I know how, I can, I will manage: three different ways to say "I am able"
English I can covers a skill, a strength and a permission all at once. Kazakh splits them into separate frames. For example: “Мен көлік жүргізе аламын, бірақ түнде жүргізгім келмейді” — I can drive a car, but at night I do not feel like driving. A rule from the Kazakh course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
English I can covers a skill, a strength and a permission all at once. Kazakh splits them into separate frames.
Alu after -a or -e means to be able. Kölik zhürgize alamyn is I can drive a car; kele almaimyn is I will not be able to come.
Bilu means to know how, to have been taught: qazaqsha söilei bilemin, I have the skill of speaking Kazakh.
The pair shows the line. Söilei alamyn is I am in a state to speak right now. Söilei bilemin is I have learned how. And qolymnan keledi, word for word it comes from my hand, is I will manage.
Table
| The construction | What it means | Example | In English |
|---|---|---|---|
| -a/-e/-y + alu | in a state, can | zhürgize alamyn | I can drive |
| -a/-e + bilu | I have the skill | söylei bilemın | I know how to speak |
| qolymnan keledi | I will manage, within my powers | qolymnan keledi | it is within my powers |
| -yp/-ip + körü | to try | istep kördim | I tried doing it |
| üirenu / üiretu | to learn / to teach someone | üirenip zhatyrmyn | I am learning |
By example
- Мен көлік жүргізе аламын, бірақ түнде жүргізгім келмейдіI can drive a car, but at night I do not feel like driving
- Ол домбыра тарта біледіHe knows how to play the dombra
- Бұл жұмыс менің қолымнан келедіThis job is within my powers
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
I know how, I can, I will manage: how does it work in Kazakh?
English I can covers a skill, a strength and a permission all at once. Kazakh splits them into separate frames.
What does it look like in an example sentence Kazakh?
“Мен көлік жүргізе аламын, бірақ түнде жүргізгім келмейді” — I can drive a car, but at night I do not feel like driving. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.