LingoflyLate and apologizing in Kazakh
A friend is forty minutes late for a café meeting in Kazakh. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Кешіккенім үшін кешіріңіз (Keshikkenim üshin keshiriñiz). Жол (zhol) бойы (boiy) кептеліс (keptelis) болды (boldy).» — I'm sorry for being late. There was a traffic jam the whole way; «Ештеңе етпейді (Eshteñe etpeidi). Бірақ (Biraq) мен (Men) уайымдап (uaiymdap) отырдым (otyrdym).» — It's all right. But I was worried. Every line can be played right on the page.
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: a friend is forty minutes late for a café meeting. First the whole conversation, then each line on its own, with a translation.
- Keshikkenim üshin keshiriñiz. Zhol boiy keptelis boldy.I'm sorry for being late. There was a traffic jam the whole way.
- Eshteñe etpeidi. Biraq men uaiymdap otyrdym.It's all right. But I was worried.
- Bilemin, būl meniñ kinäm. Erte shyğuym kerek edi.I know, it's my fault. I should have left earlier.
- Ашуланбадың ба? Мен әдейі емес едім.Ashulanbadyñ ba? Men ädeii emes edim.You're not angry? I didn't mean to.
Lines one by one
| Kazakh | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Кешіккенім үшін кешіріңіз (Keshikkenim üshin keshiriñiz). Жол (zhol) бойы (boiy) кептеліс (keptelis) болды (boldy). | Keshikkenim üshin keshiriñiz. Zhol boiy keptelis boldy. | I'm sorry for being late. There was a traffic jam the whole way. |
| Ештеңе етпейді (Eshteñe etpeidi). Бірақ (Biraq) мен (Men) уайымдап (uaiymdap) отырдым (otyrdym). | Eshteñe etpeidi. Biraq men uaiymdap otyrdym. | It's all right. But I was worried. |
| Білемін (bilemin), бұл менің кінәм (Būl meniñ kinäm). Ерте (erte) шығуым керек еді (Kerek edi). | Bilemin, būl meniñ kinäm. Erte shyğuym kerek edi. | I know, it's my fault. I should have left earlier. |
| Уайымдама (Uaiymdama). Мен (Men) де (de) кейде (Keide) кешігемін (keshigemin). | Uaiymdama. Men de keide keshigemin. | Don't worry. I'm late sometimes too. |
| Ашуланбадың ба (ba)? Мен әдейі емес едім (Men ädeii emes edim). | Ashulanbadyñ ba? Men ädeii emes edim. | You're not angry? I didn't mean to. |
| Жоқ (Zhoq), әрине (Ärine). Отыр (otyr), мәзірді (Mäzirdi) қарайық (qaraiyq). | Zhoq, ärine. Otyr, mäzirdi qaraiyq. | No, of course not. Sit down, let's look at the menu. |
| Рақмет (Raqmet). Келесі (kelesi) жолы (zholy) уәде (uäde) беремін (beremin): кешікпеймін (keshikpeimin). | Raqmet. Kelesi zholy uäde beremin: keshikpeimin. | Thank you. Next time I promise: I will not be late. |
| Жарайсың (Zharaisyñ). Ал (al) енді (endi) айт (ait): жұмыс (Zhūmys) қалай (qalai)? | Zharaisyñ. Al endi ait: zhūmys qalai? | Well done. Now tell me: how is work? |
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?
“Кешіккенім үшін кешіріңіз (Keshikkenim üshin keshiriñiz). Жол (zhol) бойы (boiy) кептеліс (keptelis) болды (boldy).” (Keshikkenim üshin keshiriñiz. Zhol boiy keptelis boldy.) — I'm sorry for being late. There was a traffic jam the whole way. 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.