Some of the first essential knowledges you should know about Turkish are these:

1) 29 letters: 8 vowels, 21 consonants.

harf (letter)

ünlü (vowel)

ünsüz (consonant)

2) The essential syntax: Özne+Tümleç+Yüklem contrarily of Sbj+Prd+Comp in English. And the syntax can be changed according to the emphasizing.

özne (subject)

tümleç (complement)

yüklem (predicate)

3) Every letter has just one pronunciation.

The orthography and pronunciation are always the same. But some letters (i, u, a) can be sometimes pronounced a bit longer, but this is not our subject for now.

yazım (orthography)

telaffuz (pronunciation)

Like you know, in English, some letters can be pronounced as two or three sounds in different situations.

For example: g_____ u___________i____________ c

game  oyun____________nude çıplak___milk süt_________miracle mucize

giant  dev_____________gun    tüfek____iron demir_______ceremony töre, seramoni, merasim

many more examples can be given.

Such these situations don´t happen in Turkish. A letter doesn´t get the sound of another letter.

4) No real Turkish word starts with two consonants or end with two vowels: trafik (traffic), tren (train), priz (socket), kral (king), gri (grey), fren (brake), müdafaa (defence : (synonym) savunma) 

5) All the affixes of Turkish are suffix. Our language has no prefix.

-ler (plural), -in (genitive), -e (dative), -lik (-ness, -ity), -siz (without), etc.

ek (affix)

ön (front, pre-)

önek (prefix)

sonek (suffix)

6) Almost the topics of Turkish hinge on the vowel harmonies, the hardening and softening of the consonants and the combining letters. Therefore you firstly need to learn these topics if you want to learn grammar. Otherwise, the grammar may become more difficult than the normal difficulty for you.

7) Most of the words that start with "c, f, g, h, j, l, r, v" and "z" are foreign origined.

especially:

almost of c...

almost of r...

almost of l...

almost of z...

all of j... : there are not many words with j in Turkish.

ceza (punishment)______ceset (corpse)_____cumhuriyet (republic)_ cinnet (insanity)

fikir (idea, thought)_____film (movie)______facia (disaster)_______futbol (football)

ganimet (booty)_______gaddar (cruel)_____garip (1poor, 2odd)____garson (waiter)

hırs (ambition, passion)_hâl (1form, 2condition)__hayal (dream)_____his (feelling)

jaguar (jaguar), jakuzi (jacuzzi), jandarma (gendarme), Japonya (Japan)...

lâmba (lamp)__lif (fiber)_______lâle (tulip)_____lokanta (restaurant)_lacivert (navy blue)

rüya (dream [whilst sleeping])___resim (picture)_risk (risk)________ rafineri (rafinery)

viyadük (viaduct)___vize (visa)_volkan (volcano) vücut (body)

zehir (poison)_____zarif (1stylish, 2elegant)____zift (bitumen)______ zarar (1harm, 2damage)

8) Every vowel and its letter group are a syllable. The more vowel the word has, it has syllables that much. 

for example:

ülke (country) . This word has two vowels, so it´s a disyllabic word.

ül-ke

cumhuriyet (republic) . This word has two vowels, so it´s four syllables.

cum-hu-ri-yet

dal (1branch, 2department) . This word has one vowel, so it´s a monosyllabic word.

dal

arkadaş (friend) . Three vowels, so it´s a trisyllabic word.

ar-ka-daş

etc.

TÜRK ALFABESİ

Aa Bb Cc Çç Dd Ee Ff Gg Ğğ Hh Iı İi Jj Kk

Ll Mm Nn Oo Öö Pp Rr Ss Şş Tt Uu Üü Vv Yy Zz

Aa : ʌ 

examples for its Turkish pronunciation by showing in British English, dictionary.cambridge.org : task görev, gun tüfek

sarı (yellow : sʌrı), kahve (coffee : kʌhve), şaka (joke : ʃʌkʌ), mezar (grave : mezʌr), kenar (edge : kenʌr), alfabe (alphabet : ʌlfʌbe), amaç (aim, target, purpose : ʌmʌtʃ).........

a little quantity of words are pronounced by "a" is lengthened. â = ɑː

cami (mosque: cɑːmi), sade (plain : sɑːde), mazi (bygone, past : mɑːzi), katil (murder : kɑːtil), rahibe (nun : rɑːhibe), lacivert (navy blue : lɑːdʒɪvært)

but, nowadays, people pronounce "lâmba" as "lamba". (lamba = lamp)

After "l, k", the letter "a" is usually written as â. This is the correct one according to the rules which Turkish Language Association (Türk Dil Kurumu) had determined. The mark ^ makes "a" a bit longer a half time. One can see that TDK has cancelled* this rule later if one looks at their page. tdk.gov.tr´s speller guide (yazım kılavuzu).

