A few years back, when I started studying Turkish, I was surprised to learn that the Turkish word for a lion is aslan--which explains where C.S. Lewis got the name of his lion, Aslan, in the Narnia series. (I guess Lewis had a penchant for things Turkish--Turkish delight also figures in the series).

(Is the lion's name "Aslan" in the Turkish translation of the books or has it been replaced?)

Now I just learned that a Turkish word for a puppet is kukla. In the 1940s and 1950s (and rerun in the 1960s, when I was watching them), there was a US children's TV show titled Kukla, Fran and Ollie, featuring Fran Allison with two puppets named Ollie and ... Kukla. Well, even Turkish kukla comes from Greek κούκλα koúkla, so the puppet's name could have been taken phonetically from the Greek and only coincidentally match the Turkish spelling, but, still!

Are there other names in fiction or the media borrowed surreptitiously from Turkish?

Hi, I have been learning Turkish since January because I used to teach Turkish people English online and I began learning it because I thought it would make it easier to communicate with kids who were beginners at English. However I stopped working there in March and since then I have given up twice due to my lack of motivation and depression (I have tried to get help with this but I'm still depressed and I don't want to put everything on hold until I stop being depressed).

I have a Turkish book and I finished 6 chapters but I've been reviewing the vocabulary/interesting sentence structures that I forgot and I still have 23 pages left, each with around 20 words/sentences. I test myself on everything 5 times and then make 3 sentences with each word/sentence structure. My idea is to start chapter 7 on November 1 no matter what, even if I've not finished reviewing the words (in this case, I would just simultaneously go through chapter 7 and review the words). The problem is I wake up every day not wanting to do anything at all due to my lack of motivation. My brain doesn't seem to produce enough dopamine for me to desire to do anything.

So far I still force myself to study but my fear is that I will stop being able to do anything at all one of these days, let alone study Turkish. Before I became depressed, I was able to study 6 hours a day with no complaints. I do force myself to study several hours a day but I have no desire to do so, and it scares me that one day I may give up altogether. I have come too far and invested too much time to give up, but it may still happen.

If you have also struggled with motivation, could you share how you manage to force yourself to study Turkish or do other tasks?

**Turkish-English speakers needed for a Psychology Study (**approx. 15 min)

Merhaba everyone!

I’m a Psychology Master’s student at Humboldt University of Berlin, researching how people perceive emotional meaning across different languages.

Much of psychological research focuses on English-speaking populations, while Turkish speakers are often underrepresented. We want to help change that by including more Turkish speakers in our research!

Who can participate?
- Adults aged 18+
- Use both Turkish and English at least weekly
- Able to read and understand both languages at an adequate level

What’s involved?
A short online survey (approx. 15 minutes) where you rate the emotional meaning of everyday sentences.

Study link:
https://www.soscisurvey.de/vadlang/?upool=tr

Participation is anonymous, voluntary, and no psychology knowledge is needed!

I’d really appreciate your support, whether by participating or sharing this with others.

Çok teşekkürler!

https://www.learnturkishwithseda.com/post/turkish-tense-aspect-mood-evidentiality

I wrote an article about how Turkish verb endings work, including -iyor, -di, and -miş, and where some of these forms came from historically.

Sharing it here in case anyone is interested.

Hi everyone!

I’ve been teaching Turkish to foreigners for four years.

In our lessons, we work on listening, speaking, reading, and grammar.

If you’re interested, feel free to reach out!

Hi, can anyone please suggest super comprehensive books/study guides etc on Turkish grammar, all levels, not just for learning, but for practicing too? Preferably available online. Thank you!

Hello! My sister would like to enroll in a Turkish language program at Anadolu University in Eskişehir through its Open Education system (Açıköğretim) as an international student. Of course, she would first spend a preparatory year learning Turkish.
The thing is, she is over 30 and has already completed a university degree in her home country, so she feels a little awkward about the fact that most of the other students will be much younger than her. In other words, she feels a bit insecure about it.
I was wondering whether there are other students in their thirties studying in these programs in similar circumstances. How do their fellow students react to them?
Thanks in advance for your answers! ♥️
________________

Merhaba! Ablam, uluslararası öğrenci olarak Eskişehir’deki Anadolu Üniversitesi’nin Açıköğretim sistemi üzerinden Türkçe eğitim veren bir bölüme kayıt yaptırmak istiyor. Tabii ki öncelikle bir yıl Türkçe hazırlık eğitimi alacak.
Ancak kendisi 30 yaşından büyük ve kendi ülkesinde zaten bir üniversite bölümünden mezun oldu. Bu yüzden üniversitedeki öğrencilerin çoğunun kendisinden çok daha genç olacak olması onu biraz rahatsız ediyor ve kendini bu konuda güvensiz hissediyor.
Merak ettiğim şey, benzer durumlarda olup bu bölümlerde 30’lu yaşlarında okuyan öğrenciler var mı? Diğer öğrenciler onlara nasıl davranıyor?
Cevaplarınız için şimdiden çok teşekkür ederim! ♥️

Merhaba! If you are a Turkish speaker, please take this survey! It takes about 10 minutes to fill out.

