Türkçe Practice

A self-contained practice app for Turkish at beginner level (A1–A2): a grammar reference you can consult, grammar drills, and vocabulary flashcards that remember what you know and serve you what you don't.

It is one HTML file. It works offline, on a computer or a phone, needs no account, no cookies and no tracking, and sends nothing anywhere. Your progress is stored only in this browser.

1. Open Vocabulary and press Smart.

2. Try to recall the answer, then click the card (or press space) to reveal it.

3. Grade yourself honestly: I know it strongly · I guessed · I don't know. The scheduling relies on honest answers; a guess counts as not knowing yet.

4. Keep going until the round says Round complete!. A round is at most 50 cards, usually fewer. Press Smart again for a fresh round whenever you come back.

Do the same on the Grammar drills tab for conjugations and sentence patterns, and use the Grammar reference whenever a drill or card confuses you. On the drills tab you can also switch the answer mode to build tiles and assemble each answer from its pieces.

Content is organized in eight levels that unlock as you practice, so you are never flooded with material above your level. Everything can also be unlocked (or re-locked) by hand on the Help tab.

The design follows the vocabulary-learning research: actively recalling before revealing beats re-reading; grading yourself creates the data for scheduling; practicing a medium-sized block (not five words over and over) spaces out each word's repetitions, which is what builds long-term memory; and new words arrive a few at a time, in roughly the order textbooks teach them, so you always work at the edge of what you know, not on what is trivially easy or hopelessly hard. Details and sources are on the About tab.

29 letters, always pronounced the same way (no silent letters except ğ, no spelling surprises). There is no q, w, or x. The ones to watch:

Letter	Sounds like	Example
c	j in "jam"	cam (glass)
ç	ch in "chair"	çay (tea)
ş	sh in "shoe"	şey (thing)
j	s in "measure" (rare, loanwords)	jeton
ı	the "uh" in "open" (undotted, back vowel)	ılık (lukewarm)
i	i in "sit" (dotted, front vowel)	iyi (good)
ö	German ö / French eu	göl (lake)
ü	German ü / French u	gül (rose)
ğ	silent; lengthens the vowel before it	dağ (mountain)

ı/i stay distinct in capitals too: I ↔ ı and İ ↔ i (İstanbul, not Istanbul).

2-way (e-type suffixes: -ler/-lar, -de/-da, …): last vowel a ı o u → suffix has a; last vowel e i ö ü → suffix has e.

4-way (i-type suffixes: -dı/-di/-du/-dü, personal endings): a ı → ı · e i → i · o u → u · ö ü → ü

ev → evler, evde · yol → yollar, yolda · gördüm, baktım, geldim, buldum

Consonant softening

A vowel-suffix after p ç t k often softens it: kitap → kitabı, ağaç → ağacı, gerçek → gerçeği, çok → çoğu.

Not a law: most one-syllable words and many t-final words stay hard: saat → saati, at → atı, sepet → sepeti. Learn softening word by word; the dictionary form plus one suffixed form tells you.

Case	Suffix	Meaning	Example
Locative	-de/-da (-te/-ta)	in / at / on	şehirde, evde, uzakta, köyde
Dative	-e/-a (buffer y)	to / towards	şehre, eve, bana, sana, buna
Ablative	-den/-dan	from	şehirden, evden, aşağıdan, senden
Accusative	-i/-ı/-u/-ü (buffer y)	marks a definite object	kitabı okudum, annemi aradım, parayı seçti
Instrumental	-le/-la (or ile)	with / by	arkadaşlarımla, kartla ödedim

⚠ One locative only: uzakta, never uzaktada. "Also" is a separate word: uzakta da.

⚠ After t/k/ç/p/s/ş/h/f the d becomes t: uzakta, kitapta, geçti. Proper nouns take an apostrophe: İstanbul'da, Ayşe'yi.

