In order to make the best use of your time here in Istanbul and experience the culture, having basic Turkish skills plays an important role. You can learn the culture deeper, communicate with locals and create your own network easier. On this page, you can find several platforms where you can learn and practice Turkish.
UNIC Online Language Modules for Beginners

UNIC recently introduced their UNIC Online Language Modules for Beginners has been developed to support international students and staff. You will be the very first students who benefit from the modules.

There is no grading or examination at the end of the module, the whole project is designed to teach basic Turkish together with Koç University-İstanbul-Turkey related content. You can start and finish the modules anytime at your own pace.

The registration manual for the modules can be seen here.

Since it is the first semester of this module, we also wanted to give voice to the international students and include feedback on some cultural and linguistic aspects of their experience as well as technical experience with the system.

We do appreciate it if you send your feedback via a straightforward survey here.

Turkish Coffee Hours (TCH)
International Community Services Office of the Office of International Programs invites you to join the Turkish Coffee Hour (TCH) meetings to practice your conversational Turkish with volunteer KU native speakers at NO COST!

The TCH is a platform where international KU affiliates and their family members who have at least basic Turkish knowledge practice their Turkish conversational skills with native or advanced Turkish-speaking KU volunteers. 

All international students, faculty, staff, researchers, and their family members are welcome to join.


DISCLAIMER: TCH does not claim to teach Turkish but aims to help you practice it. Participants are expected to have at least basic Turkish knowledge to actively take part in conversations. If you want to start learning Turkish, check out the resources we gathered and published on our website.

TCH sessions are on campus and available only for KU affiliates and their family members.

We meet twice a week on fixed days and times: one session for beginners and one for intermediate/advanced level participants each week.

The sessions are very joyful, and we cover various topics with role-playing activities, games, conversations, and more.


Certificate of Participation

ICO will provide a certificate of participation at the end of the semester for those who attend at least 5 sessions. Therefore, the volunteers will take the attendees’ names each session. 

Those rewarded with a certificate will be registered on the Symplicity platform as “Completed the TCH Program.” Their volunteer participation will be indicated on their social transcripts, if applicable at the graduation. Contact us via Trackit if you have any questions about this matter.


How to Join?

  1. Subscribe to the TPH mailing list to receive related meeting details. You can subscribe by filling out the subscription form. Please make sure you provide your university KU e-mail address with the education (edu) domain (like XXX@ku.edu.tr). Note that TPH is available ONLY for KU affiliates and their family members!
  2. Join the related WhatsApp group according to your level.
    1. Beginners’ WhatsApp Group: https://chat.whatsapp.com/LMYxbfhCHga4Xc5SzkDd4x
    2. Intermediate/ Advanced WhatsApp Group: https://chat.whatsapp.com/EzF0tA60VWwCTWhCZhqeoI

Meetings:                                                                                                

Beginners: Wednesdays, 3-4 PM, @Student Center Lower 3rd Floor B336.

Intermediate/ Advanced: Mondays, 4-5 PM, @Different spots on campus. The session’s leader will announce the meeting point on the WhatsApp group. 


Spring ‘23 TPH Program

Tarih Mekân Grup Saat Buluşma Nu. Gönüllü Lider Gönüllü Destekleyiciler Konu
3/4/23 Öğrenci Merkezi
B336
+
Kampüsün farklı noktaları.
Gönüllü lider WhatsApp grubunda bildirecek.
Tüm + İleri Grup 15.30- 16.00 Info Meeting
+
16-17 İleri Seviye
1 Sümeyye Gürdal Cem Berk Görmüş Hikâye&öykü okuma ve yorumlama
5/4/23 Öğrenci Merkezi
B336
Başlangıç 15- 16 2 Efe Akiz Gülce Arabacı
Feyza Kaplan
Türkçe şarkı dinleme, sözlerini yorumlama
10/4/23 Kampüsün farklı noktaları.
Gönüllü lider WhatsApp grubunda bildirecek.
İleri Seviye 16-17 3 Sümeyye Gürdal Cem Berk Görmüş
Habibe Hazal Yayla
Günlük hayat pratikleri, I
-Ev sahibiyle, komşuyla, arkadaşla konuşma-
12/4/23 Öğrenci Merkezi
B336
Başlangıç 15- 16 4 Efe Akiz Telaffuz (Pronunciation) egzersizleri
– Ek olarak kurulan cümlelerin kontrolü-
17/4/23 BAHAR TATİLİ
19/4/23 BAHAR TATİLİ
24/4/23 Kampüsün farklı noktaları.
Gönüllü lider WhatsApp grubunda bildirecek.
İleri Seviye 16-17 5 Cem Berk Görmüş Beril Bilici Günlük hayat pratikleri, I
-Ev sahibiyle, komşuyla, arkadaşla konuşma-
26/4/23 Öğrenci Merkezi
B336
Başlangıç 15- 16 6 Efe Akiz Türkçe kısa film&dizi alıntıları izleme ve yorumlama
1/5/23 1 MAYIS EMEK VE DAYANIŞMA GÜNÜ
3/5/23 Öğrenci Merkezi
B336
Başlangıç 15- 16 7 Naz Akbulut Habibe Hazal Yayla Temel konuşma egzersizleri
-Selamlaşma, yerel kalıpları sohbet içinde kullanma, nasıl iletişim kurulacağı-
8/5/23 Kampüsün farklı noktaları.
Gönüllü lider WhatsApp grubunda bildirecek.
İleri Seviye 16-17 8 Habibe Hazal Yayla Sümeyye Gürdal
Beril Bilici
Türkçe şarkı dinleme, sözlerini yorumlama
10/5/23 Öğrenci Merkezi
B336
Başlangıç 15- 16 9 Gülce Arabacı Naz Akbulut
Feyza Kaplan
Telaffuz (Pronunciation) egzersizleri
– Ek olarak kurulan cümlelerin kontrolü-
15/5/23 Kampüsün farklı noktaları.
Gönüllü lider WhatsApp grubunda bildirecek.
İleri Seviye 16-17 10 Naz Akbulut Günlük hayat pratikleri, II
-Hayır diyebilme ve fikrini belirtme uslubu-
17/5/23 Öğrenci Merkezi
B336
Başlangıç 15- 16 11 Feyza Kaplan Gülce Arabacı Temel konuşma egzersizleri
-Selamlaşma, yerel kalıpları sohbet içinde kullanma, nasıl iletişim kurulacağı-
22/5/23 Kampüsün farklı noktaları.
Gönüllü lider WhatsApp grubunda bildirecek.
İleri Seviye 16-17 12 Beril Bilici Feyza Kaplan Türkçe öyküler&hikayeler üretmek
-Spontane bir şekilde, kendi tanıtımları şeklinde de olabilir-
Toplam   12

