Must, obliged, able: kerek, tiis and -a alu
To say I need a table or you cannot smoke here, three assemblies are enough. For example: “Маған екі кісілік үстел керек” — I need a table for two. A rule from the Kazakh course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
To say I need a table or you cannot smoke here, three assemblies are enough.
Kerek means needed. The one who needs it takes -ğa or -ge: mağan kilt kerek. If you need to do something, the verb ends in -u: mağan baru kerek. Stiffer and more official is tiis: siz töleuge tiissiz, you are to pay.
Bolady and bolmaidy are may and may not, with the verb in -uge: kiruge bolady, temeki sheguge bolmaidy. The same frame makes the politest request: kiip köruge bola ma?
And alu after -a is can: jüze alamyn, I can swim. The trap: the negative is fused into the verb, bara almaimyn. Mümkin emes means impossible for anyone.
Table
| The meaning | How it is assembled | Example |
|---|---|---|
| I need (a thing) | the -ğa tail on the person + kerek | mağan kilt kerek |
| I need (to do) | the verb in -u + kerek | mağan baru kerek |
| I am obliged | the verb in -uge + tiis + person | töleuge tiissiz |
| it is allowed | the verb in -uge + bolady | kiruge bolady |
| it is forbidden | the verb in -uge + bolmaidy | temeki sheguge bolmaidy |
| I can, I am able | -a / -e / -y + alu | jüze alamyn |
| I cannot | -a / -e / -y + almaw | bara almaimyn |
By example
- Маған екі кісілік үстел керекI need a table for two
- Мұнда суретке түсуге болмайдыOne must not take pictures here
- Мен қазақша аз сөйлей аламынI can speak a little Kazakh
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
Must, obliged, able: how does it work in Kazakh?
To say I need a table or you cannot smoke here, three assemblies are enough.
What does it look like in an example sentence Kazakh?
“Маған екі кісілік үстел керек” — I need a table for two. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.