In this post, we’ll learn how to use the Turkish question words hangi , hangisi , and hangileri  — all meaning which (one/ones) in different forms. 1. Question Word: Hangi Hangi  means which . It precedes the noun (person or thing) it is asking about — just like which  in English. In subject questions (questions where the noun is the subject of the verb), it can be used before singular or plural nominative nouns , but it is always followed by a singular verb . Examples: A:

In this post, we’ll study the Turkish accusative case suffix - ( y ) i , which many learners find a bit tricky compared to other Turkish cases. Before we dive into the suffix itself, let’s first review direct objects , because the suffix - ( y ) i is added to certain direct objects. That's why it's also known as the objective case suffix. A direct object  is the person or thing that receives the action of a transitive verb. For example: Hakan’ı aradım. → I called Hakan .

In this post, we'll study the Turkish conjunction de. Even though it is not a suffix, it harmonizes with the last vowel  of the preceding word and becomes de  or da. We use de  or da  in the sense of also, as well,  and too. Examples: A: Seni seviyorum. → I love you. B: Ben de seni seviyorum. → I love you too. Ben çok yorgunum. Başım da ağrıyor. → I’m very tired. I have a headache as well. In negative sentences, de / da means either: A: Benim üzerimde nakit yok

In this lesson, we'll study how to use ile in Turkish — both as a conjunction and as a postposition . We usually use it in its suffix form as -le / -la . If the receiving word ends in a vowel, the buffer letter y is inserted in between: -(y)le / -(y)la . Using İle as a Conjunction We use -(y)le / -(y)la  to join two nouns or noun phrases, just like ve (and) . We can replace it with ve  without any change in meaning. Examples: Bir hamburger le kola alabilir miyim? = Bir ham

Turkish grammar relies heavily on suffixes , whose vowels change according to the last vowel of the receiving word — a pattern known as Vowel harmony (Sesli/Ünlü uyumu) . Vowel harmony is one of the first topics you’ll learn after the alphabet, and although it may look a bit intimidating at first, it’s actually quite logical and easy to get used to. This change isn’t arbitrary; it exists to make words easier to pronounce and to keep the natural rhythm of Turkish speech. In f

This common Turkish verb literally means to suit someone's liking . It is conjugated differently from other Turkish verbs. It is used with the personal pronouns in the genitive case (benim, senin, onun etc.). The adjective hoş (nice) takes a possessive suffix  according to the person, while gitmek  takes the tense suffix . The table below shows how this verb is conjugated in the simple tenses. The - a  in hoşum a , hoşun a , etc. is the dative case ending . In the third-pers

The question kim  means who . It is used in the nominative or other cases, depending on who the question is asking about. In subject questions, it appears in the nominative case. Example: A: Kavgayı kim başlattı? → Who started the fight? B: Deniz başlattı. → Deniz started it. Kim can also be used with ek-fiil (the verb to be ). We usually put it at the end of the sentence: A: O adam kimdi ? → Who was that man? B: Eski bir tanıdık. → An old acquaintance. A: Ben sizi tan

In English, nouns and adjectives can sometimes be used as verbs without any change in form . In Turkish, however, they usually need a suffix to function as verbs. Compare in the following examples: cevap (answer) → cevap la mak (to answer) destek (support) → destek le mek (to support) fırça (brush) → fırça la mak (to brush) sabun (soap) → sabun la mak (to soap) temiz (clean) → temiz le mek (to clean) kuru (dry) → kuru la mak (to dry → to make something dry) yavaş (slow) → ya

Turkish compound nouns roughly correspond to English compounds such as airport, housewife, and train station . For example, the Turkish equivalents of these compounds are havaalanı  (airport), ev hanımı  (housewife), and tren istasyonu  (train station). Like in English, Turkish also has two main types of compound nouns: closed form and open form. 1. Closed Form Closed form compound nouns are written without a space  between the words. They can be formed in different ways: n

Turkish verbs are divided into two groups: transitive and intransitive , similar to English. However, unlike English, a verb in Turkish cannot be both at the same time. For example, English verbs such as start, finish,  and change  can be used transitively or intransitively, but in Turkish this is not possible. Understanding this distinction is essential for forming correct sentences. Transitive Verbs (Geçişli Fiiller) Transitive verbs  are verbs that require an object . Exa

