A website and podcast focused on Turkish listening
Last week I wrote about my poor listening skills in Turkish. It prompted me to look for some online materials. Only after sifting through a dozen confusing websites with bad layouts and ancient recordings did I remember that someone had recommended Turkish Tea Time.
What is it?
Turkish Tea Time is an excellent website/podcast run by a mix of foreigners and Turks, learners and teachers. As they say, “there aren’t many online resources for us Turkish learners – so we built the site we wish we had.”
The lessons are built around 15-minute podcasts that they produce in Istanbul.
Why I like it
- Easy-to-use: The website layout is super clean. You can quickly find a podcast at your level (Noobie, Beginner, Intermediate, or Advanced), focusing on a particular subject or grammar point.
- Relevant: The language is contemporary and includes slang and common expressions.
- English-mediated: At least in the Beginner and Intermediate lessons that I listened to, the Turkish conversation was followed by a breakdown in English by Justin and Büşra, which I found efficient. Of course, if English is not your first language, this might be a drawback.
Is it Free?
Dozens of the podcasts are available free through the website and on iTunes. If you want full access, including all the old and new podcasts and all the supporting materials, then you subscribe for $10/month. I haven’t paid yet, but I probably will. It seems like a great deal!
David, I totally agree about the amount of new information in each session. The 20-minute clips are great, especially the more recent ones. And Anki–yes! I just started using it and I think I like it. İyi şanslar, sana da!
I have been listening to Turkish Tea Time podcasts in order since I started learning about 4 months ago. I have found them really well structured and if you use it as your base for learning, I find that just the right amount of new information is given each time. This, plus the anki app, have accelerated my Turkish so quickly.
İyi şanslar!