şehir drops its vowel in the dative: şehre (not şehire).

	am/is/are	negative	question
Ben	mutluyum	mutlu değilim	mutlu muyum?
Sen	mutlusun	mutlu değilsin	mutlu musun?
O	mutlu	mutlu değil	mutlu mu?
Biz	mutluyuz	mutlu değiliz	mutlu muyuz?
Siz	mutlusunuz	mutlu değilsiniz	mutlu musunuz?
Onlar	mutlular	mutlu değiller	mutlular mı?

Past of "to be": -ydı/-ydi: hastaydım (I was sick), yavaştı (it was slow).

çantam (my) · çantan (your) · çantası (his/her) · çantamız (our) · çantanız (your pl.) · çantaları (their)

The pronoun is usually dropped: Çantam burada. My bag is here.

"I have / I don't have" uses possession + var/yok: Arabam var. Zamanım yok. I have a car. I have no time.

Evde ekmek var. There is bread at home.

Evde ekmek yok. There is no bread at home.

Evde ekmek var mı? Is there bread at home?

Gerek yok. / Lazım değil. No need. / Not needed.

2-way harmony: front vowels take -ler, back vowels take -lar: ev → evler, araba → arabalar, gün → günler, kutu → kutular.

No plural after a number or amount word: the number already says how many: üç kutu three boxes (not üç kutular), çok araba many cars, kaç kişi? how many people?

Other suffixes stack after the plural: komşu-lar-ımız-la with our neighbors.

Tense	Suffix	gelmek →	Use
Present continuous	-(i)yor	geliyorum	happening now
Present simple (aorist)	-r / -ir / -er	gelirim	habits, general truths, offers
Past (witnessed)	-di	geldim	events you saw / are sure of
Past (reported)	-miş	gelmiş	hearsay, inference, surprise
Future	-ecek/-acak	geleceğim	will

Every finite verb is built the same way: stem + tense suffix + person ending. Drop -mak/-mek to get the stem: gelmek → gel-, yaşamak → yaşa-. The tense suffix obeys vowel harmony with the last vowel of the stem; the person ending harmonises with the tense suffix. Details for each tense below.

Use: what is happening right now, and (like English) near-future plans: Şimdi çalışıyorum. I am working now.

Build it: stem + ı/i/u/ü + yor + person. The linking vowel follows 4-way harmony with the stem's last vowel. If the stem already ends in a or e, that vowel narrows first: yaşa- → yaşıyor, bekle- → bekliyor.

	gelmek (e → i)	olmak (o → u)
Ben	geliyorum	oluyorum
Sen	geliyorsun	oluyorsun
O	geliyor	oluyor
Biz	geliyoruz	oluyoruz
Siz	geliyorsunuz	oluyorsunuz
Onlar	geliyorlar	oluyorlar

Negative: -m(ı)yor: gelmiyorum, yaşamıyorum.

Question: the person ending jumps onto the question particle: Geliyor musun? Çalışıyor musunuz?

Use: habits, general truths, offers and promises, not what is happening now: Her sabah çay içerim. I drink tea every morning.

Build it: vowel-ending stems just add -r (yaşa- → yaşar); most one-syllable stems take -ar/-er (gel- → gelir is one of a few exceptions you learn by ear); longer stems take -ır/-ir/-ur/-ür (çalış- → çalışır).

	içmek	negative (irregular!)
Ben	içerim	içmem
Sen	içersin	içmezsin
O	içer	içmez
Biz	içeriz	içmeyiz
Siz	içersiniz	içmezsiniz
Onlar	içerler	içmezler

The negative is special: no r in Ben/Biz (içmem, içmeyiz), -mez- everywhere else. Asla geç kalmazsınız. You are never late.

Question: İçer misin? This is also the polite way to offer things.

Used to = aorist + past: Eskiden çiftlikte yaşardım. I used to live on a farm.

Use: completed events you saw or are sure of. This is your everyday past tense: Dün annemi aradım. Yesterday I called my mother.

