Beriñizşi, bolar ma ediñiz, solai ğoi: what softens speech
Kazakh conversation rests not on the words "please" and "excuse me" but on tails and particles. One and the same request, depending on them, sounds like an order, a request or a delicate hint, and a person who knows only the bare stem constantly comes out ruder than he intends. For example: “Мына жерді картадан көрсетіңізші” — Please show this place on the map. A rule from the Kazakh course: worked out on examples…
How it works
Kazakh conversation rests not on the words "please" and "excuse me" but on tails and particles. One and the same request, depending on them, sounds like an order, a request or a delicate hint, and a person who knows only the bare stem constantly comes out ruder than he intends.
"-shy/-şi" — the chief softener. It clings to the imperative: ber — give, bershi — do give, beriñizşi — please give. It also works with the "-aiyn" form: aitaiynşy — let me say it, do. This one tail is enough for a request to stop being a demand — the work English does with "please" and "do".
"Bolar ma ediñiz" — the top step of politeness: the future participle plus a question in the past, word for word "would you have taken?". It attaches to any verb: kömektese bolar ma ediñiz? — could you possibly help? One step below — bola ma? ("may I?") and mümkin be?.
Refusal is softened by the negation of the future and by doubt: bola qoimas — hardly going to happen, qalamas edim — I would rather not, başqa zholy bolar — maybe another time. A bare zhoq in a refusal sounds harsh, and a polite person walks around it, putting ökinişke orai — unfortunately — before the refusal.
The particles hold the speaker's attitude to what is said. "Ğoi" — "after all, you know": it softens and reminds (bilesiñ ğoi — you do know). "Eken" — "it turns out": it shows the information as new (qymbat eken — it is expensive, it turns out). "Da/de" — "too", and it stands after its word (men de — me too). "Ma/me/ba/be/pa/pe" — the question, and the variant is chosen by the last sound: after a vowel and a voiced one — ma/me, after "b, v, g, d" — ba/be, after a voiceless one — pa/pe.
And the general rule of conversation: politeness in Kazakh grows with the length of the tail. Aıt — say, aıtşy — do say, aıtyñyz — say (polite), aıtyñyzşi — please say, aita bolar ma ediñiz — could you possibly say. One and the same stem, five steps.
Table
| The means | What it does | Example | In English |
|---|---|---|---|
| -shy / -şi | an order becomes a request | beriñizşi | give me, please |
| bolar ma ediñiz | the politest request | aita bolar ma ediñiz | could you possibly say |
| -mas edim, qoimas | a soft refusal | bola qoimas | I am afraid not |
| ğoi | reminds, softens | bilesiñ ğoi | you do know |
| eken | news, "it turns out" | qymbat eken | it is expensive, it turns out |
By example
- Мына жерді картадан көрсетіңізшіPlease show this place on the map
- Маған көмектесе алар ма едіңіз?Could you help me?
- Өкінішке орай, бүгін бола қоймасUnfortunately, today it is hardly going to work out
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
Beriñizşi, bolar ma ediñiz, solai ğoi: how does it work in Kazakh?
Kazakh conversation rests not on the words "please" and "excuse me" but on tails and particles. One and the same request, depending on them, sounds like an order, a request or a delicate hint, and a person who knows only the bare stem constantly comes out ruder than he intends.
What does it look like in an example sentence Kazakh?
“Мына жерді картадан көрсетіңізші” — Please show this place on the map. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.