One used to write like these. *I offer you to write like these, because the correct one is this when I´ve listened to  almost the experienced Turkish teachers at the schools so far. Because it is easier to know which words to pronounce "a" longer.

kâğıt  (paper), lâmba (lamp), imlâ (orthography), lâcivert (navy blue), lâstik (tire)

Bb : b

examples for its Turkish pronunciation by showing in British English, dictionary.cambridge.org : best en iyi , brain beyin

baş (head : bʌʃ), bilgisayar (computer : bɪlgɪsaɪarr), bilgi (1knowledge, 2information : bɪlgɪ), sabır (patience : sʌbər), ben (1I, 2spot (on the face) : ben)

Cc : dʒ

examples for its Turkish pronunciation by showing in British English, dictionary.cambridge.org : giant dev, Japanese 1Japon, 2Japonca (language)

ceza (punishment : dʒezɑː), öğrenci (student : ɜːrendʒɪ), tercih (preference : terdʒɪh), cisim (object (matter) : dʒɪsɪm), cam (glass (substance) : dʒʌm)

Çç : tʃ

examples for its Turkish pronunciation by showing in British English, dictionary.cambridge.org : beach plaj, chair sandalye, pitch-black zifiri karanlık

çaba (effort : tʃʌbʌ), hiç (never : hɪtʃ), çiçek (flower : tʃɪtʃek), seçim (election : setʃɪm)

Dd : d

examples for its Turkish pronunciation by showing in British English, dictionary.cambridge.org: mad deli, day gün

dünya (world : dün´jɑː), diğer (other : di:er), kedi (cat : kedɪ), sade (plain : sʌ:de), madde (1article, 2material, 3stuff, 4proviso : mʌd´de), Akdeniz (Mediterranean Sea : ʌkdenɪz)

Ee : e

examples for its Turkish pronunciation by showing in British English, dictionary.cambridge.org: next gelecek, egg yumurta

zeki (clever : zeki: ), kemer (belt : kemer), eczane (pharmacy : edʒzʌ:ne), metal (metal : metʌl)

Ff : f

examples for its Turkish pronunciation by showing in British English, dictionary.cambridge.org: foot ayak, fake sahte

fikir (thought, idea : fɪkɪr), fakir (poor : fɑːkir), büfe (buffet [too small shoppings where drinks and some foods -chips, biscuits, fast cakes, etc- are sold-] : büfe), saf (1pure, 2artless, 3stupid : sʌf),

Gg : g

examples for its Turkish pronunciation by showing in British English, dictionary.cambridge.org: game oyun, God Allah, Tanrı

güzel (beautiful, nice : güzel), garip (1odd, 2poor : gʌrɪp), geniz (nasal cavity : genɪz), Ege Denizi(Aegean Sea : ege), gemi (ship : gemɪ), sigara (cigarette : sɪgʌrʌ)

Ğğ : ğ : yumuşak ge http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C4%9E

No words starts with "ğ".

yumuşak (soft)

examples for its Turkish pronunciation by showing in German, dictionary.cambridge.org: grün yeşil , das Büro büro, 

diğer (other : dɪer), ağaç (tree : ɑːʌç), değer (worth : de:er), düğün (wedding ceremony : dü:ün), kâğıt (paper : kʌət), yağ (oil :  jɑː ), sağ (1living, undied, alive, 2right (direction) : sɑː ), ağır (1heavy, 2slow : ʌər), sağır (deaf : sʌər), eğim (gradient : eɪm), 