Build it: stem + dı/di/du/dü + person (4-way harmony). After the voiceless consonants f s t k ç ş h p the d hardens to t: git- → gitti, tanış- → tanıştı.

	gelmek	tanışmak (d→t after ş)
Ben	geldim	tanıştım
Sen	geldin	tanıştın
O	geldi	tanıştı
Biz	geldik	tanıştık
Siz	geldiniz	tanıştınız
Onlar	geldiler	tanıştılar

Negative: -me/-ma before the tense: gelmedim, açmadık.

Question: particle after the whole verb: Geldin mi? Yedin mi?

The same endings work on nouns and adjectives: Hastaydı. He was ill. Evdeydik. We were at home.

Use: things you didn't witness yourself: hearsay, inference, surprise: Ali evlenmiş! (I hear / apparently) Ali got married!

Build it: stem + mış/miş/muş/müş + person (4-way harmony). Same person endings as -di: gelmişim, gelmişsin, gelmiş, gelmişiz, gelmişsiniz, gelmişler.

Negative: gelmemiş. Question: Gelmiş mi?

For now you mainly need to recognise it in stories and news; use -di when you talk about your own day.

Use: will / going to: Gelecek ay yeni eve taşınacağız. Next month we'll move to a new house.

Build it: stem + ecek/acak + person (2-way harmony). Two sound changes to watch:

Change	When	Example
k → ğ	before a vowel (Ben, Biz)	geleceğim, taşınacağız
buffer y	stem ends in a vowel	yaşayacak, bekleyecek

	gelmek	yaşamak
Ben	geleceğim	yaşayacağım
Sen	geleceksin	yaşayacaksın
O	gelecek	yaşayacak
Biz	geleceğiz	yaşayacağız
Siz	geleceksiniz	yaşayacaksınız
Onlar	gelecekler	yaşayacaklar

Negative: gelmeyeceğim (me + buffer y). Question: Gelecek misin?

Use: suggestions and offers. "Let's do X" and "let me do X" are one suffix in Turkish, chosen by person:

Person	Suffix	gitmek	başlamak
Ben (let me)	-(y)eyim / -(y)ayım	gideyim	başlayayım
Biz (let's)	-(y)elim / -(y)alım	gidelim	başlayalım

Build it: stem + suffix, 2-way vowel harmony. A vowel-final stem takes the buffer y: başla + y + alım → başlayalım. Ödeve başlayalım. Let's start the homework.

Negative: -me/-ma before the suffix: gitmeyelim let's not go · unutmayalım let's not forget.

Question: Gidelim mi? Shall we go? · Yardım edeyim mi? Shall I help? This is the normal way to offer or propose something.

Hadi often introduces it: Hadi bir şey alalım. Come on, let's buy something.

Ability -ebil / -abil

gidebilirim I can go · negative drops -bil: gidemem I can't go · Yardım edebilir misiniz? Could you help?

Obligation (three ways)

gitmeliyim · gitmem lazım · gitmek zorundayım (all "I must go")

Let's / wish (-elim, -eyim)

Gidelim! Let's go! · Bir düşüneyim. Let me think. · Hadi bir şey alalım. Let's buy something.

If (-se/-sa)

Gelirsen sevinirim. If you come, I'll be glad. · çalışmıyorsa if it doesn't work

Commands

Gel! (sen) · Gelin! / Bekleyin! (siz, polite) · Sakin ol! · Arkana bak!

Passive (-il / -n)

yazmak → yazılmak to write → to be written · Kapı kapatıldı. The door was closed.

Use: when the doer is unknown or unimportant: Kapı kapatıldı. The door was closed.

Build it: add to the stem, before the tense suffix:

Stem ends in…	Suffix	Example
consonant (most)	-ıl/-il/-ul/-ül	yaz- → yazılmak to be written
l	-ın/-in/-un/-ün	al- → alınmak to be taken, bul- → bulunmak to be found
vowel	-n	oku- → okunmak to be read

Then conjugate normally: Bu kitap çok okunuyor. This book is read a lot. Yemek yapıldı. The food was made.

