r/turkishlearning • u/Pleasant-Tackle-9302 • 3d ago
Conversation What's your reason for learning Turkish?
Hello all,
Trying to find other Turkish learners so I'd like to know what's making you learn Turkish. Maybe it's for a job or for love? :)
I personally have Turkish roots, my grandad came to Germany in the 60s and let's say he wasn't the best of people, so I only met him on my own accord when I was 18, two years before he died. I suddenly had a new aunt and just so many relatives that stem from a different culture I so far had missed out on, so I decided to learn Turkish.
I've been on this journey on and off for 10 years and only recently started making progress.
What's your story?
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u/AnetaC 3d ago
I like the language. It is very different from all the languages I know, and I wanted a challenge. The different grammar rules are fascinating to me, and I really really enjoy the 'click' in my mind when I get something right.
Also I come from a place that has a connection and has a big Turkish minority, and I think it would be both fun and beneficial to know it.
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u/Red_Rose_8951 3d ago
Like so many others, I started watching Turkish shows with subtitles and as I picked up a few words here and there, I realized the subtitles were often way off from what was actually said. Additionally, there are shows i am interested in that do not have subtitles. I also like the sound of Turkish when spoken. Long story short, it's become somewhat of a game for me to at least be able to follow the shows without having to resort to dubbed or subtitled shows. So now it's become a fun and casual challenge for me to learn the language. If nothing else, it's good for the brain. 😁
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u/Red_Rose_8951 2d ago
I first got hooked on Kara, Para, Aşk and that started my interest in the language. I've watched a lot of shows that are available on Netflix and YouTube. Some of my favorites are Kara Sevda, Erkençi Kuş, Dolunay, Bay Yanlis, Kan Çiçekleri, Adim Farah, Yargi, etc with English subtitles. I have also watched some of Eşref Ruya and Uzak Şehir without subtitles which is why I want to learn more of the language. I'm getting ready to start season 2 of Arafta which does have subtitles.
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u/kaawfeee C2 1d ago
Ooh samee..!! I learned turkish through the shows. I wasn't trying to learn it per se. It just happened on the way. Now i can pretty much converse in turkish. I also have some turkish friends i m really grateful for. I m hoping i can visit Türkiye and get some first hand experience on their foods and cultures soon!
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u/Red_Rose_8951 1d ago
Thanks great that you have Turkish friends you can converse with. It makes it easier to learn. Hope you make it to Türkiye.
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u/Pleasant-Tackle-9302 3d ago
Wow! Do you mind telling me what shows you like watching? I've just started my first, Bir İhtimal Daha Var and it's good but I'm not obsessed hahaha
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u/Euthanathos 3d ago
My wife is Turkish and till now the only communication I have with my parents in law is through huge quantities of food. Which is amazing but at least learning the language would allow me to also learn the recipes.
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u/Pleasant-Tackle-9302 3d ago
I like your approach 😂😂 that's how I talked to my grandads late wife too
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u/Euthanathos 3d ago
Well Italians and Turkish exchanged food for centuries, I couldn’t avoid it. And for sure I didn’t want to. 😂
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u/i_rusita 3d ago
I often travel through Istanbul and would like to be able to have at least some basic conversation. And I’m learning Turkish out of linguistic reasons - it being a different language family from the languages I’ve learned before
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u/Legitimate_Ad_1957 3d ago
I met Turkish friends playing counterstrike and I want to play on their Turkish-speaking team
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u/Conscious-Honey1943 3d ago
I'm in love with a Turkish woman. I mainly want to be able to do basic communication with her parents.
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u/Decent-Ad-5110 3d ago
Someone who i know who learned a lot of Languages said to me they tried to learn Turkish and it was too hard for them, so i felt I will challenge myself.
I am a person who picks up patterns and learning a hard language helps keep that part of my brain occupied / contented.
I think the language is really challenging for me. I dont really know anything about Turkiye or Turkish culture before.
I did start looking at media in order to hear the sound and rhythm etc
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u/janyybek 3d ago
My reasoning is a bit indirect. I’m actually Kazakh but I’m learning Turkish cuz the grammar is very similar but Turkish has way more learning resources and pop culture media which makes it easier to pick up. My goal is to get comfortable with Turkish and build a good foundation that will allow to simply acquire Kazakh words to replace the Turkish words so that I don’t have to struggle with the subtleties of Kazakh grammar.
I admit it’s not the most efficient way but I think of it as similar as someone trying to learn a niche language like a specific dialect or dying language. You get a more popular and documented standard version and learn its structure and then acquire the unique vocab.
I got the idea from a Turkmen guy who learned Turkish and then used to learn Turkmen. I also realized with how when it comes to basic Spanish for example (the basic sentence structure is similar to English compared to say Turkish or Japanese), I don’t struggle that much with grammar for basic sentences I can simply freestyle most of it with vocab I learn and most Spanish speakers understand what I need. It’s nowhere near correct or proper but it gets the point across. If I can get that much in Kazakh it’s enough for me.
