English

Zhattığu and zhattıqtıru: oneself, others and with oneself

Zhattyğu is to train yourself; zhattyqtyru is to train other people. The whole difference is one tail inside the word. For example: “Жаттықтырушы бізді жаттықтырады, біз жаттығамыз” — The coach trains us, and we train. A rule from the Kazakh course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.

Updated September 1, 2026 · Lingofly

How it works

Zhattyğu is to train yourself; zhattyqtyru is to train other people. The whole difference is one tail inside the word.

The tail -dyr or -t hands the action to somebody else: qyzu, to warm up, gives qyzdyru, to warm something. It also covers making someone act: zhazdyrdym, I had it written.

The tail -yl or -l takes the doer away: ashu, to open, gives ashylu, to open by itself. Hence the language of signs: sportzal altyda ashylady, the gym opens at six, and nobody is named.

The trap: -yn turns the action back on the doer and looks much like the last one. Only the sense separates them: kiindi, he dressed himself; kiildi, it was put on.

Table

Zhattığu and zhattıqtıru: oneself, others and with oneself
the voicethe tailexamplein English
making others do it-dyr / -tyrqyzdyruto warm something
making others do it-teñkeituto tilt something
the passive-yl / -ilsozyluto be stretched
the passive-lzhasaluto be made
the reflexive-yn / -insheshinuto undress
the reflexive-nlastanuto get dirty
the reciprocal-ys / -isbölisuto share with each other
the reciprocal-sqatysuto participate

By example

  • Жаттықтырушы бізді жаттықтырады, біз жаттығамыз
    The coach trains us, and we train
  • Бассейн жетіде ашылады
    The pool opens at seven
  • Шешінетін бөлмеде шешініп, душқа түстім
    Having undressed in the changing room, I went to the shower

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

Zhattığu and zhattıqtıru: how does it work in Kazakh?

Zhattyğu is to train yourself; zhattyqtyru is to train other people. The whole difference is one tail inside the word.

What does it look like in an example sentence Kazakh?

“Жаттықтырушы бізді жаттықтырады, біз жаттығамыз” — The coach trains us, and we train. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.

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