Word lists are only useful if they’re the right words and you learn them with the grammar that makes them work. This page gives you both: 400 high-frequency words sorted into A1, A2 and B1, and a grammar checklist for each level so you can see what you still need to cover.
The lists follow the topics the CEFR sets for each level (personal information, daily routine, shopping, travel, work, opinions). No official public word list is shared by all Turkish exams, so use these as a core to build on. To see where you are now, take the Turkish level test.
How to use them: learn each word inside a short phrase with a suffix, say it aloud, and review it with spaced repetition. You can drill the same words in our flashcards.
A1 core vocabulary (150 words)
People, questions and basics
| Turkish | English | Turkish | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| ben | I | merhaba | hello |
| sen | you (informal) | evet | yes |
| o | he, she, it | hayır | no |
| biz | we | teşekkürler | thanks |
| siz | you (plural/formal) | lütfen | please |
| onlar | they | tamam | OK |
| ne | what | var | there is |
| kim | who | yok | there isn’t |
| nerede | where | bu | this |
| ne zaman | when | şu | that (nearby) |
| nasıl | how | ve | and |
| kaç | how many | ama | but |
Numbers
| Turkish | English | Turkish | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| bir | one | sekiz | eight |
| iki | two | dokuz | nine |
| üç | three | on | ten |
| dört | four | yirmi | twenty |
| beş | five | elli | fifty |
| altı | six | yüz | hundred |
| yedi | seven | bin | thousand |
Family, people and time
| Turkish | English | Turkish | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| adam | man | gün | day |
| kadın | woman | hafta | week |
| çocuk | child | ay | month, moon |
| anne | mother | yıl | year |
| baba | father | saat | hour, clock |
| kardeş | sibling | bugün | today |
| abla | older sister | yarın | tomorrow |
| ağabey (abi) | older brother | dün | yesterday |
| eş | spouse | sabah | morning |
| arkadaş | friend | akşam | evening |
| öğretmen | teacher | gece | night |
| öğrenci | student | şimdi | now |
| doktor | doctor | sonra | later, after |
| insan | person | önce | before, first |
Places, food and things
| Turkish | English | Turkish | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| ev | house, home | su | water |
| okul | school | çay | tea |
| iş | work, job | kahve | coffee |
| şehir | city | ekmek | bread |
| ülke | country | süt | milk |
| oda | room | peynir | cheese |
| yol | road, way | yumurta | egg |
| sokak | street | et | meat |
| market | grocery shop | tavuk | chicken |
| hastane | hospital | balık | fish |
| otel | hotel | meyve | fruit |
| restoran | restaurant | sebze | vegetable |
| banka | bank | şeker | sugar |
| otobüs | bus | yemek | food, meal |
| kitap | book | araba | car |
| telefon | phone | çanta | bag |
| para | money | anahtar | key |
| kapı | door | bilet | ticket |
| masa | table | ad / isim | name |
| kalem | pen | dil | language, tongue |
Describing words
| Turkish | English | Turkish | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| büyük | big | ucuz | cheap |
| küçük | small | pahalı | expensive |
| iyi | good | uzun | long, tall |
| kötü | bad | kısa | short |
| yeni | new | çok | very, a lot |
| eski | old (things) | az | a little, few |
| güzel | beautiful, nice | kolay | easy |
| sıcak | hot | zor | difficult |
| soğuk | cold | açık | open |
| hazır | ready | kapalı | closed |
Essential verbs
| Turkish | English | Turkish | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| olmak | to be, become | bilmek | to know |
| gelmek | to come | görmek | to see |
| gitmek | to go | bakmak | to look |
| yapmak | to do, make | okumak | to read |
| etmek | to do (with nouns) | yazmak | to write |
| yemek | to eat | konuşmak | to speak |
| içmek | to drink | anlamak | to understand |
| istemek | to want | sevmek | to love, like |
| almak | to take, buy | oturmak | to sit, live |
| vermek | to give | çalışmak | to work, study |
| uyumak | to sleep | kalkmak | to get up |
| açmak | to open | kapatmak | to close, turn off |
Note that yemek is both “food” and “to eat”. For all the forms of these verbs, use the verb conjugator.
