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: Every Wednesday, between 5:30- 6:30 PM, location TBA on WhatsApp group by conversation leaders

Intermediate/ Advanced:  Every Thursday, between 5:30- 6:30 PM, location TBA on WhatsApp group by conversation leaders


Spring ‘23 TPH Program

Tarih Seviye Zaman Buluşma # Buluşma Lideri Buluşma Yardımcıları Konu
Nov 1, Wednesday Başlangıç 17.30- 18.30 1 Cem Berk Görmüş Arzu Nur Gün – Yasin Tantürk – Meryem Buse Apladı İstanbul hakkında genel sohbet
Nov 2, Thursday İleri 17.30- 18.30 2 Mehmet Ataol Azeritürk Cem Berk Görmüş- Fatmanur Yerlikaya- Azra Gül Dölek Çocukluk anıları
Nov 8, Wednesday Başlangıç 17.30- 18.30 3 Yasin Tantürk Cem Berk Görmüş- Zemzem Turanalp İstanbul’u tanıtma
Nov 9, Thursday İleri 17.30- 18.30 4 Sena Demir Mehmet Ataol Azeritürk – Yasin Tantürk – Meryem Buse Apladı Türkçe’de sık kullanılan deyimler ve kalıplar
Nov 22, Wednesday Başlangıç 17.30- 18.30 5 Onur Alper Yücel Arzu Nur Gün- Gülce Arabacı- Tahir Gündüz interests, hobby, travelling, history
Nov 23, Thursday İleri 17.30- 18.30 6 Kerem Burak Yılmaz Mehmet Ataol Azeritürk, Işıl Bekçi Popular culture of movies, series
Nov 29, Wednesday Başlangıç 17.30- 18.30 7 Arzu Nur Gün Onur Alper Yücel- Gülce Arabacı-Ayşe Karataş
Nov 30, Thursday İleri 17.30- 18.30 8 Tülin Çelebi Melih Döner- Fatmanur Yerlikaya- Tahir Gündüz Türk Kültürü
Dec 6, Wednesday Başlangıç 17.30- 18.30 9 Gülce Arabacı Buket Yeşiloğlu – Sena Demir – Azra Gül Dölek Türkçe Müzik
Dec 7, Thursday İleri 17.30- 18.30 10 Sümeyye Gürdal Onur Alper Yücel
Kerem Burak Yılmaz
Türk Dizi ve Filmleri
Dec 13, Wednesday Başlangıç 17.30- 18.30 11 Selin Mert Sena Demir-Ayşe Karataş Müzik
Dec 14, Thursday İleri 17.30- 18.30 12 Buket Yeşiloğlu Zemzem Turanalp, Sümeyye Gürdal, Ömer Buğrahan Karaoğlu Özel günler
Dec 20, Wednesday Başlangıç 17.30- 18.30 13 Işıl Bekçi Selin Mert – Buket Yeşiloğlu Günlük hayat sohbetleri
Dec 21, Thursday İleri 17.30- 18.30 14 Zemzem Turanalp Ömer Buğrahan Karaoğlu, Işıl Bekçi
Dec 27, Wednesday Başlangıç 17.30- 18.30 15 Azra Gül Dölek Selin Mert – Naz Turgay Turizm
Dec 28, Thursday İleri 17.30- 18.30 16 Ömer Buğrahan Karaoğlu Seden Bilgiç-Firdevs Tortuk Estetik
Jan 3, Wednesday Başlangıç 17.30- 18.30 17 Naz Turgay Azra Gül Dölek
Kerem Burak Yılmaz
Türkçe Sayılar
Jan 4, Thursday İleri 17.30- 18.30 18 Sümeyye Gürdal İstanbul Mimarisi/Yapılaşması ve Kültürü
Jan 10, Wednesday Başlangıç 17.30- 18.30 19 Ayşe Karataş
Jan 11, Thursday İleri 17.30- 18.30 20 Seden Bilgiç Sümeyye Gürdal – Naz Turgay
Jan 17, Wednesday Başlangıç 17.30- 18.30 21 Firdevs Tortuk Tülin Çelebi

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 about a specific topic or skill for 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 other 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:

Application Link: TBA

Application Deadline: TBA


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