LingoflySälemetsiz be and Sälem: the formal hello and the short one
Sälemetsiz be is the full polite greeting, and it comes apart cleanly. Sälemet is healthy or well; -siz is the polite you; be is the question particle. What you actually say is are you well, a question rather than a statement. To your own people the same word takes -siñ. For example: “Сәлеметсіз бе (Sälemetsiz be)! Мен орыспын (Men oryspyn).” — Hello! I am from Russia. A rule from the Kazakh course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a…
How it works
Sälemetsiz be is the full polite greeting, and it comes apart cleanly. Sälemet is healthy or well; -siz is the polite you; be is the question particle. What you actually say is are you well, a question rather than a statement. To your own people the same word takes -siñ.
Sälem is the short hi among equals. In messages and among peers it is commoner than the long form, but an elder should not be greeted with it.
The farewell is the same pair. Polite is Sau bolyñyz, word for word be healthy; short is Sau bol, without the tail.
The mark of politeness is -yz at the end, but it arrives by two roads. On an order it is -yñyz: Sau bolyñyz, Qaitalañyz. On a statement it is -syz against -syñ: Qalaisyz, Qalaisyñ.
Table
| The form | The make-up | To whom |
|---|---|---|
| Sälemetsiz be | salemet + -siz (you) + be (whether) | a stranger, an elder |
| Sälemetsiñ be | the same, with -siñ | your own people, younger ones |
| Sälem | the Arabic "peace" | between equals, in messages |
| Sau bolyñyz | "be healthy" | the polite farewell |
| Sau bol | "be healthy, thou" | the same, on first-name terms |
By example
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
How to say hello in Kazakh?
Sälemetsiz be is the full polite greeting, and it comes apart cleanly. Sälemet is healthy or well; -siz is the polite you; be is the question particle. What you actually say is are you well, a question rather than a statement. To your own people the same word takes -siñ.
Sälemetsiz be or sälem: how to greet in Kazakh?
Sälemetsiz be is the full polite greeting, and it comes apart cleanly. Sälemet is healthy or well; -siz is the polite you; be is the question particle. What you actually say is are you well, a question rather than a statement. To your own people the same word takes -siñ.
What be means in sälemetsiz be?
Sälemetsiz be is the full polite greeting, and it comes apart cleanly. Sälemet is healthy or well; -siz is the polite you; be is the question particle. What you actually say is are you well, a question rather than a statement. To your own people the same word takes -siñ.
How to say goodbye in Kazakh?
Sälemetsiz be is the full polite greeting, and it comes apart cleanly. Sälemet is healthy or well; -siz is the polite you; be is the question particle. What you actually say is are you well, a question rather than a statement. To your own people the same word takes -siñ.
What does it look like in a Kazakh example sentence?
“Сәлеметсіз бе (Sälemetsiz be)! Мен орыспын (Men oryspyn).” (Sälemetsiz be! Men oryspyn.) — Hello! I am from Russia. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.