Your path through a general Turkish course from A1 to B2
A general Turkish course usually follows the CEFR, the Common European Framework of Reference, which has six levels from A1 (beginner) to C2 (near-native). In Turkish you learn pronunciation quickly, because spelling follows sound almost completely. The work lies in the endings, which join into longer chains from level to level.
| Level | Focus in the Turkish course | Typical hurdle |
|---|---|---|
| A1 | Alphabet, introductions, ordering food, directions | the dotless ı and the silent ğ |
| A2 | Family, work, holidays, the past | possessive endings such as evim and okulum |
| B1 | Daily life in Türkiye without help | chains of several suffixes |
| B2 | News, series, professional conversations | clauses built from endings |
The Foreign Service Institute (FSI), the language school of the US Department of State, places Turkish in its Category III and expects about 44 weeks of full-time training, or roughly 1,000 class hours, to reach professional level. For Spanish it names 24 to 30 weeks, for Arabic 88 weeks.
A second benchmark comes from the Turkish government scholarship programme Türkiye Scholarships. Its scholars take 960 hours of Turkish and 140 hours of academic Turkish in a preparatory year to reach C1. If you study five hours a week next to a job, the same path takes several years, so set intermediate goals such as A2 or B1.
4 hurdles of Turkish and how a course removes them
Four features of Turkish slow beginners down. A general course needs its own exercises for each of them.
1 Vowel harmony
The vowels in an ending adapt to the last vowel of the word. The plural is therefore evler (houses) but okullar (schools). A general course explains the rule as a system and then drills it with many short exercises until you form the right ending without thinking.
2 Long words built from suffixes
Suffixes are endings that Turkish attaches to a word where English uses separate words. Ev (house) becomes evlerimizden (from our houses). Such words are hard to break down when listening. Listening exercises at slow and then normal speed train you to split them.
3 The verb at the end
The normal word order is subject, object, verb. English speakers need time to hold the verb back until the end of the sentence. Exercises in which you build sentences from blocks fix the order.
4 The vowels ı, ö and ü
The dotless ı is a short, unrounded vowel, and ö and ü sound like the vowels in French peu and tu. All three distinguish words and control the endings under vowel harmony, while the silent ğ lengthens the vowel before it.
In a trial lesson, watch whether the teacher corrects mistakes in the endings and names the rule behind them. A course that shows vowel harmony only through examples leaves you guessing with every new word.
General course for the system, conversation course for speaking
A general language course trains grammar, vocabulary, listening, reading, writing and speaking along a fixed syllabus. A conversation course concentrates on free speaking and usually expects level A2, the second of six CEFR levels.
In Turkish the two course types complement each other well. The general course builds the system of vowel harmony and suffixes. The conversation course gives you the speaking time to recall those endings in real dialogue. That includes choosing between sen, the familiar you, and siz, the polite form that also serves as the plural.
- ✓A general course explains vowel harmony and suffixes as a system.
- ✓It trains reading and writing, which pure conversation lessons neglect.
- ✗Pure conversation lessons usually leave writing and grammar aside.
- ✗Without speaking practice, learners form endings only slowly.
Many learners start with a general course and add one conversation lesson a week from A2. If you have a Turkish-speaking partner or in-laws, practise family, food and visits early. Regional dialects, for example on the Black Sea coast, matter little at first, because media and authorities use standard Turkish.
5 online formats for general Turkish courses
Each format of a general Turkish course suits a different part of your path. The table shows what to check for Turkish.
| Format | Best for | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Live group class | steady progress from A1 to B2 | a small group of four to eight people |
| One-to-one lessons | conversation, heritage speakers | training in Turkish as a foreign language |
| Self-study course on a platform | revising grammar | audio with standard pronunciation |
| Language app | vocabulary and endings | an explanation of vowel harmony |
| Distance course with a tutor | writing | corrections with reasons |
Apps are well suited to drilling endings, because vowel harmony follows fixed rules and software detects mistakes reliably. Free speaking, polite forms and cultural conventions still need a human teacher. A live class once or twice a week plus an app on the other days gives you a rhythm that covers both.
Set up a Turkish keyboard layout before your first lesson. Without it you type i for ı, g for ğ and s for ş, and an app either marks that as a mistake or ignores it.
Turkish courses for children and heritage speakers
Many learners outside Türkiye do not start from zero. Heritage speakers are people who learned a language at home and never studied it in school. Large Turkish-speaking communities live in Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, the United Kingdom and the United States, and many heritage speakers there speak fluently but write with less confidence.
Heritage speakers need courses that do not begin at A1. These courses train spelling, formal letters, newspaper reading and polite forms of address. A placement test before the course shows where the gaps are.
Some schools in Europe offer heritage Turkish classes, and online courses fill the gap where no school class exists. As a goal for children and teenagers, telc offers Turkish exams for school students at A2, B1 and B2 and a junior exam at A2.
Children without a Turkish-speaking family start with the alphabet, just as adults do. Because spelling follows pronunciation, they read simple words aloud after a few weeks.
Frequently asked questions about general online Turkish courses
What do you learn at level A1 in a general online Turkish course?
At level A1 in a general online Turkish course you learn the 29-letter alphabet, the sounds of ı, ğ, ş and ç and first endings such as the plural. You also learn to introduce yourself, order food and ask for directions. A1 is the first of six CEFR levels.
From which level does an online Turkish conversation course make sense?
An online Turkish conversation course usually fits from level A2, the second of six levels of the Common European Framework of Reference. Before that, you lack the endings you need in conversation. Many learners add one conversation lesson a week to their general course from A2.
Why does a Turkish course take fewer hours than an Arabic course?
A Turkish course takes about 44 weeks of full-time training to professional level according to the Foreign Service Institute (FSI), while Arabic takes 88 weeks. Turkish uses the Latin alphabet, and its grammar has very few exceptions. Arabic requires a new script and two forms of the language.
Can a language app alone get you to level A2 in Turkish?
A language app covers level A2 in Turkish only in part. Apps drill vocabulary and endings reliably, because vowel harmony follows fixed rules. For free speaking and polite forms you need conversations with a teacher.
Which online Turkish courses exist for children from Turkish-speaking families?
Children from Turkish-speaking families can take online Turkish courses for heritage speakers, which train reading, spelling and formal language. Some schools in Europe also offer heritage Turkish classes. A placement test shows which level fits.
Which keyboard do you need for an online Turkish course?
For an online Turkish course you need a Turkish keyboard layout or a setting with the letters ı, ğ, ş, ç, ö and ü. Without it you type i for ı or s for ş. Apps and teachers count such substitutes as mistakes.
Sources
The information is based on these sources. Check fees and dates with the provider before you register.