Is Turkish Hard To Learn?

In 1928, the Turkish Language went through reforms such as changing its alphabet and replacing words. Prior to that, the Turkish Language was written with Arabic characters, and the language vocabulary was influenced by Arabic and Persian. There are still a good number of Arabic/Persian words in the Turkish vocabulary though for some, you’d also find the Turkish equivalent. For example “MESCIT” is from Arabic which means “Mosque” and “CAMI” is a Turkish word that also means “Mosque”.

TURKISH is an AGGLUTINATIVE LANGUAGE. This means that the words are comprised of pieces that all add to the meaning of the word. In English, you might express a sentence with a few words, for example, (I am coming). In Turkish, that might be just one word – “geliyorum”.I found this an advantage to learn the language more easily. Because by simply knowing the verbs and some rules about adding “suffixes”, you can communicate easily.

“Geliyorum” – I am coming

“Gelmiyorum” – I am not coming

Now try to say the following sentences in Turkish

YAPMAK – TO DO: Translate “I am doing” – Answer: Yapıyorum

BASMAK – TO PRINT: Translate “I am printing” – Answer: Basıyorum

KALMAK – TO STAY: Translate “I am staying” – Answer: Kalıyorum

ALMAK – TO BUY: Translate “I am buying” – Answer: Alıyorum

Pretty easy right? Now try these too:

İÇMEK – TO DRINK: Translate “I am drinking” – Answer: İçiyorum

YEMEK – TO EAT: Translate “I am Eating” – Answer: Yiyorum

GITMEK – TO GO: Translate “I AM GOING” – Answer: Gidiyorum

BÜYÜMEK – TO GROW: Translate “I AM GROWING” – Answer: Büyüyorum

Yeah, you need to learn some more rules to get everything correct.

So Is Turkish easy or hard to learn?

In my opinion, that depends on you and the languages you speak. If you speak or learn an agglutinative one like Turkish, you may find it easier. And if you know some Arabic or Persian, learning new words would be quite easy too.

But above all, “Interest” matters the most. If you are interested in the culture, way of life, food, and traditions of the Turkish people, your love for the language will automatically increase and the speed at which you learn will be way faster than others

So if you are having a hard time understanding the Turkish Language, you may try opening your heart to the language by building an interest in Turkish movies, comedy, politics, history, or food and you’d find it easier to learn.

For me, it was Turkish comedy and food that attracted me. I watch CGH on YouTube and I am a big fan. Also during Ramadan, I got the chance to prepare IFTAR with a TURKISH Family and we spoke Turkish throughout. Watch the video here

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