A1 grammar checklist
- The alphabet and pronunciation, including ı, ğ, ş, ç, ö, ü
- Vowel harmony, two-way and four-way
- Personal pronouns and “to be” endings: Yorgunum (I’m tired)
- Plural -lar/-ler
- Var and yok: Bilet var mı? (Are there tickets?)
- Present continuous -iyor
- Question particle mi and question words
- Negation with -me/-ma, değil and yok
- Demonstratives bu, şu, o
- Numbers, prices and telling time
- Location and direction: locative -de and dative -e
A2 core vocabulary (150 words)
Everyday verbs
| Turkish | English | Turkish | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| başlamak | to begin | ödemek | to pay |
| bitirmek | to finish | kullanmak | to use |
| beklemek | to wait | binmek | to get on (a vehicle) |
| bulmak | to find | inmek | to get off |
| kaybetmek | to lose | girmek | to enter |
| aramak | to look for, call | çıkmak | to go out, leave |
| sormak | to ask | dönmek | to return, turn |
| cevap vermek | to answer | taşınmak | to move house |
| söylemek | to say | yardım etmek | to help |
| anlatmak | to tell, explain | değiştirmek | to change |
| öğrenmek | to learn | denemek | to try |
| öğretmek | to teach | hazırlamak | to prepare |
| unutmak | to forget | yıkamak | to wash |
| hatırlamak | to remember | giymek | to wear, put on |
| düşünmek | to think | satmak | to sell |
Feelings, qualities and frequency
| Turkish | English | Turkish | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| mutlu | happy | hızlı | fast |
| üzgün | sad, sorry | yavaş | slow |
| yorgun | tired | önemli | important |
| hasta | ill | farklı | different |
| meşgul | busy | aynı | same |
| boş | empty, free | sessiz | quiet |
| dolu | full | gürültülü | noisy |
| temiz | clean | ilginç | interesting |
| kirli | dirty | sıkıcı | boring |
| yakın | near | genç | young |
| uzak | far | yaşlı | old (people) |
| erken | early | geç | late |
| her zaman | always | hemen | immediately |
| genellikle | usually | sık sık | often |
| bazen | sometimes | geçen | last (week, year) |
| hiç | never, (not) at all | gelecek | next (week, year) |
| hâlâ | still | hafta sonu | weekend |
| artık | now, any more | öğle | noon |
| henüz | yet | dakika | minute |
Getting around and home
| Turkish | English | Turkish | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| havalimanı | airport | mutfak | kitchen |
| istasyon | station | banyo | bathroom |
| durak | stop | yatak odası | bedroom |
| tren | train | salon | living room |
| uçak | plane | kira | rent |
| vapur | ferry | ev sahibi | landlord |
| taksi | taxi | komşu | neighbour |
| harita | map | pencere | window |
| köprü | bridge | duvar | wall |
| cami | mosque | kat | floor, storey |
| müze | museum | asansör | lift, elevator |
| köy | village | buzdolabı | fridge |
| mahalle | neighbourhood | çamaşır makinesi | washing machine |
| adres | address | fatura | bill |
| sağ | right | sol | left |
| düz | straight |
Shopping, health, weather, work and social life
| Turkish | English | Turkish | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| fiyat | price | hava | weather, air |
| indirim | discount | güneş | sun |
| kasa | till, checkout | yağmur | rain |
| fiş | receipt | kar | snow |
| kredi kartı | credit card | rüzgâr | wind |
| nakit | cash | deniz | sea |
| beden | clothing size | dağ | mountain |
| numara | shoe size, number | ağaç | tree |
| gömlek | shirt | çiçek | flower |
| pantolon | trousers | mevsim | season |
| ayakkabı | shoes | toplantı | meeting |
| elbise | dress | şirket | company |
| baş | head | maaş | salary |
| göz | eye | müdür | manager |
| el | hand | ders | lesson |
| ayak | foot | sınav | exam |
| karın | belly | ödev | homework |
| diş | tooth | soru | question |
| ağrı | pain | cevap | answer |
| ateş | fever, fire | kelime | word |
| ilaç | medicine | doğum günü | birthday |
| eczane | pharmacy | düğün | wedding |
| randevu | appointment | hediye | gift |
| sağlık | health | davet | invitation |
| misafir | guest | tatil | holiday, vacation |
| bayram | religious or national holiday | haber | news |
A2 grammar checklist
- Definite past -di: Dün geldim (I came yesterday)
- Accusative -i for definite objects
- Ablative -den: İşten çıktım (I left work)
- Genitive and possessive suffixes and compound nouns
- Future -ecek/-acak
- Consonant mutation and buffer letters
- Imperative and optative: Gidelim! (Let’s go!)