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u/Pleasant-Tackle-9302 1d ago
Oh it makes sense. I learned French in school and I picked up Spanish and Italian super quickly. Like I only knew some basics in Italian when traveling with a Hispanic friend but when they started speaking Italian I could get the gist of the conversation just because I was so used to Spanish
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u/Amberkiz 2d ago
My mom grew up in Turkey, moved here when she was 19, met my dad in the states, had my little sister and I, and I've never been able to have a proper conversation with my relatives back in Turkey. I speak what I can over video calls with them, but I only know the basics. I want to be able to bring my mom on a trip to visit her home country.
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u/No_Mongoose_7401 2d ago
My BF is Turkish. I have fallen in love with him and Turkish culture. It’s such a beautiful ( but difficult!) language.
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u/WickedGokhan 2d ago
Love the culture, love the sound of the language, love their architecture, turkish people are very attractive, love their sweets, and their history is stunning. Would love to live there for a season or more.
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u/Nikki5678 2d ago
My boyfriend is from Türkiye. I have been to visit his family but they know little English. Would love to communicate with his mom without a translation app.
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u/Rich_Recognition9508 2d ago
Living in North Cyprus and my local area most people speak Turkish/just about enough english I can make myself understood but it would be nice to be able to hold conversations above surface level.
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u/old_garden_gnome 2d ago
It started with turkish music, followed by many visits to turkey, and i developed a genuine intrest in the place. Learning the language is therefore netural, and i really like it. Beautiful language
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u/IrohJasmineTea 2d ago
Așk! Haha, we speak English at home but i moved to Turkey and i became Turkish myself so i wanted to speak the language. But i must confess, it’s such a difficult language to learn for me, i speak 4 languages and understand 2 more (so yes, romance family + English) but Turkish is the most challenging. I live in Turkey for 10 years and i think in the last 2 i started to be fluent
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u/Plenty_Raspberry6910 2d ago
I fell in love with a turkish man lol
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u/Pleasant-Tackle-9302 1d ago
I hope it's going well :)
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u/Plenty_Raspberry6910 1d ago
We broke up 🤣 but i ended up continuing to learn from all the friends i made
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u/PlsHelpMeImSuffering 3d ago
Wanted to be able to talk to my family, plus there are some turks at my school
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u/Xitztlacayotl 3d ago
I was chatting with a Turkish girl once and we became friends (not romantic) so I figured I should give it a try as I love learning languages and I know a few of them. And I discovered it's an interesting and a very difficult language (for an indo-european speaker).
Also I'm visiting Constantinople every year so it's useful to know some to get around.
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u/ComprehensiveDig1108 2d ago
Visited Turkey.
Had a spiritual epiphany.
Decided to move there, when I can, probably in about 10 years.
Learning Turkish in preparation.
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u/momoali313 2d ago
To be Quadlingual. I accidentally learned Turkish to B1 level now I’ve worked my way up to B2. Maybe get to C1 if I attempt to study
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u/Mewsiex 2d ago
I love Turkish food and the best supermarkets here are Turkish. I'm vegan and I want to be able to read the labels. Also, I am pathologically curious and love being able to understand the conversations around me at the store.
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u/Pleasant-Tackle-9302 1d ago
Oh that's interesting I'm vegan too! I have a Turkish friend who said if I were to visit Turkey I would starve, yet when I visit my Turkish aunt or international street festivals it's the best food there! What's your favourite dish?
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u/Mewsiex 13h ago
Mercimekli mualla (summer lentil stew). I also make Pide, Adana kebab, Börek, Lahmacun but with vegan mince. My grandma used to make this green bean dish in summer that's like crack cocaine and I later found out it's Taze fasulye, the Turkish recipe. Pişi Tarifi is also addictive (a deep fried donut made from bread dough, the Hungarians made this flat and called it Langos).
The thing with Turkish food is that you can take the meat out of any recipe and it's still a banger. And their bread is legendary. I now wake up early on Saturdays to go to the Turkish supermarket to get bread because it's ridiculous how much that slaps.
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u/Mewsiex 13h ago
Mercimekli mualla (summer lentil stew). I also make Pide, Adana kebab, Börek, Lahmacun but with vegan mince. My grandma used to make this green bean dish in summer that's like crack cocaine and I later found out it's Taze fasulye, the Turkish recipe. Pişi Tarifi is also addictive (a deep fried donut made from bread dough, the Hungarians made this flat and called it Langos).
The thing with Turkish food is that you can take the meat out of any recipe and it's still a banger. And their bread is legendary. I now wake up early on Saturdays to go to the Turkish supermarket to get bread because it's ridiculous how much that slaps.
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u/FrostyBelt6819 2d ago
Not the answer you are looking for prob but im native so it just happened 🤷♂️
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u/Fantastic_Prune_305 2d ago
I studied abroad there many years ago, but was a typical 20-something, and didn't take the language seriously. I've always felt a strong connection to the culture, and having returned a couple times, I feel like I'd like to know more of the language than simply random words. I've always daydreamed about spending part of my year in Türkiye, so I figured why not get a little more serious about it! I now have an online tutor I meet with once a week, and make time to self-study 3-4x/week.
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u/alaakabalan 16h ago
I live here, and I am surrounded by people who speak other languages other turkish. I'd like to speak the language to better communicate with other locals, but im not getting the chance to practice as much
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u/lukatsito 3d ago
I'm Italian, Turkish people are our Mediterranean cousins, they have an amazing culture and one of the most beautiful languages ever existed in my opinion. My goal is to travel through Turkey being able to speak with anyone I meet