English Mistakes Turkish Speakers Make

Quick Answer: Turkish speakers most often drop articles (I am student), mix up he and she because Turkish o covers both, put the verb at the end (I coffee drink), and translate case suffixes into the wrong preposition (depends to). Each mistake comes from a specific difference between Turkish and English, so practicing that one English pattern fixes it.

Key takeaways

• Turkish has no articles, so English a, an and the must be added on purpose: I am an engineer.
• Turkish o means he, she and it. English must choose: my sister, she.
• Turkish is subject, object, verb (Ben elma yerim). English is subject, verb, object (I eat apples).
• Turkish keeps nouns singular after numbers (üç elma). English does not: three apples.
• Turkish case endings like -e, -de and -den do not map one to one onto to, in, at and from.
• Turkish has no present perfect. Ongoing time (üç yıldır) usually needs have or have been in English.

Turkish is agglutinative: it adds suffixes to show tense, person, place and possession, where English uses separate words and fixed word order. The twelve mistakes below follow directly from that difference.

1. Missing articles

Turkish has no direct equivalent of a, an or the. The word bir can mean one or a, but it is used much less often than the English article.

• Wrong: I am engineer.
• Right: I am an engineer.
• Wrong: Sun is very hot today.
• Right: The sun is very hot today.

A simple rule to start: a singular countable noun almost never stands alone in English. It needs a, an, the, my, this or a similar word. Read our guide to a, an and the for the full system.

2. He, she and it

Turkish has one third person pronoun: o. In English you must choose.

• Wrong: My sister is a doctor. He works in Istanbul.
• Right: My sister is a doctor. She works in Istanbul.

This mistake is very common in speech, even at B1 and B2. Try saying sentences about family members out loud each day, and listen for the pronoun.

3. Verb at the end

Turkish usually follows subject, object, verb: Ben elma yerim. English follows subject, verb, object.

• Wrong: I apples eat.
• Right: I eat apples.
• Wrong: Yesterday I to the cinema went.
• Right: Yesterday I went to the cinema.

See our guide to English word order for longer sentences.

4. Forgetting the verb "be"

In Turkish, the suffix carries the meaning: Ben öğrenciyim (I am a student), O yorgun (he or she is tired). Learners often drop am, is or are.

• Wrong: She very tired.
• Right: She is very tired.
• Wrong: The shop closed now. (meaning it is closed)
• Right: The shop is closed now.

5. Third person -s

Turkish verbs change for every person, but English only changes for he, she and it in the present simple, and learners often forget it.

• Wrong: My father work in a factory.
• Right: My father works in a factory.

6. Present perfect vs past simple

Turkish uses -di and -miş for the past, and there is no exact match for the present perfect.

• Wrong: I lived here for ten years. (and you still live here)
• Right: I have lived here for ten years.
• Wrong: I have finished it yesterday.
• Right: I finished it yesterday.

Our guide to the present perfect tense explains the difference step by step.

7. Direct translation of prepositions

Turkish uses case suffixes like -de, -e and -den where English uses prepositions. Learners often pick the wrong one.

Turkish idea	Common mistake	Correct English
Okula gidiyorum	I go to the school	I go to school
Sana bağlı	It depends to you	It depends on you
Onunla evlendi	She married with him	She married him
Bana kızgın	He is angry to me	He is angry with me
Otobüste	in the bus	on the bus

8. "Very" with strong adjectives

• Wrong: The film was very excellent.
• Right: The film was absolutely excellent. Or simply: The film was excellent.

Strong adjectives like excellent, terrible and huge do not usually take very.

9. Possessive confusion

Turkish marks possession with suffixes on both words: Ali'nin arabası. Learners sometimes write the car of Ali.

• Unnatural: the car of Ali
• Natural: Ali's car

10. Plural after numbers

In Turkish, nouns stay singular after numbers: üç elma. In English, they become plural.

• Wrong: I have three brother.
• Right: I have three brothers.

11. Overusing "will"

The Turkish future suffix -ecek or -acak covers many future meanings. English chooses between will, going to and the present continuous.

• Less natural: I will meet my friend tomorrow at six. (a fixed plan)
• More natural: I**'m meeting** my friend tomorrow at six.

See will vs going to.

12. False friends

Some words look similar but mean different things, like Turkish aktüel versus English actual. Read our list of false friends between English and Turkish.

Pronunciation mistakes

Turkish spelling is phonetic, so learners often pronounce English words as written. Common problems:

• Th: think becomes tink or sink.
• W and v: Turkish v is often said with rounded lips, so wine and vine, or west and vest, can merge in both directions.
• Short and long vowels: ship and sheep sound the same.
• Extra vowels: school becomes ıskul or sıkul.

Our post on English sounds that are hard for Turkish speakers gives drills for each one.

Practice quiz

Correct the mistakes.

1. My mother is nurse. He works at night.
2. I every day coffee drink.
3. She very happy today.
4. I have seen this film last week.
5. We have two car.
6. It depends to the price.

Answers:

1. My mother is a nurse. She works at night.
2. I drink coffee every day.
3. She is very happy today.
4. I saw this film last week.
5. We have two cars.
6. It depends on the price.

How to fix these mistakes faster

• Pick one mistake per week. Focus on articles one week and he and she the next.
• Learn full sentences, not single words. Depend on, married to and arrive in stick better in context.
• Record yourself. Listen for missing is and wrong pronouns.
• Stop translating word by word. Our guide on how to stop translating in your head helps.

If you want short daily practice with instant correction, take the free 5-minute level test and start from the right place.

People Also Ask

Why do Turkish speakers forget articles in English?

Turkish has no words that match a, an and the, so the brain does not expect them. Learners need to practice article use deliberately until it becomes automatic.

Why do Turkish speakers mix up he and she?

Turkish uses one pronoun, o, for he, she and it. English forces you to choose by gender, so the choice must be practiced until it is automatic.

Is Turkish word order different from English?

Yes. Turkish usually puts the verb at the end, as in subject, object, verb. English uses subject, verb, object, so the verb must come earlier in the sentence.

What is the hardest part of English for Turkish speakers?

Many learners find articles, the present perfect and certain sounds such as th and the short and long vowels the hardest. All of them improve with focused practice.

Related Reading

• 25 Common English Mistakes and How to Fix Them
• Learning English as a Turkish Speaker
• False Friends Between English and Turkish
• English Sounds That Are Hard for Turkish Speakers