Learn about the Turkish suffix -ip , a key feature of Turkish grammar , its uses and common mistakes. We’ll start with examples connected with ve  (and) and then see how -ip  can replace it. 1. When We Normally Use ve (and) Sabah babaannem merdivenlerden düşmüş ve kalçasını kırmış. → In the morning, my grandmother fell down the stairs and broke her hip. Ben yarın sabah gideceğim ve öğretmeninle konuşacağım. → I will go and talk to your teacher tomorrow morning.

This is one of the most productive word-forming suffixes in Turkish, and it is often the first suffix that new learners encounter. It follows vowel harmony and therefore has four forms: -ci, -cı, -cü, -cu . In addition, c  changes to ç  after the consonants k, t, ç, and p . (You can remember these four consonants with the mnemonic word k e tç a p .) This suffix creates nouns from nouns that refer to: 1. A person who does something as a job or profession, or specializes in a p

The suffix -li  is a powerful tool in Turkish. It creates countless adjectives, and once you learn to use it, your vocabulary will grow enormously. Let’s take a closer look at how it works. It generally means having (the quality of) , characterized by , or full of . We usually add it to nouns. Note:  The suffix -li  follows vowel harmony, so it appears in four forms: -li, -lı, -lü, -lu. Common Adjectives with -li Examples of adjectives in -li: başarı lı → successful dikkat l

In this post, we won’t go through each case suffix individually. Instead, the goal is to understand the underlying logic: how verbs determine the case suffixes. Case refers to a change in the form of a noun or pronoun that shows its role in a sentence. That is, how it relates syntactically to other words, especially the verb. Put simply, it is the verb that determines which case a noun or pronoun should take. For example, see below how the noun fotoğraf  (photograph) takes th

As you know, the Turkish plural suffix -ler/-lar is used to form plurals. Beyond simple plurals, it also has some special uses. In this post, we’ll explore these special uses: Turning certain adjectives into collective nouns Referring to nationalities Using -ler/-lar with personal names and family nouns 1. Adjective + -ler/-lar In Turkish, we can add -ler/-lar  to certain adjectives to make collective nouns . These nouns usually correspond to "the + adjective" in English. E

The suffix -ki is one of the most common and useful suffixes in Turkish. In addition to forming possessive pronouns such as benimki, seninki, and onunki  (mine, yours, and his/hers/its), it also helps us describe place, direction, and time with ease. -ki with Place and Direction We add -ki  to words in the locative case  to make adjectives of place and direction. It has the meaning the one which is / that is . Examples of -ki in the locative case (adjectives of place and

We use the question kaçıncı  to get an ordinal number  answer, such as birinci  (first), ikinci  (second), üçüncü  (third) etc., as in: A: Kaçıncı katta oturuyorsunuz? → What floor do you live on? B: İkinci katta. → On the second floor. Unlike most question words, kaçıncı  does not have an exact equivalent in English. Depending on the context, it may translate as what  or which . Here are some more examples: Deniz, sen kaçıncı sınıftasın? → Deniz, what grade are you in? Bilgi

Want to learn Turkish but don’t know where to start? Here’s some advice for you. Step 1: Understand How Turkish Works Get a general sense of how Turkish works: its letters and spelling, and sentence structure. It’s like looking at the picture on a puzzle box before you start putting the pieces together. This way, you see the big picture first, even if you don’t yet know how all the pieces fit. You can read about how Turkish works in the file below. Step 2: Learn the Letters a

One of the most common mistakes I see among Turkish learners, even intermediate students, is about the suffix -dir . Many think it is a personal suffix, like the third person singular of the verb to be . That’s why you might come across sentences like these: Bu kitap tır.  → This is a book. Kocam öğretmen dir.  → My husband is a teacher. Hava bugün çok güzel dir.  → The weather is very beautiful today. What -dir Really Does We don’t use -dir  as a personal ending. Instead, it

In many cultures, names carry deep meanings, stories, or even family traditions. My first name, Halit , means eternity . In Turkish,...