A request without the word "please"
It seems to an English speaker that politeness rests on the word "please". In Kazakh it rests on the ending: the bare verb root is "thou", and the polite request grows out of it with the tail -ñyz/-ñiz. For example: “Бір келі алма беріңізші” — A kilogram of apples, please. A rule from the Kazakh course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
It seems to an English speaker that politeness rests on the word "please". In Kazakh it rests on the ending: the bare verb root is "thou", and the polite request grows out of it with the tail -ñyz/-ñiz.
kel — come. keliñiz — come (polite). shaqyr — call him over. shaqyryñyz — please call him over. No separate word is added, and the request already sounds respectful — the work English does with "would you...".
There is another tail worth this whole note: -shy/-şi. It is not translated at all; it makes the request warm, almost homely — like "do" in "do sit down". Beriñizşi — "give me, please", said so that the seller smiles. At the bazaar it works better than any ötinemın.
The prohibition is assembled from the same pieces plus the familiar negation -ma/-me: usta-ma-ñyz — do not touch, bar-ma-ñyz — do not go. Read such words in chunks from left to right, and they will stop being frightening.
Table
| To whom we speak | The ending | kel- (to come) → ... |
|---|---|---|
| sen | the bare root | kel |
| sender | -ñder / -yñdar | keliñder |
| siz | -ñiz / -yñyz | keliñiz |
| sizder | -ñizder / -yñyzdar | keliñizder |
| a soft request | + -shy / -şi | keliñizşi |
By example
- Бір келі алма беріңізшіA kilogram of apples, please
- Шебер шақырыңызCall the repairman
- Мұнда тұрмаңызDo not stand here
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
A request without the word "please": how does it work in Kazakh?
It seems to an English speaker that politeness rests on the word "please". In Kazakh it rests on the ending: the bare verb root is "thou", and the polite request grows out of it with the tail -ñyz/-ñiz.
What does it look like in an example sentence Kazakh?
“Бір келі алма беріңізші” — A kilogram of apples, please. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.