Hh : h

examples for its Turkish pronunciation by showing in British English, dictionary.cambridge.org: high yüksek, house ev

kâhin  (seer : kɑːhɪn), herkes (everybody: herrkes), tahta (board: tʌhtʌ), sabah (morning : sʌbʌh), hiç (never : hɪtʃ), ehliyet (driving licence : ehlɪyet), 

Iı : ə

examples for its Turkish pronunciation by showing in British English, dictionary.cambridge.org: weapon silah, camel deve, seven yedi

ışık  (light : əʃək), kâğıt (paper : kʌət), sarı (yellow : sʌrə), mantık (logic : mʌntək), kahvaltı (breakfast : kʌh´vʌltə), ılık (lukewarm : ələk), bıçak (knife : bətʃʌk),

İi : ɪ

examples for its Turkish pronunciation by showing in British English, dictionary.cambridge.org: kick tekme, milk süt

ilk (first : ɪlk), içeri (inside, interior : ɪtʃerɪ), kim? (who? : kɪm), iki (two : ɪkɪ), matematik (maths : mʌtemʌtɪk), pis (dirty : pɪs)

mide (stomach : mi:de)

Î î

millî (national : mɪl´li: ), 

Jj : ʒ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voiced_palato-alveolar_sibilant)

example for its Turkish pronunciation by showing in French, en.wiktionary.org/wiki/je#French :

je (ben)

This letter is rarely used in Turkish.

Jamaika (Jamaika : ʒʌmʌɪkʌ), jeoloji (geology : ʒeoloʒɪ), jest (gesture : ʒest), Japonya (Japan : ʒʌponjʌ), jel (gel : ʒel), jet (jet plane, ʒet)

Kk: k

examples for its Turkish pronunciation by showing in British English, dictionary.cambridge.org: kick tekme, cow inek, key anahtar, cool serin

ılık    (lukewarm : ələk), kulübe (hut : kulübe), şapka (hat : ʃʌpkʌ), akşam (1evening, 2in the evening : ʌkʃʌm), ekşi (sour : ekʃɪ), ok (arrow : ɒk), 

Ll : l

examples for its Turkish pronunciation by showing in British English, dictionary.cambridge.org: lukewarm ılık, language dil, wild yabanî, vahşî

lise (high school : lɪse), yalan (lie : jʌlʌn), dil (1tongue, 2language : dɪl), lâmba (lamp : lʌmbʌ), il (city : ɪl | synonym: şehir), el (hand : el)

Mm : m

examples for its Turkish pronunciation by showing in British English, dictionary.cambridge.org: moon Ay, ay, month ay, milk süt,

Mayıs (May : mʌjəs), millet (nation : mɪllet), mavi (blue : mʌʌvɪ), tam (1complete, 2full, 3exact : tʌm), kemik (bone : kemɪk), imkânsız (impossible : ɪm´kʌnsəz), şimdi (now : ʃɪmdɪ) ...

Nn : n

examples for its Turkish pronunciation by showing in British English, dictionary.cambridge.org: noon öğle, neighbour komşu, neighbourhood mahalle

niye? (why? : nɪje), kenar (edge : kenʌr), sakin (1relax, still, 2dweller : sɑːkɪn), ben (1 I, 2spot (on the face) : ben), din (religion : dɪn), güvenli (safe : güvenlɪ)

Oo : ɒ

examples for its Turkish pronunciation by showing in British English, dictionary.cambridge.org: on -de/-da, mop paspas, commerce ticaret

ok (arrow : ɒk), kol (arm : kɒl), on (ten : ɒn), otobüs (bus : ɒtɒbüs), telefon (phone : telefɒn), karakol (police office : kʌrʌkɒl), postane (post office : pɒstʌne), alkol (alcohol : ʌlkɒl), yosun (moss, algae : jɒsun), borç (debt : bɒrtʃ)

In a real Turkish word, "o" and "ö" can´t locate in a word in other syllable than first one. In other words, a real Turkish word can have those letters (o, ö) just in its first syllable.

otobüs : One can know this is a foreign origined word, because it´s second vowel is "o".

alkol : the second vowel is "o".

monitör : the third vowel is "ö".

etc.

Öö : œ

You can´t write "ö" as "oe" in Turkish. Nobody understands.

examples for its Turkish pronunciation by showing in German http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open-mid_front_rounded_vowel, www.cafeuni.de : das Möbel mobilya furniture, söhlig yatay horizontal

ön (front : œn), köprü (bridge : kœprü), köpek (dog : kœpek), öküz (ox : œküz), yön (direction : jœn), örnek (example : œrnek),...

Pp : p

examples for its Turkish pronunciation by showing in British English, dictionary.cambridge.org:

poor fakir, lip dudak

pazar (1Sunday, 2market place : pʌzʌr), pis (dirty : pɪs), tip (type, sort : tɪp), tıp (medical science, medicine : təp), pazartesi (Monday : pʌzʌrtesɪ), perşembe (Thursday : perʃembe), panik (panic : pʌnɪk), ...

Rr : r

examples for its Turkish pronunciation by showing in British English, dictionary.cambridge.org: race 1yarış (competition) 2ırk (peoples, folk), risk risk

rastlantı (coincidence (synonym: tesadüf) : rʌst´lʌntə), resim (picture : resɪm), renk (colour : renk), yarış (race, competition : jʌrəʃ), kar (snow : kʌr), kâr (profit, gain : kɑːr)

Ss : s

examples for its Turkish pronunciation by showing in British English, dictionary.cambridge.org: south güney, see deniz

sabır (patience : sʌbər), süre (duration : süre), kısa (short : kəsʌ), ses (1sound, 2voice : ses), sis (fog : sɪs), son (1end, 2last : sɒn), kesin (certain : kesɪn), kesinlikle (of course, absolutely, certainly : kesɪnlɪkle)

Şş : ʃ

examples for its Turkish pronunciation by showing in British English, dictionary.cambridge.org: ship gemi, shadow gölge

iş (1business, 2work, 3job : ɪʃ), kış (winter : kəʃ), şans (chance : ʃʌns), eşek (donkey : eʃek), baş (head : bʌʃ), akşam (evening : ʌkʃʌm), yaş (1age, every period of life for 1 year, 2wet)

Tt : t

examples for its Turkish pronunciation by showing in British English, dictionary.cambridge.org: task görev, wet ıslak, yaş

Türkiye (Turkey : türkɪje), at (horse : ʌt), et (meat : et), sert (hard : sert), taş (stone : tʌʃ), Şubat (February : ʃubʌt), şiir (poem : ʃi:r)

Uu : u

examples for its Turkish pronunciation by showing in British English, dictionary.cambridge.org: bush çalı, [if you omit "y" sound] university üniversite

uzun (1tall, 2long : uzun), kuş (bird : kuʃ), yağmur (rain : jɑːmur), Rusya (Russia : rus´jʌ), kuru (dry : kuru), yumuşak (soft : jumuʃʌk), Temmuz (July : temmuz),...

Üü : ü ; y http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Close_front_rounded_vowel

examples for its Turkish pronunciation by showing in German, www.cafeuni.org: das Mündchen öpücük kiss, Süd güney south

üzüm (grapes : yzym), rüya (dream (in sleeping) : ryjɑː ), dün (yesterday : dyn), bütün, tüm (whole, all : bytyn, tym), küçük (1small, 2little, too young : kytʃyk), dükkan (shop : dyk´kʌn), 

Vv : v

examples for its Turkish pronunciation by showing in British English, dictionary.cambridge.org: vine şarap, seven yedi.

ve (and : ve), vadi (valley : vɑːdɪ), ev (house, home : ev), av (hunt : ʌv), tavuk (hen : tʌvuk), yavaş (slow : jʌvʌʃ).

Yy : j

examples for its Turkish pronunciation by showing in British English, dictionary.cambridge.org: year yıl, maybe belki

yavaş (slow : jʌvʌʃ), kaya (rock : kʌjʌ), siyah (black : sɪjʌh), Eylül (September : ejlül), ay ışığı (moonlight: ʌj əʃə:ə), şey (thing : ʃej), yani (that´s to say : jɑːnɪ)

Zz : z

examples for its Turkish pronunciation by showing in British English, dictionary.cambridge.org: zero sıfır, zone alan, bölge

zifiri karanlık (pitch-dark : zɪfɪrɪ kʌrʌnlək), zarar (harm, damage : zʌrʌr), zor (difficult : zɒr), za