Turkish Levels A1 to C2 Explained: What Each Means

Turkish levels follow the Council of Europe's CEFR scale, which has six levels in three bands: A1 and A2 (basic user), B1 and B2 (independent user), C1 and C2 (proficient user). A1 means you can introduce yourself and order a tea. B2 means you can follow the news and argue a point with a native speaker without either of you straining. C1 is the usual target for Turkish-taught university programmes. The Yunus Emre Institute's TYS exam certifies only B2 or C1, while university TÖMER centres test from A1 upward.

Where the levels come from

The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) is a Council of Europe standard that describes language ability in the same terms for every language. Its global scale gives a short description of each of the six levels, and the CEFR Companion Volume from 2020 adds detailed "can do" descriptors for speaking, writing, listening, reading and interaction.

The framework is language-neutral, so an A2 in Turkish is meant to describe the same practical ability as an A2 in Spanish. What changes is the route there. Turkish puts a lot of grammar into suffixes, so the grammar you need for each level arrives in a different order from European languages. The vowel harmony and suffix system is the first thing every learner meets.

The Companion Volume also describes a Pre-A1 stage and "plus" levels (A2+, B1+, B2+) between the main ones. Schools and courses sometimes split levels further, such as C1.1 and C1.2, but certificates are issued at the six main levels.

What each level means in Turkish

For each level below, the first line paraphrases the Council of Europe's global scale. The examples show what that looks like in Turkish, and the grammar notes name the forms you need to do it.

A1: first conversations

The CEFR describes A1 as understanding and using familiar everyday expressions, introducing yourself and answering simple personal questions, as long as the other person speaks slowly. In Turkish, at A1 you can:

• Say who you are: Merhaba, adım Anna. İngiltere'denim. (Hi, my name is Anna. I'm from England.)
• Order and pay: Bir çay, lütfen. Ne kadar? (A tea, please. How much?)
• Ask and answer basics: Nerede oturuyorsun? (Where do you live?)

The grammar behind this is small but suffix-heavy: personal endings (-im, -sin), possessives (adım, "my name"), the present continuous -iyor, numbers, and var / yok (there is / there isn't).

A2: daily routines and simple past

At A2 the CEFR expects you to handle short, routine exchanges about familiar topics like family, shopping, your area and work. In Turkish that means:

• Telling someone what you did: Dün markete gittim, ekmek aldım. (Yesterday I went to the shop and bought bread.)
• Asking for directions and understanding a simple answer: Eczane nerede? Düz gidin, sonra sağa dönün.
• Making plans: Yarın akşam ne yapacaksın? (What are you doing tomorrow evening?)

**A2 adds the past tense -di, the future -ecek, cases such as -e, -de and -den, and polite commands.** At this level you can get through most errands in Türkiye, slowly.

B1: managing on your own

B1 is the first independent level. The CEFR describes understanding the main points of clear speech on familiar matters, coping with most situations while travelling, and describing experiences, plans and opinions briefly. In Turkish, at B1 you can:

• Explain a problem to a landlord or a doctor and follow the reply.
• Pass on something you heard: Arkadaşım Kapadokya'ya gitmiş, çok beğenmiş. (Apparently my friend went to Cappadocia and loved it.)
• Give a simple opinion with a reason: Bence İstanbul'da yaşamak zor, çünkü her şey pahalı.

The new grammar is mostly about joining ideas: the reported past -miş, conditionals with -se, -ebilmek (can), and the first relative forms such as gelen adam (the man who came). For many people living in Türkiye, B1 is the point where daily life stops feeling like a test.

B2: real discussion

At B2 the CEFR describes understanding the main ideas of complex text, including technical discussion in your field, and talking with native speakers "without strain for either party". You can explain a viewpoint and give the advantages and disadvantages of different options. In Turkish:

• Following TV news and a work meeting without asking people to slow down.
• Arguing a point: Bu planın avantajları var, ama maliyeti konusunda emin değilim.
• Reporting what someone said: Müdür toplantının ertelendiğini söyledi. (The manager said the meeting had been postponed.)

