LingoflyAt check-in in Kazakh
A check-in desk at Almaty airport, a flight to Astana in Kazakh. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Сәлеметсіз бе (Sälemetsiz be)! Астанаға (Astanağa) рейске тіркелу (Reiske tirkelu) осында (osynda) ма (ma)?» — Hello! Is check-in for the flight to Astana here?; «Иә (Iä), осында (osynda). Төлқұжатыңызды көрсетіңіз (Tölqūzhatyñyzdy körsetiñiz).» — Yes, here. Please show your passport. Every line can be played right on the page.
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: a check-in desk at Almaty airport, a flight to Astana. First the whole conversation, then each line on its own, with a translation.
- Сәлеметсіз бе! Астанаға рейске тіркелу осында ма?Sälemetsiz be! Astanağa reiske tirkelu osynda ma?Hello! Is check-in for the flight to Astana here?
- Иә, осында. Төлқұжатыңызды көрсетіңіз.Iä, osynda. Tölqūzhatyñyzdy körsetiñiz.Yes, here. Please show your passport.
- Mine. Zhügim bir chemodan, tağy arqa sömke bar.Here. My luggage is one suitcase, and I also have a backpack.
- Arqa sömke qol zhügi bolady. Chemodandy tarazyğa qoiyñyz.The backpack will go as hand luggage. Put the suitcase on the scale.
- Zhoq, ūshyp köterilu uaqytynda. Sättilik tileimin!No, takeoff is on schedule. Good luck!
Lines one by one
| Kazakh | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Сәлеметсіз бе (Sälemetsiz be)! Астанаға (Astanağa) рейске тіркелу (Reiske tirkelu) осында (osynda) ма (ma)? | Sälemetsiz be! Astanağa reiske tirkelu osynda ma? | Hello! Is check-in for the flight to Astana here? |
| Иә (Iä), осында (osynda). Төлқұжатыңызды көрсетіңіз (Tölqūzhatyñyzdy körsetiñiz). | Iä, osynda. Tölqūzhatyñyzdy körsetiñiz. | Yes, here. Please show your passport. |
| Міне. Жүгім бір (Bir) чемодан (Chemodan), тағы (Tağy) арқа сөмке (Arqa sömke) бар (Bar). | Mine. Zhügim bir chemodan, tağy arqa sömke bar. | Here. My luggage is one suitcase, and I also have a backpack. |
| Арқа сөмке (Arqa sömke) қол жүгі (Qol zhügi) болады (bolady). Чемоданды (Chemodandy) таразыға (tarazyğa) қойыңыз (qoiyñyz). | Arqa sömke qol zhügi bolady. Chemodandy tarazyğa qoiyñyz. | The backpack will go as hand luggage. Put the suitcase on the scale. |
| Терезе жанындағы орын бар ма? (Tereze zhanyndağy oryn bar ma) | Tereze zhanyndağy oryn bar ma? | Is there a window seat? |
| Бар (Bar). Міне, отырғызу (otyrğyzu) талоныңыз. Қақпа (Qaqpa) он екі (On eki). | Bar. Mine, otyrğyzu talonyñyz. Qaqpa on eki. | There is. Here is your boarding pass. Gate twelve. |
| Рақмет (Raqmet). Рейстің кешігуі (Reistiñ keshigui) бар (Bar) ма (ma)? | Raqmet. Reistiñ keshigui bar ma? | Thank you. Is the flight delayed? |
| Жоқ (Zhoq), ұшып көтерілу (Ūshyp köterilu) уақытында (Uaqytynda). Сәттілік тілеймін (Sättilik tileimin)! | Zhoq, ūshyp köterilu uaqytynda. Sättilik tileimin! | No, takeoff is on schedule. Good luck! |
How to prepare for a conversation like this
Memorizing the lines is not enough: the other person will say their own thing, not what is written. What helps more is catching the key words by ear and keeping three rescue phrases ready: “I don't understand”, “repeat, please”, “slower”.
And one more thing phrasebooks do not mention: awkwardness gets in the way more than not knowing the words.
- Fear of making mistakes gets in the way of learning a language, and noticeably so. The link turns up study after study, and together those studies cover almost twenty thousand people.checked many timesTeimouri, Goetze & Plonsky, 2019, Studies in Second Language Acquisition 41(2) · 19,933 participants from 23 countries; correlation with results r = −0.36.
- That fear can be dealt with — the methods have been tested and they work.checked many timesXiong et al., 2024, Journal of Language and Social Psychology · 37 studies, anxiety reduced by −0.61. Of the seven conditions examined, only age turned out to matter.
Frequently asked
How do you start a conversation in Kazakh in this situation?
“Сәлеметсіз бе (Sälemetsiz be)! Астанаға (Astanağa) рейске тіркелу (Reiske tirkelu) осында (osynda) ма (ma)?” (Sälemetsiz be! Astanağa reiske tirkelu osynda ma?) — Hello! Is check-in for the flight to Astana here? The first line in such a conversation is almost always the same, and that is the one worth learning: the other person will carry it from there.
What if you did not understand the reply?
Say “I don't understand” and “repeat, please” — both are in the rescue set. Admitting your language is still shaky almost always makes the other person more patient.
Should you memorize the dialogue?
No. It is more useful to catch the key words by ear: the other person will say their own thing, and a memorized line will not always fit their reply.