The trial lesson is a great opportunity for us to get to know each other and to assess your current level of Turkish.

During the lesson, we will talk about your goals, learning preferences, and expectations, so that I can suggest the most suitable course for you.

Based on the trial lesson, I may recommend General Turkish Lessons, a structured grammar program, or literature-focused courses, depending on your needs.

General Turkish Lessons are designed to improve the four core language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Depending on your goals and preferences, we can work on all four skills equally or focus more intensively on one or two of them.

As our main materials, we use professional course book series prepared by Turkish language institutes, such as İstanbul, Yeni Hitit, Yedi İklim, and Yabancı Dilim Türkçe. These resources provide a clear structure and reliable progression, especially for learners who prefer a systematic learning path.

If you do not have a specific study plan, we first determine your level and then follow one of these course books step by step. This approach offers a safe and effective way to develop language skills and track progress.

At the same time, General Turkish Lessons are flexible and learner-centered. There is no rigid teaching scheme.
For example:

- Some learners mainly need speaking practice, in which case we may set aside the books and focus on guided conversation based on chosen topics;

- Others prefer to see their progress through materials, so we continue working closely with the course books throughout the lessons.

In short, the lessons are shaped by the learner’s needs, goals, and learning style.

For learners who prefer a fully structured and systematic approach to grammar, I also offer a Structured Turkish Grammar Program (A1-A2, 10 Lessons) | Presentation-Based as a separate course.

If you have any questions before booking, please feel free to ask.
Hope to see you!

General Turkish Lesson

Reading modern Turkey through its literature.

In this lesson, we explore modern Turkish literature through its major genres, key authors, and recurring themes, with a focus on literary and philosophical interpretation.

Poetry and the novel are the two main genres of modern Turkish literature. Turkish has often been described as a “language of poetry”, a tradition that dates back to its earliest written texts in the 8th century. This poetic strength continues into modern literature, especially in the works of poets such as Orhan Veli Kanık, Nazım Hikmet, Turgut Uyar, and Attila İlhan, whose writing reflects both linguistic innovation and social change.

The novel, as a literary genre, emerged later in Turkish literature, with the first examples appearing in the mid-19th century. However, from the mid-20th century onward, Turkish novels became increasingly sophisticated in form and deeply engaged with sociological, political, and psychological issues of the modern era. While Orhan Pamuk is internationally the most well-known novelist, modern Turkish literature also includes many distinctive and influential writers such as Ahmet Hamdi Tanpınar, Peyami Safa, Kemal Tahir, Sabahattin Ali, and Oğuz Atay.

In addition to genre-based discussion, this lesson focuses on recurring themes in modern Turkish literature, including:

- the tension between Eastern and Western civilizations

- the relationship between the individual and the state

- modernization and identity

- women’s rights and social roles

The lesson is designed as a discussion-based and interpretative course, suitable for learners who are interested in literature, philosophy, cultural studies, and modern Turkish thought.

Modern Turkish Literature

Reading the unseen through Turkish Sufi poetry.

This lesson explores Turkish Sufi (Tasawwuf) literature within its historical, religious, and literary context.

Sufism represents the mystical dimension of Islam, focusing on the inner journey toward God through concepts such as love (aşk), the heart (gönül), self-discipline (nefs), and spiritual retreat (inziva / uzlet). Throughout Islamic history, Sufism developed alongside orthodox religious practices, offering a complementary spiritual perspective rather than an alternative belief system.

While Sufism has interacted historically with various philosophical and religious traditions, it maintains a distinctive character shaped by Islamic theology, particularly the central concept of the oneness of God (tawhid). This principle gives Sufism its unique spiritual and literary authenticity.

Turks embraced Islam approximately in the 10th–11th centuries, and the earliest works of Turkish Sufi literature emerged in the 11th century. From that period onward, many influential poets and thinkers expressed Sufi thought in Turkish literature, including Ahmet Yesevi, Yunus Emre, Hacı Bayram Veli, Kaygusuz Abdal, and Pir Sultan Abdal.

In this course, we focus on the main themes of Turkish Sufi literature, such as:
- aşk (divine love)

- gönül (the spiritual heart)

- nefs (the self or ego)

- inziva / uzlet (spiritual retreat)

These concepts are discussed through literary texts, poems, and guided interpretation. When relevant, we may also explore comparative perspectives by briefly referring to similar themes in other religious or philosophical traditions.

This lesson is suitable for learners interested in Turkish literature, Islamic mysticism, spiritual poetry, or comparative religious thought.

(Supplementary audio readings from Turkish sufi literature are also available on YouTube, with guidance in English.)
https://www.youtube.com/@TurkishSufiLiterature