**B2 relies on the -dik and -ecek participles** (söylediği, "what he said"), passive and causative verbs, and reported speech. It is also the lower of the two TYS certificate levels, and some universities accept it for entry with conditions.

C1: academic and professional Turkish

The CEFR describes C1 as understanding long, demanding texts and implicit meaning, expressing yourself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for words, and using the language flexibly for social, academic and professional purposes. In Turkish, at C1 you can:

• Follow a university lecture and take notes.
• Write a structured argument with connectors like bununla birlikte, öte yandan and dolayısıyla.
• Switch register between a formal petition (dilekçe) and a chat with colleagues.

C1 is the usual requirement for Turkish-taught degree programmes, though each university sets its own rule. If that's your goal, our guide to TÖMER vs TYS covers what writing and speaking graders look for at this level.

C2: near-native precision

The CEFR describes C2 as understanding virtually everything heard or read, summarising information from different sources into a coherent account, and expressing fine shades of meaning even in complex situations. In Turkish this is the level of reading literature and legal texts comfortably, catching irony and idioms, and writing with the precision of an educated native speaker. Neither TYS nor Ankara University TÖMER currently issues a C2 certificate, so for most learners C1 is the highest level they can get on paper.

How the levels map to TÖMER and TYS

There is no separate "Turkish scale". Both main exams report CEFR levels, but they cover different parts of it.

TÖMER is the name universities give their Turkish teaching centres, and each centre writes and scores its own exam. Ankara University TÖMER awards a certificate for A1 to B2 and a diploma for C1. Other centres use their own score tables, so a "TÖMER B2" from one university isn't automatically equal to one from another.

TYS (Türkçe Yeterlik Sınavı) is run by the Yunus Emre Institute. The institute's certificate page says that since the 15 January 2022 session it issues B2 or C1 certificates only, valid for two years from the exam date. Its FAQ explains that the exam is scored out of 100 and that the score ranges for B2 and C1 are set after each exam. Older websites still quote fixed percentage bands for TYS, including a C2 band, but the institute's current pages don't use them.

How long each level takes

The CEFR itself doesn't give hours. Hacettepe University's TÖMER runs its full-time course from A1 to C1 in 960 class hours, and Cambridge English's general benchmark, worked out for learners of English, is around 200 guided hours per level. Both depend heavily on your background and how much you practise outside class. Our article on how long it takes to learn Turkish breaks this down level by level.

How to find your level

Self-assessment is a reasonable start. Read the level descriptions above and pick the highest one where you can do every example comfortably, not just understand it. Judge speaking, listening, reading and writing separately, because they rarely sit at the same level.

For a quicker answer, take Turkly's free Turkish level test. It's adaptive, takes about 15 questions in 5 to 7 minutes with no sign-up, and gives an estimated CEFR level, which is enough to choose a coursebook or a class. A short test can't measure speaking well, so if speaking matters to you, a conversation with a teacher is the better check. Our free trial lesson lasts 20 to 30 minutes. Ceylan, our teacher, leads it. She is a native Turkish speaker with an MA in Teaching Turkish and eight years of teaching at every level from A1 to C2, and she explains in Turkish or English.

Frequently asked questions

What Turkish level do I need for university in Türkiye?

Usually C1 for programmes taught in Turkish. Some universities let you start with B2 if you reach C1 within a set time, often through a Turkish prep year. Each university sets its own rule, so check its admission regulations.

Is B1 enough to live in Türkiye?

For most daily situations, yes: shopping, doctors, landlords and small talk work at B1. Work in a Turkish-speaking office or formal paperwork goes more smoothly at B2.

Can I get a C2 certificate in Turkish?

TYS stopped awarding C2 in January 2022, and Ankara University TÖMER lists levels up to a C1 diploma. Check with the specific centre if you need C2 for a particular reason.

Are TÖMER and TYS levels the same as CEFR levels?

Both report CEFR levels, but each TÖMER centre uses its own exam and score table, and TYS sets its B2 and C1 ranges after each exam. The level name is the same; the test behind it differs.

Not sure where you are? Take the free level test, then request a free trial lesson and tell us what you need Turkish for. We reply to every request within 24 hours.