LingoflyAt the service center in Kazakh
A customer brings a phone in for repair in Kazakh. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Телефоным (Telefonym) зарядталмайды (Zaryadtalmaidy) және (Zhäne) қызып кетеді (Qyzyp ketedi).» — My phone won't charge and it gets hot; «Қашаннан бері (beri)? Құлатып (Qūlatyp) алдыңыз ба (ba)?» — Since when? Have you dropped it? Every line can be played right on the page.
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: a customer brings a phone in for repair. First the whole conversation, then each line on its own, with a translation.
- Telefonym zaryadtalmaidy zhäne qyzyp ketedi.My phone won't charge and it gets hot.
- Қашаннан бері? Құлатып алдыңыз ба?Qashannan beri? Qūlatyp aldyñyz ba?Since when? Have you dropped it?
- Eki aptadan beri. Qūlağanda ekran syndy.For two weeks now. When it fell, the screen broke.
- Түсінікті. Алдымен диагностика жасаймыз.Tüsinikti. Aldymen diagnostika zhasaimyz.I see. First we'll run a diagnostic.
- Qosalqy bölshek kerek. Otyz myñnan asady.A spare part is needed. More than thirty thousand.
- Кепілдік жөндеу емес пе? Былтыр алғанмын.Kepildik zhöndeu emes pe? Byltyr alğanmyn.Isn't this a warranty repair? I bought it last year.
Lines one by one
| Kazakh | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Телефоным (Telefonym) зарядталмайды (Zaryadtalmaidy) және (Zhäne) қызып кетеді (Qyzyp ketedi). | Telefonym zaryadtalmaidy zhäne qyzyp ketedi. | My phone won't charge and it gets hot. |
| Қашаннан бері (beri)? Құлатып (Qūlatyp) алдыңыз ба (ba)? | Qashannan beri? Qūlatyp aldyñyz ba? | Since when? Have you dropped it? |
| Екі (Eki) аптадан (aptadan) бері (beri). Құлағанда (Qūlağanda) экран сынды (Ekran syndy). | Eki aptadan beri. Qūlağanda ekran syndy. | For two weeks now. When it fell, the screen broke. |
| Түсінікті (tüsinikti). Алдымен диагностика жасаймыз (Aldymen diagnostika zhasaimyz). | Tüsinikti. Aldymen diagnostika zhasaimyz. | I see. First we'll run a diagnostic. |
| Жөндеу құны (Zhöndeu qūny) қанша (Qansha) болады (bolady) екен (eken)? | Zhöndeu qūny qansha bolady eken? | And how much will the repair cost? |
| Қосалқы бөлшек (Qosalqy bölshek) керек (Kerek). Отыз (Otyz) мыңнан асады. | Qosalqy bölshek kerek. Otyz myñnan asady. | A spare part is needed. More than thirty thousand. |
| Кепілдік жөндеу (Kepildik zhöndeu) емес (emes) пе (pe)? Былтыр (byltyr) алғанмын. | Kepildik zhöndeu emes pe? Byltyr alğanmyn. | Isn't this a warranty repair? I bought it last year. |
| Құлағаннан кейін (keiin) кепілдік (Kepildik) жүрмейді. Өтінім (ötinim) рәсімдейік. | Qūlağannan keiin kepildik zhürmeidi. Ötinim räsimdeiik. | After a drop the warranty doesn't apply. We'll file a request. |
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?
“Телефоным (Telefonym) зарядталмайды (Zaryadtalmaidy) және (Zhäne) қызып кетеді (Qyzyp ketedi).” (Telefonym zaryadtalmaidy zhäne qyzyp ketedi.) — My phone won't charge and it gets hot. 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.