- Postpositions ile, için, kadar, göre
- Comparatives with daha and en
B1 key vocabulary (100 words)
Ideas and opinions
| Turkish | English | Turkish | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| fikir | idea | fırsat | opportunity |
| görüş | view, opinion | ilişki | relationship |
| sorun | problem | toplum | society |
| çözüm | solution | kültür | culture |
| karar | decision | gelenek | tradition |
| sebep | reason | ekonomi | economy |
| sonuç | result | çevre | environment |
| amaç | aim, purpose | gelecek | the future |
| deneyim | experience | geçmiş | the past |
| durum | situation | konu | topic, subject |
Verbs for discussion and daily life
| Turkish | English | Turkish | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| karar vermek | to decide | şikâyet etmek | to complain |
| tartışmak | to discuss, argue | tavsiye etmek | to recommend |
| katılmak | to join; to agree (with) | önermek | to suggest |
| desteklemek | to support | kabul etmek | to accept |
| etkilemek | to affect | reddetmek | to refuse |
| geliştirmek | to develop | izin vermek | to allow |
| sağlamak | to provide | inanmak | to believe |
| ulaşmak | to reach | umut etmek | to hope |
| kazanmak | to win, earn | endişelenmek | to worry |
| harcamak | to spend | şaşırmak | to be surprised |
| kaçırmak | to miss (a bus) | alışmak | to get used to |
| başvurmak | to apply | vazgeçmek | to give up |
| ertelemek | to postpone | anlaşmak | to agree, get along |
| iptal etmek | to cancel | ilgilenmek | to be interested in |
| fark etmek | to notice | korumak | to protect |
Connectors and adverbs
| Turkish | English | Turkish | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| çünkü | because | galiba | I guess, probably |
| bu yüzden | that’s why | maalesef | unfortunately |
| ancak | however | neyse | anyway |
| aslında | actually | örneğin | for example |
| yani | I mean, so | -e rağmen | despite |
| bile | even | yerine | instead of |
| sadece | only | sayesinde | thanks to |
| özellikle | especially | yüzünden | because of (blame) |
| belki | maybe | hem… hem | both… and |
| mutlaka | definitely | ne… ne | neither… nor |
Qualities and official life
| Turkish | English | Turkish | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| gerekli | necessary | belge | document |
| mümkün | possible | başvuru | application |
| imkânsız | impossible | sözleşme | contract |
| ciddi | serious | ikamet | residence (permit) |
| rahat | comfortable | vergi | tax |
| memnun | pleased | sigorta | insurance |
| sorumlu | responsible | kimlik | ID card |
| başarılı | successful | pasaport | passport |
| kalabalık | crowded | imza | signature |
| yeterli | enough | noter | notary |
| eksik | missing, incomplete | dilekçe | petition |
| özel | private, special | süre | period, deadline |
| genel | general | ücret | fee |
| resmî | official | kurum | institution |
| güvenli | safe | doğal | natural |
B1 grammar checklist
- Aorist -er/-ir: Çay içer misin? (Would you like tea?)
- Ability -ebil and necessity -meli
- Conditional -se: Zamanım olursa gelirim (If I have time, I’ll come)
- Reported past -miş
- Past continuous -iyordu
- Relative clauses -dik/-en: okuduğum kitap (the book I read)
- Converbs -ince, -ken, -erek and verbal nouns -me/-mek
- Time clauses with -dikten sonra and -meden önce
Next steps
When every box at a level is ticked and you know most of its words, test yourself with the level test, then follow the next stage of our A1 to B2 self-study roadmap.