I am conducting a linguistic research project about Turkish speakers' perceptions of certain grammatical structures in Turkish when they are used by generative AI chatbots.

Thank you for your help!

Here's the link: https://leidenuniv.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3pKxeHs3UT2Ji4e?Recruiter=RM01

Hello everyone!

I'm a native Turkish speaker living in Ankara, Turkey.

I'm looking for a native English speaker, preferably from the US, UK, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand, for regular conversation practice.

I'd be happy to help you improve your Turkish in exchange.

I'm particularly interested in having voice conversations twice a week.

If you're genuinely interested in a regular language exchange, feel free to send me a message.

Best regards,
Erdal

Hi everyone! :)

I’m a Turkish teacher, and I’m thinking of starting a small online Turkish conversation club for B1–B2 learners.

The idea is to practise speaking Turkish in a relaxed, friendly environment, using real-life situations, interesting discussion topics, and expressions that Turkish people actually use.

Some possible topics:

● Everyday conversations and making friends
● Turkish expressions that are difficult to translate
● Life in Türkiye: big cities vs. small towns
● Sharing opinions and talking about culture

I’d like to keep the group small so everyone has a chance to speak, rather than just listen to a teacher.
I’m developing this idea as part of my Turkish learning project, Yumuşak G, and I’d love to hear from learners here.

If you could join a Turkish conversation club, what would make it useful and enjoyable for you? Would you prefer everyday conversation, cultural discussions, or guided role-play activities?
I’m still planning the first group, so I’m genuinely interested in your feedback! 🙌

Merhabalar,
I am thinking of doing a few weeks in Istanbul for language school. I would like to immerse myself in the language during that time, so for example by staying in a host family or in a mostly Turkish speaking environment. I was thinking to check Workaway, there are a few offers, but they are all quite far from the center (Kadiköy) where the school is located. I am aware that taking a long time to commute is quite normal in Istanbul but maybe you have an idea on alternative option that I didn’t think of?
Or maybe this is just something I just need to accept? :)

Thanks in advance!!!

Günaydın everyone! 👨🏻

I recently built an app for learning the 5,000 most common everyday Turkish words. I’d love for you to try it, and I’m open to feedback. As a native Turkish speaker, I designed the app to teach vocabulary as quickly and comprehensively as possible. Each word comes with an example sentence, plus audio for both the word and the sentence. For verbs, I’ve grouped all the base forms together.

The app is free to download, and all the verbs are free to learn. If you’re a student and can’t afford the full version, it's alright, just send me a DM. Please give it a try!

It’s iOS-only for now, with a web version coming later. Here’s the link: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/turkish-english-flashcards/id6818580029

Note: I used AI to fix my grammar and punctuation mistakes in this post.

These are lyrics from a song I found, and I don't know like, half these words. (I'm not Turkish by the way)

Merhaba everyone! 👋

I’ve just released a new episode of my podcast LetSpeakTurkish, called “Türk Gibi Konuşmak” (Speak Like a Turk)!

This episode is designed for intermediate (B1) Turkish learners who want to go beyond textbooks and sound more natural in everyday conversations.

You’ll discover how Turkish people really speak and learn useful expressions to make your Turkish more authentic.

🎧 A great way to improve your listening skills while exploring the beauty of spoken Turkish!

Turkish says “am, is, are” mostly through short endings on the last word of the sentence.

Hava güzel (the weather is nice) is already a complete sentence. For “he, she, it is” in the present tense, nothing is added. For the other persons, an ending carries the meaning: Yorgunum, I’m tired. Evdeyiz, we’re at home. Hazır mısın?, are you ready?

The past works the same way, with another ending: Hastaydım, I was ill. When something changes, Turkish switches to the verb olmak: Hasta oldum, I got ill. Olmak also gives the future: Yarın burada olacağım, I’ll be here tomorrow. “There is” and “I have” use var and yok: Evde ekmek var, there’s bread at home. Kitabım var, I have a book.

This is also why one-word answers like İyiyim, Evde or Benim are complete sentences in Turkish.

I wrote a longer article on this, with tables and everyday conversations...

“Whoever loves the rose puts up with its thorns.”

We use this Turkish proverb when someone complains about the difficulties that come with something they love. It could be a relationship, a demanding job, or even a hobby.

There's some interesting grammar here, too. In gülü seven, the suffix -en turns sevmek (to love) into “the one who loves.”

And if you enjoy Turkish literature, the rose and its thorns have a long history in Ottoman poetry.

I wrote a little more about the meaning, grammar, and literary background here:

Hey how are u guys i live in turkey and i wanna Turkish friends or foreigners who live in turkey im male 21 y/o i wanna practice my Turkish language thank u all

I created a video to explain how Turkish compounds work:

- No ending for a material (tahta masa, a wooden table)

- -si ending for a kind of thing (okul çantası, a school bag)

- in + -si endings for an owner (Elif'in çantası, Elif's bag).

Full 14 minutes video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfziOVokbSM