It is been one week start learning Turkish on duolingo. Since Turkish is originated from my mother tongue, grammar part is easy for me. But still, need to remember some vocabs. To make it easier to review, I wanted to make a note here.
Basic
Vocab
elma: apple
su: water
bir: a / an
ekmek: bread
yemek: eat
ve: and
içmek: drink
veya: or
kız: girl
erkek: man (gender)
adam: man
kadın: woman (gender)
süt: milk
sandviç: sandwich
Grammar
pronouns
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Person | Ben | Biz |
| 2nd Person | Sen | Siz |
| 3rd Person | O | Onlar |
Common Phrases
Vocab
teşekkürler: thank you
merhaba: hello
memnun oldum: nice to meet you
hoşçakal: bye
iyi akşamlar: good evening
hayır: no
görüşürüz: nice to meet you
iyi geceler: good night
evet: yes
iyi şanslar: good luck
affedersin: execuse me:
günaydın: good morning
güle güle: goodbye
rica ederim: you’re welcome
biliyorum: I know
türkçe: Turkish
ingilizce: English
lütfen: please
bilmiyorum: I don’t know
selam: Hi
hoş geldin: welcome
hoş geldiniz: welcome (formal way)
iyiyim: I am good
nasılsın: how are you?
nasılsınız: how are you (formal way)
tamam: alright
Adjectives 1
Vocab
sıcak: hot
soğuk: cold
çok: very
genç: young
güzel: beautiful
yaşlı: old, elder
eski: old
bu: this
şu: that
bunlar: these
şunlar: those
zor: difficult
kolay: easy
büyük: big
küçük: small, little
Food
Vocab
kahve: coffee
portakal: orange (noun)
makarna: pasta
yumurta: egg
şeker: sugar
pasta: cake
çilek: strawberry
peynir:cheese
balık: fish
meyve: fruit
çay: tea
et: meat, beef
yağ: oil
limon: lemon
çorba: soup
domates: tomatos
bira: beer
tavuk: chicken
şarap: wine
tuz: salt
Accusative
Vocab
menü: menu
kolay gelsin: good luck / may it be easy
Grammar
| Turkish | English |
|---|---|
| Ben gazete okurum. | I read newspapers. or I read a newspaper. |
| Ben gazeteyi okurum. | I read the newspaper. |
| Ben bir gazete okurum. | I read a newspaper. |
Vowel Harmony
| Turkish | Accusative Suffix |
|---|---|
| ö, ü | -(y)ü |
| o,u | -(y)u |
| e,i | -(y)i |
| a,ı | -(y)ı |
If the noun ends in a vowel, you have to insert the buffer letter y. Here are some examples:
| Turkish, Nominative | Turkish, Accusative | English |
|---|---|---|
| elma | elmayı | apple |
| gazete | gazeteyi | newspaper |
| süt | sütü | milk |
| limon | limonu | lemon |
Consonant Mutations
| Turkish, Nominative | Turkish, Accusative | English |
|---|---|---|
| kitap | kitabı | book |
| ağaç | ağacı | tree |
| köpek | köpeği | dog |
This means:
p → b
t → d
k → ğ
ç → c
Animals
Vocab
köpek: dog
kedi: cat
kuş: bird
kaplumbağa: turtle
kurbağa: frog
kuzu: lamb
koyun: sheep
örümcek: spider
ayı: bear
fil: elephant
fare: mouse
aslan: lion
hindi: turkey
tavşan: rabbit
baykuş: owl
ördek: duck
yengeç: crab
at: horse
inek: cow
Plural
Grammar
Forming the plural in Turkish is simple compared to the Accusative case. It is formed using the suffix -lAr. Now you might be thinking, “what is that capital A doing there?” to which we respond with 2-way vowel harmony.
This is the other form of vowel harmony found in Turkey suffixes. Basically if the final vowel is front (i, e, ü, ö) use -ler. If it is back (a, ı, o, u), use the suffix -lar. This rule along with the rule for 4-way vowel harmony will be used in several suffixes across Turkish Grammar, so try to get used to it now.
| Turkish, Nominative | English | Turkish, Plural | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| ayı | bear | ayılar | bears |
| kuş | bird | kuşlar | birds |
| kurbağa | frog | kurbağalar | frogs |
| köpek | dog | köpekler | dogs |
| hindi | turkey | hindiler | turkeys |
| menü | menu | menüler | menus |
To be
Copula
| Suffix | Person/Number | Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| -(y)Im | 1st sing. | (Ben) mutluyum. | I am happy. |
| -sIn | 2nd sing. | (Sen) mutlusun. | You are happy. |
| ∅, -DIr | 3rd sing | O mutlu. | He/She/It is happy. |
| -(y)Iz | 1st pl. | (Biz) mutluyuz. | We are happy. |
| -sInIz | 2nd pl. | (Siz) mutlusunuz. | You are happy. |
| ∅, -DIr | 3rd pl. | Onlar mutlu/mutludur. | They are happy. |
| -lAr, -DIrlAr | 3rd pl. | (Onlar) mutlular/mutludurlar. | They are happy. |
There are a few points to talk about in the above chart.
- All except the 3rd person pl. suffix follow 4-way vowel harmony.
- In the 1st person, you will see a buffer “-y-” be used if the adjective or noun ends in a vowel.
- The suffix -DIr is used to clarify any ambiguity, emphasize, or state facts. This both follows 4-way vowel harmony and has consonant harmony; ‘d’ changes to ‘t’ after the following consonants (p ç t k s ş h f).
- The suffix -lAr is optional in the 3rd person pl. However, it is only optional when referring to people. This suffix may not be used for items and animals. Only humans!