LingoflyAt the GP's appointment in Kazakh
A patient tells the doctor about the symptoms in Kazakh. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Шағымыңыз қандай (Qandai)? Не (Ne) мазалап жүр (zhür)?» — What brings you here? What is bothering you?; «Үшінші (Üshinshi) күн (Kün) тамағым ауырады (Tamağym auyrady), қызуым жоғары (Qyzuym zhoğary).» — My throat has been hurting for three days, and my temperature is high. Every line can be played right on the page.
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: a patient tells the doctor about the symptoms. First the whole conversation, then each line on its own, with a translation.
- Üshinshi kün tamağym auyrady, qyzuym zhoğary.My throat has been hurting for three days, and my temperature is high.
- Рақмет. Сауығып кетсем, жұмысқа шығамын.Raqmet. Sauyğyp ketsem, zhūmysqa shyğamyn.Thank you. As soon as I recover, I'll come back to work.
Lines one by one
| Kazakh | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Шағымыңыз қандай (Qandai)? Не (Ne) мазалап жүр (zhür)? | Shağymyñyz qandai? Ne mazalap zhür? | What brings you here? What is bothering you? |
| Үшінші (Üshinshi) күн (Kün) тамағым ауырады (Tamağym auyrady), қызуым жоғары (Qyzuym zhoğary). | Üshinshi kün tamağym auyrady, qyzuym zhoğary. | My throat has been hurting for three days, and my temperature is high. |
| Қалтырау (Qaltyrau) бар (Bar) ма (ma)? Түшкіріп (tüshkirip) жүрсіз бе (be)? | Qaltyrau bar ma? Tüshkirip zhürsiz be? | Any chills? Are you sneezing? |
| Иә (Iä), түнде (tünde) қалтырадым. Әлсіздік (Älsizdik) те (te) бар (Bar). | Iä, tünde qaltyradym. Älsizdik te bar. | Yes, I had chills at night. And there's weakness too. |
| Балаңызға жұқтырмаңыз, бұл (būl) ауру (Auru) жұқпалы (Zhūqpaly). | Balañyzğa zhūqtyrmañyz, būl auru zhūqpaly. | Don't infect the child, this illness is contagious. |
| Түсіндім (tüsindim). Ем (Em) қанша (Qansha) уақытқа (uaqytqa) созылады (sozylady)? | Tüsindim. Em qansha uaqytqa sozylady? | I see. How long will the treatment last? |
| Бес (Bes) күн (Kün). Ауру (Auru) парағын (parağyn) жазып (zhazyp) берейін (bereiin). | Bes kün. Auru parağyn zhazyp bereiin. | Five days. I'll write you a sick note. |
| Рақмет (Raqmet). Сауығып (sauyğyp) кетсем, жұмысқа (zhūmysqa) шығамын (shyğamyn). | Raqmet. Sauyğyp ketsem, zhūmysqa shyğamyn. | Thank you. As soon as I recover, I'll come back to 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?
“Шағымыңыз қандай (Qandai)? Не (Ne) мазалап жүр (zhür)?” (Shağymyñyz qandai? Ne mazalap zhür?) — What brings you here? What is bothering you? 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.