What language does Turkey speak? | Do they Speak English?
What language does Turkey speak?
One of the goals of my trip to Turkey was to communicate with the people of this country. Knowing that more than 90% of the people only speak Turkish, and only a few are fluent in English was not good news.
Before my trip to Turkey, I thought that the people of this Country only spoke Turkish, but during my trip, I learned some things about the languages spoken in Turkey that no one had told me before.
Stay with me so I can share all the tips I have learned about the Turkish language during my trip.
Do they speak English in Turkey?
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Unfortunately, as I discovered, few people in Turkey are fluent in English. Therefore, when I visited old neighborhoods, I could not easily communicate with people, and it took a lot of work for me to collect information. However, people can hardly speak English in tourist spots like the Old bazaar of Antalya.
You should know that there are people in Turkey’s tourist and historical places with whom you can speak English and learn about the places and their history. But to talk to some of them, you must pay for the tour to visit the historical places.
I have learned most of the information I mention in the Travel Topic articles from these guides.
Other languages available in Turkey
Before my trip to Turkey, I didn’t know that different ethnic groups of people lived in this country, and that’s why I thought everyone spoke Turkish.
Considering Turkey’s size, different regions, borders with European and Asian countries, and the Black Sea and Mediterranean coasts, several languages other than Turkish can be expected.
About 10% of the population and a small number of Turks who live mainly in the southern part of Turkey speak Arabic. About 1% of Turks talk to Zaza. Some Turks living in tourist cities work in the field of tourism, so they all speak English and several other languages.
The table below shows other languages that are most spoken in Turkey.
| Languages spoken in Turkey | Description |
| Kurdish language | Kurdish is the most common language after Turkish, spoken by more than 8 million people. |
| Zazaki language | The Zazaki language is an Indo-European language spoken by the Zaza people of eastern Turkey. More than 1.5 million people speak this language. |
| Lazi language | The Laz are another ethnic group of Turkey that speaks the Lazi language. |
| Tati Language | The Tats are one of the ethnic groups of Turkey and speak the Tati language. |
| Azeri language | Azerbaijanis are another ethnic group of Turkey who speak the Azeri language. |
| Ladino language | More than 13,000 people, including Armenians and Greeks, speak Ladino. |
| Arabic | About 5% of Turkish people also speak Arabic. |
| English | About 2 million people in Turkey speak English, and 17 million know this language as a second language. |
Turkish dialects and accents
When I was staying in Istanbul, I learned a little Istanbul Turkish and could understand some of the people’s conversations. Still, when I travelled to different cities in Turkey, I could not understand what they were saying at all.
After some research, I found out that the modern vernacular language of Turkish people is Istanbul Turkish. However, since a variety of Turkish dialects and accents still exist in different cities of Turkey, I could not understand what some people spoke.
Some people in Turkey speak Rumeli Turkish, which includes the distinct dialects of Ludogorie, Dinler, and Adakale. Others talk to Güneydoğu, Ege and Orta Anadolu dialects.
Is it possible to study other languages in Turkey?
During my visits to different schools and universities in Turkey, I realized that due to the large migration of people to Turkey and, especially to the city of Istanbul, many international schools and universities have been built in this country, where teaching languages such as English, German, and French takes place.
My suggestions
If you want a good trip, learn Turkish words and sentences before your trip and talk to Turkish people to understand the beautiful and traditional Turkish culture.
Also, try to go to famous tourist places more often to have access to a translator and guide.
In conclusion
As you have seen, there is a lot of language diversity in this country. In tourist cities, most people speak Turkish and English. The other languages I introduced include specific parts of Turkey that fewer tourists visit.
Finally, I suggest you read the following articles to find out more about Turkish people:
