konuşmak
/ko.nuʃˈmak/
To speak in Turkish is konuşmak.
The verb konuşmak is used both for the act of speaking a language and for the act of having a conversation with someone.
Meaning: to be able to communicate in a language (verb)
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb can take several forms: konuşuyor means he/she/it is speaking (present continuous), konuştu means he/she/it spoke (simple past) and konuşamaz means he/she/it cannot speak (negative potential). Additionally, the noun form derived from this verb is konuşma, which means speech or conversation.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 3 syllables, with the stress on the third syllable. The sounds are as follows: /k/ as in [c]ore, /n/ as in [n]ot, /u/ as in c[oo]l, /ʃ/ as in [sh]oe, /m/ as in [m]uch. The IPA is /ko.nuʃˈmak/.
Did you know?
- The word konuşmak originally meant 'to settle down mutually' or 'to sit together'. This suggests that for early Turkish speakers, the act of speaking was inseparable from the act of gathering.
- The verb konuşmak contains a reciprocative suffix -uş. This grammatical feature indicates that the action is performed by two or more people acting upon each other.
- While konuşmak is for communication, Turkish uses a different verb söylemek for 'to say' or 'to tell'. A learner cannot swap these two verbs without changing the meaning of the sentence.
Examples in context
- İngilizce konuşmak zor mu?Is it hard to speak English?This sentence uses konuşmak to ask about the difficulty of speaking English.Tatoeba #1325011 by duran, translation #26189 by CK
- Judy ile konuşmak isterim.I'd like to speak to Judy.This sentence uses konuşmak to express a desire to speak with Judy.Tatoeba #3301561 by deyta, translation #53017 by CN
- Fransızca konuşmak zor mu?Is it hard to speak French?This sentence uses konuşmak to ask about the difficulty of speaking French.Tatoeba #6390219 by duran, translation #6353679 by CK
- Konferansta konuşmakTo speak at a conference
- Öğretmen öğrencilere konuştuThe teacher spoke to the students
- Lütfen yavaşça konuşunPlease speak slowly
- Ne demek istediğini söyleTell me what you mean
- 409 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing language skills at a cafe.
- EmreMerve, sen İtalyanca konuşuyor musun?Merve, do you speak Italian?
- MerveHayır, ama İtalyanca konuşmak istiyorum.No, but I want to speak Italian.
- EmreBen de biraz İngilizce konuşabiliyorum.I can speak a little English too.
- MerveHarika, Emre!Great, Emre!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry konuşmak, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries konuşmak, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