 


More information…

  • TCH is on campus and we meet twice a week: one session for beginners and one for intermediate/ advanced level participants each week. 
  • Each session will have one volunteer leader and an assistant tutor.
  • Participants must have an “edu” domain e-mail address to be able to receive notifications.
  • Meetings will last about 1-hour max.
  • Your family members are welcome to join if they want to, with or without you provided that they prove their relation to you (only KU members).
  • At each meeting, tutors will start conversations surrounding a specific topic or skill geared toward daily life/speech. There will be some sessions to play some language games and/or role-playing. During the meetings, please keep in mind that there will be participants with different levels of Turkish. Therefore, please show courtesy and stay open to different opinions/levels of speaking skills.
  • For any questions, suggestions, or concerns, you can reach out to us by creating a Trackit request through Dean of Students Trackit / ICO Requests.

Application to be a Volunteer TCH Leader or Supporter for Spring ’23 will be Announced Here.

The program supervisor: Zikri Mert Demircan (zdemircan@ku.edu.tr.)

KOLT
You can attend the Conversation Circles, Local Friends Program and Private Tutoring at the Koç University Office of Learning and Teaching.

 

KOLT Website
Elective Course for Students: Turkish Communication Skills

CSSH provides ten different levels of Turkish classes for international students ranging from BASIC TURKISH (TURK 201, 202, 203, 204); INTERMEDIATE TURKISH (TURK 301, 302, 303); and  UPPER INTERMEDIATE TURKISH (TURK 401)  to  ADVANCED TURKISH (TURK 402). These courses aim to develop students’ productive language skills by providing a supportive and stimulating learning environment.

In these communicative- based Turkish language classes, assessment is based on testing learners’ linguistic knowledge and accuracy, and their skills in reading and listening comprehension as well as in spoken communication and oral presentation skills.

These courses help students not only to adapt to life in Türkiye and get to know the culture better but also enable them to communicate in Turkish efficiently. They can be offered every semester (fall, spring, and summer) depending on student demand and faculty availability.

Elective Course for Students: Turkish Communication Skills
Turkish Language Courses for Faculty Members

Human Resources Directorate offers paid Turkish classes every academic year for pay-rolled faculty members. The announcement of classes is made through KU Daily. Then the faculty members who signed up for the classes attend a test to check their level in the Turkish language.

The university pays a certain amount of the course fee. Therefore just a small amount must be paid by the faculty members. The spouses of faculty members can also benefit from the paid classes. The amount is deducted from the faculty members’ salaries.

More information is announced in KU Daily when it is that time of the year.

You can also contact the HR office for more information regarding sign-ups, regulations, and fees: gsalik@ku.edu.tr.

Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality - Lifelong Learning Center (İSMEK)

You can attend the Turkish courses for foreigners for free. Several İSMEK centers have the program to give the knowledge and skills of listening, reading, writing, speaking and communicating the daily expressions for simple needs.

 

İSMEK
Yunus Emre Institute - Learn Turkish Online for Free

It is a portal that allows individuals to learn Turkish in an interactive way with the help of smartphones, tablets or computers without limitation of time and space.

 

Yunus Emre Institute
TÖMER

Ankara University TÖMER (Türkçe Öğretim Merkezi) was founded in 1984 with the aim of teaching Turkish to foreigners by patterning leading language and culture centers of the world. There are 2 TÖMER branches in Istanbul: one in Taksim and the other in Kadıköy.

 

TÖMER
Türkiye Travel Planner

The site offers a very useful list of and sources to essential Turkish phrases.

Türkiye Travel Planner
100 Travel Words - Turkish/ Anyone can learn 100 words
The online book costs 3 USD and helps you learn 100 essential Turkish words.

 

100 Turkish Words