Every phrase page on this site highlights those letters and gives an English hint, and you can listen to the audio as you read.

Can I learn Turkish by watching series?

Yes, once you have the first greetings. The Watch Turkish series section embeds official full episodes (the videos stay on their official YouTube channels) and, for selected episodes, adds a word list and a quiz taken from the captions.