You mostly meet the passive on signs and news at this level: Satılık for sale, Sigara içilmez. No smoking (lit. it is not smoked).

bir iki üç dört beş altı yedi sekiz dokuz on (1–10) · yirmi 20 · otuz 30 · kırk 40 · elli 50 · altmış 60 · yetmiş 70 · seksen 80 · doksan 90 · yüz 100 · bin 1000

Chain the parts: yirmi beş = 25, yüz on = 110.

Time

Saat kaç? What time is it? · Saat kaçta? At what time?

Saat yedi 7:00 · yedi buçuk 7:30 · yediyi çeyrek geçiyor quarter past 7 · yediye çeyrek var quarter to 7

Use: to describe a noun with a whole clause — English "who/that does X". The clause comes before the noun, like one big adjective:

Çok iyi kahve yapan bir kafe. A café that makes very good coffee.

Build it: verb stem + -an/-en (vowel harmony); after a vowel add the buffer -y-:

Verb	Participle	Meaning
yapmak	yapan	who makes / making
oturmak	oturan	who lives (resides)
söylemek	söyleyen	who sings/says (buffer y)
yaşamak	yaşayan	who lives (is alive; for residence prefer oturan)

Londra'da oturan arkadaşım bugün geliyor. My friend who lives in London is coming today.

This is the SUBJECT participle: the described noun is the one doing the action. (Object relatives use -dık and come later.)

Comparison

hızlı → daha hızlı → en hızlı · than = -den: Ben senden daha büyüğüm.

Verb as object (-meyi / -mek)

Eğlenmeyi özlüyorum. I miss having fun. · Uyumak istiyorum. I want to sleep. · Taşınmayı deneyeceğiz. We'll try to move.

-ken: while / when

Ders yaparken annem aradı. My mother called while I was studying. · eve gelirken while coming home

Question words

ne what · kim who · nerede/nereye/nereden where/to/from · ne zaman when · neden/niçin why · nasıl how · kaç / ne kadar how many / how much

This reference covers every Grammar and Verbs topic of the turkishbasics.com syllabus, restated in original words with fresh examples.

Unlock everything Practice without levels

Content unlocks level by level as you practice: the next level opens when about 60% of the current level's words are ones you answer correctly. This is a default pace, not a wall. Lock or unlock any level above, in any order; reference sections are always readable.

Smart builds a practice round from your history: your recent misses first, then the words you half-know, mixed 2:1 with up to ten new words, plus a few mastered ones as review. Answering I know it strongly retires a card from the round; the round ends when nothing is left.

Shuffle is a plain random run through the whole selected set. In every deck, answering I know it strongly sets the card aside like a known card from a physical pile - the pile shrinks, misses stay in it, and emptying it completes the set.

Weak first reorders the set so your most-missed cards come first, unseen cards in the middle, well-known ones last.

Answer modes: reveal is the classic flashcard flow. On the drills tab, build tiles makes you assemble the answer from morpheme or word tiles (one plausible wrong tile mixed in); a correct build counts as a strong answer. Choices (both tabs) is multiple choice: right picks count as recognition, which helps but never completes mastery. Fill the blank (vocabulary) hides the word's form inside its own example sentence with the English as the cue - a production exercise, so a correct fill counts as a strong answer on the English → Türkçe side. The drills tab also has a Number relations topic: generated questions like "beşten sonra ____ gelir" with fresh numbers every time - you compute the answer instead of recalling it. Timed round (vocabulary) is a speed drill over words you already know - a six-second countdown per card, wrong taps count as misses but slow answers never do. It trains fast access, the skill conversation actually needs. Cards a mode cannot serve simply show as reveal cards.

