Logical, supremely flexible and fun: that’s the Turkish language.
How can you resist a language that has only one irregular noun (su, water), one irregular verb (etmek, to be), and no genders?
My wife, who speaks several languages, tells me that Turkish is not so easy as I claim, principally because it is so different in its word and sentence structure from other European languages.
Well, that’s certainly true. The grammar is quite different and can present hurdles as you get deeper into the study of the language.
But simple Turkish is just that: simple. you can be making simple sentences quickly. (The first Turkish sentence I learned was this:
Acaba buralarda bir postane var mı?
AH-jah-bah BOO-rah-LAHR-dah beer POHSS-tah-neh VAHR muh
I wonder, is there a post office around here?
Nobody’s looking for post offices today in the age of smartphones, but the sentence is good for all sorts of things:
Acaba buralarda bir otel var mı?
I wonder, is there a hotel around here?
Acaba buralarda bir lokanta var mı?
I wonder, is there a restaurant around here?
Acaba buralarda bir eczane var mı?
I wonder, is there a pharmacy/chemist around here?
Like any language, learning to speak it like a native takes years of practice, but learning enough to get around is pretty easy. Here are some aids:
TTP’s Turkish Language Guide
Including my 100 Most Useful Words in Turkish—”Anyone can learn 100 words” ™
Turkish Language Learning Aids
Phrasebooks, electronic translators, picture cards and language-learning courses and apps for your smartphone and/or personal computer.
Turkish Language Courses in Turkey
Learn it where you can speak it to everybody!
Teaching English in Turkey
Pay for your travel by Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL)—that was my first job in Turkey. More…
—by Tom Brosnahan
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