LingoflyThe remote control dispute in Kazakh
Two people at home can't share the TV in Kazakh. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Арнаны ауыстыршы, жаңалық басталды (Arnany auystyrshy, zhañalyq bastaldy).» — Switch the channel, the news has started; «Тұра тұр (tūr), телехикаяның соңғы (Soñğy) бөлімі (bölimi).» — Wait, this is the last episode of the series. Every line can be played right on the page.
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: two people at home can't share the TV. First the whole conversation, then each line on its own, with a translation.
- Арнаны ауыстыршы, жаңалық басталды.Arnany auystyrshy, zhañalyq bastaldy.Switch the channel, the news has started.
- Тұра тұр, телехикаяның соңғы бөлімі.Tūra tūr, telekhikayanyñ soñğy bölimi.Wait, this is the last episode of the series.
- Ony keiin köresiñ, būl tikelei efir.You'll watch that later; this is live.
- Жүргізушісі маған ұнамайды, асыра айтады.Zhürgizushisi mağan ūnamaidy, asyra aitady.I don't like their anchor, he exaggerates.
- Ішінара келісемін, бірақ өсекті де айтады.Ishinara kelisemin, biraq ösekti de aitady.I partly agree, but he also passes on rumors.
- Онда субтитрді қосып, дыбысты бәсеңдетейік.Onda subtitrdi qosyp, dybysty bäseñdeteiik.Then let's turn on the subtitles and lower the sound.
- Жарайды, оның есесіне жарнаманы бірге көреміз.Zharaidy, onyñ esesine zharnamany birge köremiz.Fine, but then we'll watch the ads together.
Lines one by one
| Kazakh | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Арнаны ауыстыршы, жаңалық басталды (Arnany auystyrshy, zhañalyq bastaldy). | Arnany auystyrshy, zhañalyq bastaldy. | Switch the channel, the news has started. |
| Тұра тұр (tūr), телехикаяның соңғы (Soñğy) бөлімі (bölimi). | Tūra tūr, telekhikayanyñ soñğy bölimi. | Wait, this is the last episode of the series. |
| Оны (Ony) кейін (keiin) көресің, бұл (būl) тікелей эфир (Tikelei efir). | Ony keiin köresiñ, būl tikelei efir. | You'll watch that later; this is live. |
| Жүргізушісі (zhürgizushisi) маған (Mağan) ұнамайды (ūnamaidy), асыра (asyra) айтады (aitady). | Zhürgizushisi mağan ūnamaidy, asyra aitady. | I don't like their anchor, he exaggerates. |
| Меніңше (Meniñshe), ол (Ol) дереккөзін (Derekközin) әрқашан (Ärqashan) көрсетеді (körsetedi). | Meniñshe, ol derekközin ärqashan körsetedi. | In my opinion, he always cites his source. |
| Ішінара келісемін (Ishinara kelisemin), бірақ (Biraq) өсекті де (de) айтады (aitady). | Ishinara kelisemin, biraq ösekti de aitady. | I partly agree, but he also passes on rumors. |
| Онда (Onda) субтитрді қосып (qosyp), дыбысты (dybysty) бәсеңдетейік. | Onda subtitrdi qosyp, dybysty bäseñdeteiik. | Then let's turn on the subtitles and lower the sound. |
| Жарайды (Zharaidy), оның есесіне (Onyñ esesine) жарнаманы бірге (birge) көреміз (köremiz). | Zharaidy, onyñ esesine zharnamany birge köremiz. | Fine, but then we'll watch the ads together. |
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?
“Арнаны ауыстыршы, жаңалық басталды (Arnany auystyrshy, zhañalyq bastaldy).” (Arnany auystyrshy, zhañalyq bastaldy.) — Switch the channel, the news has started. 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.