Offended with whom, in love with whom: the case after a feeling verb
Learning the word is easy; putting it in the right form is not. A Kazakh verb of feeling demands its own tail, and the English preposition is no guide to which one. For example: “Ол маған өкпелеп қалды, себебі мен кешігіп келдім” — He took offense with me, because I was late. A rule from the Kazakh course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Learning the word is easy; putting it in the right form is not. A Kazakh verb of feeling demands its own tail, and the English preposition is no guide to which one.
Verbs aimed at a person as a target take -ğa or -ge. Mağan ökpeleme is do not be cross with me. Mağan ursty is he scolded me, and oğan ğashyq boldym is I fell in love with her.
Verbs where the person is the thing acted on take -ny, -dy or -ty. Seni sağyndym is I miss you; ony zhek köremin is I hate him.
The trap is I miss you. English needs no preposition there either, yet the tail is the easiest thing to drop. Seni sağyndym carries the whom tail on seni.
Table
| The tail | The verbs | Example | The English anchor |
|---|---|---|---|
| the -ğa tail | ökpeleu, ursu, ğaşıq bolu, aiqailau | mağan ökpeleme | offended with / at |
| the -ny tail | sağynu, zhek körü, kinalau, aiayu | seni sağyndym | miss (no preposition) |
| the -dan tail | zhalyğu, köñili qalu, artyq körü | kutuden zhalyqtym | tired of |
| the -men tail | maqtanu, bölisu | ulymmen maqtanamyn | proud of |
| no tail | uiat, qyzyq, yñğaisyz (a noun) | mağan uiat | I am ashamed |
By example
- Ол маған өкпелеп қалды, себебі мен кешігіп келдімHe took offense with me, because I was late
- Балаларымды қатты сағындымI miss my children very much
- Күнде бір істі істеуден жалықтымI am tired of doing the same thing every day
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
Offended with whom, in love with whom: how does it work in Kazakh?
Learning the word is easy; putting it in the right form is not. A Kazakh verb of feeling demands its own tail, and the English preposition is no guide to which one.
What does it look like in an example sentence Kazakh?
“Ол маған өкпелеп қалды, себебі мен кешігіп келдім” — He took offense with me, because I was late. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.