LingoflyTym qymbat, biraq zhaqsyraq: comparing not words but whole descriptions
To say this flat is dearer than that one, you need no word for than. You need a tail on the thing you compare with. For example: “Бұл (būl) пәтер (Päter) ескісінен (eskisinen) қымбат (Qymbat), бірақ (Biraq) жұмысқа (zhūmysqa) жақын” (Zhaqyn) — This flat is dearer than the old one, but closer to work. A rule from the Kazakh course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
To say this flat is dearer than that one, you need no word for than. You need a tail on the thing you compare with.
Bul päter anadan qymbat is this flat is dearer than that one. The tail -dan, -tan or -nan sits on the second thing, and nothing else is required.
The tail -raq on the quality itself is optional here. Anadan qymbat and anadan qymbatyraq say the same thing, and the second is a shade softer.
The trap: a longer description is compared another way, through qarağanda. Buryñğyğa qarağanda, bul zharyq means compared with the old place, this one is bright.
Table
| The device | How it is built | Example | In English |
|---|---|---|---|
| comparison | the -dan tail | menen ülken | older than me |
| comparing descriptions | -ğa qarağanda | buryñğyğa qarağanda | compared with the old one |
| softening | -raq / -rek | arzanyraq | a bit cheaper |
| "and" between qualities | äri | jyly äri jaryq | warm and light |
| contrast | biraq | kişi, biraq yñğailly | small but convenient |
| equality | -dai / -dei | sendei | like you |
| "not very" | onsha ... emes | onsha alys emes | not very far |
| a wider gap | äldeqaida | äldeqaida zhaqsy | much better |
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
Tym qymbat, biraq zhaqsyraq: how does it work in Kazakh?
To say this flat is dearer than that one, you need no word for than. You need a tail on the thing you compare with.
What does it look like in a Kazakh example sentence?
“Бұл (būl) пәтер (Päter) ескісінен (eskisinen) қымбат (Qymbat), бірақ (Biraq) жұмысқа (zhūmysqa) жақын” (Zhaqyn) (Būl päter eskisinen qymbat, biraq zhūmysqa zhaqyn) — This flat is dearer than the old one, but closer to work. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.