Environmental Issues
The core Turkish words for talking about the environment, from air pollution and global warming to recycling and solar power. Recognise the words, then write about an environmental issue in English.
Practise it out loud, together
A free interactive activity you can put in front of a class in a few minutes.
Start revising freeWhat you'll cover
Talking about the planet
This module gives you the core Turkish words to talk about the environment. Turkish has no articles and no gender, so you learn each word on its own. You will learn the key terms, from çevre, the environment, to geri dönüşüm, recycling, then practise recognising them before writing about an environmental issue in English.
Air pollution and recycling
Learn each Turkish word and its meaning:
Match each word to its meaning
- çevre
- hava kirliliği
- geri dönüşüm
- küresel ısınma
- the environment
- air pollution
- recycling
- global warming
What hava kirliliği means in Turkish
What does the Turkish word hava kirliliği mean in English?
- Air pollution
- Recycling
- The environment
- Global warming
No articles, no gender
Turkish makes vocabulary simpler in one way: there are no articles (no "the" or "a") and no gender, so you just learn the word. But watch the special letters: ç, ğ, ı, ö, ş, ü all matter. küresel ısınma, global warming, and geri dönüşüm, recycling, both use them.
Which are about the environment?
Select the TWO Turkish words that are about the environment.
- geri dönüşüm
- hava kirliliği
- kitap
- bilet
Problems and actions
Some words name environmental problems; others name what we can do to help.
Environment words in Turkish
The world around us is the _____. Dirty air is called _____. Sorting waste so it can be used again is _____. The planet heating up is _____. Clean energy from the sun is _____.
Spot the environment words
Tap the TWO Turkish words that are about the environment.
- geri dönüşüm
- kitap
- hava kirliliği
- bilet
- ev
Choose the right word
Which Turkish word means 'recycling'?
- geri dönüşüm
- hava kirliliği
- çevre
- kitap
Writing about the environment
You can now recognise the key words. In the exam you might write about an environmental issue, and you can weave these terms in. A strong answer names a problem (such as hava kirliliği, air pollution, or küresel ısınma, global warming) and a solution (such as geri dönüşüm, recycling, or güneş enerjisi, solar power).
Turkish closes the sentence with the verb
The environment words become sentences with the verb at the end, and a grade-9 answer always gives the reason: - Hava kirliliği çevre için iyi değil = "air pollution is not good for the environment". için (for) follows çevre rather than coming before it, and değil (not) closes the sentence. Turkish negates by adding a separate word at the end. - Geri dönüşümü seviyorum çünkü çevre için iyi = "I like recycling because it is good for the environment". çünkü (because) joins the reason to the opinion. geri dönüşüm takes -ü because it is the thing being liked.
Turkish negates by putting değil at the end
Turkish negates by putting değil at the end. Which of these says "air pollution is not good for the environment"?
- Hava kirliliği çevre için iyi değil
- Değil hava kirliliği çevre için iyi
- Hava kirliliği için çevre iyi değil
- Geri dönüşümü seviyorum çünkü çevre için iyi
Help the environment
Three ways to help the environment. Choose the best action each time.
- You want to reduce hava kirliliği (air pollution) in your city. What helps?
- You want to practise geri dönüşüm (recycling) at home. What should you do?
- You want to use güneş enerjisi (solar power). What is it?
Write about an issue, in Turkish
Name the issue and an action IN TURKISH, then add ONE sentence in English saying why it matters.
- Name the issue: hava kirliliği (air pollution) or küresel ısınma (global warming)
- Name what it affects: çevre (the environment)
- Name an action: geri dönüşüm (recycling)
- Then, in English only, say why this issue matters