How To Speak Turkish
There are over 63 million native Turkish speakers in the world today, mostly in Turkey, but there are significant Turkish-speaking populations around Eurasia and the Balkans, as well as in Germany and the US. If you're interested in learning Turkish, it's not as much of a time commitment (and not as hard) as you might think. With Babbel, learning Turkish online is easy, intuitive and under your control: learn at your own pace, choose the lessons you want, and review and practice vocabulary on the go. Turkish is the most widely spoken Turkic language and is very different from Indo-European languages like English, German, French and Italian. Although mastering the very different accent and pronunciation can be tricky at first, Babbel’s online courses and mobile apps include speech recognition so you can quickly become comfortable with speaking. Read the guide below and then test your skills with a free Turkish lesson.
Agglutination
Turkish grammar will seem strange at first if you speak English or any other Indo-European language. It is an agglutinative language, which means that the meaning of a word changes depending on the suffix. The vowels in words have to agree, which means that either the stem or suffix undergo even more changes in order to match. If that sounds complicated, then you will be relieved to know that Turkish is gender neutral, like English is, so no memorizing which article goes with which noun. Once you have a handle how to build sentences like they're lego bricks, you'll possess a skill that will make dozens of other Asian languages easier to learn.
Ways to Learn Turkish
There are several options available when learning how to speak Turkish: hiring a private tutor, enrolling in a language course (in school or online), studying alone with a CD-ROM or audio course, joining an exchange program, or practicing conversational Turkish with a native speaker (a so-called tandem partner). All of these strategies can be effective, although some (tutors and CD-ROMS) can be expensive, while classes and exchange programs are also a huge time commitment. The fastest way to pick up Turkish – and the biggest commitment by far – is still immersion. Moving to Turkey requires you to pick up the language in order to live day-to-day. This survival pressure usually produces fluency within a few months. If you do plan to immerse yourself in Turkish, it’s not a bad idea to prepare beforehand with one of the methods mentioned above. If you don’t have much spare time, an online program like Babbel may be your best bet.
Learn Turkish the Babbel Way
Babbel’s Turkish course is affordable, accessible online and via mobile devices, and proven to strengthen your reading, listening, speaking and comprehension skills. As a Babbel user, you have access to a diverse program of grammar, conjugation, pronunciation, listening comprehension and writing exercises. You can practice on your computer, iPhone, iPad or Android device. Whether you are too busy for a language class, a complete beginner, needing to brush up before a vacation or business trip, or wanting to re-learn everything you forgot in high school, Babbel can be customized to your needs.
Try your first Turkish lesson for free and discover Babbel’s easy and intuitive course system which determines your individual level and accommodates different learning styles. You can learn at your own pace, set your own lesson plans and receive helpful hints whenever you need them. You will also be joining an entire community of learners. Babbel users can easily share questions, experiences and advice via message boards and chat, and the Babbel support team is always only a message away.