On the Vocabulary tab the two selectors choose the practice direction (Turkish→English, English→Turkish, or mixed; mixed shows each card in the direction you are weaker at, because recognizing a word and producing it are learned separately) and the word set (everything, core words, fixed expressions, or the most frequent book words). The defaults are the broadest: mixed direction, all words.

After revealing, grade your recall. Each card keeps lifetime counts, shown once revealed ("strong 2 · guessed 1 · missed 3"), and a state:

State	Meaning
new card	never graded
learning	last answer was a miss, or the record is net negative
almost there	seen, but not yet 3 strong answers in a row
mastered	strong answers on 3 different days in a row; one miss resets the streak

I guessed counts as not-yet-known: guessed cards stay in heavy rotation until you can answer them cold.

Answering the same card strongly many times in one sitting does not speed up mastery. Only the first strong answer of the day advances the streak. Memory is built by coming back tomorrow, not by repeating today. Vocabulary cards track each direction separately: knowing bardak→"glass" doesn't mean you can produce "glass"→bardak.

space or enter	reveal the answer
1 / 2 / 3	after reveal: knew it / guessed / didn't know
1-9, backspace	build mode: place the nth tile / take the last one back (tiles auto-check when complete)
→ / ←	next / previous card

Progress is saved in this browser's local storage. It survives closing the page, but it belongs to this browser on this device. A phone and a laptop each build their own history. Clearing site data clears it, private/incognito windows may not save at all, and there is no account or sync.

Backup: Export puts your complete progress in the box below (and on the clipboard where the browser allows it). Save it anywhere. To restore or move to another device, paste a backup into the box and press Import. Importing merges: for each card and direction, the record with more answers wins.

Export progress Import

Delete all practice history, level progress and settings stored in this browser. This cannot be undone; export a backup above first if you might want it back.

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Built as a single offline HTML file for beginner Turkish study. The vocabulary ( cards) and grammar topics follow a standard beginner textbook path; every card carries an idiomatic example sentence. New words are introduced in the order the textbooks teach them, weighted by how often each word actually occurs in beginner texts, with everyday basics (gelmek, gitmek, yapmak…) pinned early.

AI tools were used to build this app (Anthropic Claude, with independent review passes by GPT and Gemini models). The grammar content was checked against the textbooks listed above, and the code is exercised by automated browser tests, including grade-by-grade verification of the stored statistics.

Some example sentences come from the Tatoeba project (tatoeba.org), used under the CC-BY 2.0 FR license.

No tracking, no ads, nothing sent anywhere: see the privacy audit and project policy.

Disclosure: the footer's coffee-cup link is the one piece of monetization in this app, a voluntary Ko-fi tip that's never required for any feature. It's a plain text link, not Ko-fi's logo image: loading that image would itself be a request to Ko-fi's servers before you'd clicked anything, which is exactly the kind of silent third-party call the privacy audit confirms this app doesn't make.

Loading this page needs internet once; save it to your device and it keeps working with none at all - see using it without internet for how.

Retrieval practice: actively recalling before revealing strengthens memory far more than re-reading (the "testing effect"); the benefit grows with repeated retrieval rounds.

Block size: practicing in one larger block beats splitting into tiny piles: small sets feel easier but give no retention advantage, because what matters is the spacing between repetitions of the same word (Nakata & Webb 2016, SSLA; Kornell 2009, Applied Cognitive Psychology). Hence rounds of up to 50 cards with a 20-card "edge" block.

Introduction rate: about 10 new items per session, with older material mixed back in (cumulative practice improves retention; Maie et al. 2025, TESOL Quarterly). Hence 10 new + 5 review per round.

Working the edge: time goes to material just beyond current mastery (misses and half-known words) rather than what is already easy or still far too hard (zone of proximal development; desirable difficulties).

Scheduling is day-granular: mastered cards resurface by least-recently-seen review rather than by a full spaced-repetition interval model. Progress lives in one browser at a time; use Export/Import on the Help tab to move or back it up. Remaining ideas are tracked in a developer note inside this file.