LingoflyThe weekend forecast in Kazakh
Two people decide whether to go out of town and check the forecast in Kazakh. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Демалысқа (Demalysqa) тауға (tauğa) шығамыз (shyğamyz) ба (ba)?» — Shall we go to the mountains for the weekend?; «Ауа райы болжамын қарадың ба? (Aua raiy bolzhamyn qaradyñ ba) Сенбіде (Senbide) нөсер (Nöser) дейді (Deidi).» — Have you checked the weather forecast? They promise a downpour on Saturday. Every line can be played right on the page.
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: two people decide whether to go out of town and check the forecast. First the whole conversation, then each line on its own, with a translation.
- Демалысқа тауға шығамыз ба?Demalysqa tauğa shyğamyz ba?Shall we go to the mountains for the weekend?
- Tūman tarqağansha kütemiz. Aua temperaturasy qandai?We'll wait for the fog to lift. What's the air temperature?
- Kündiz on bes gradus zhyly, keshke qarai salqyndaidy.Fifteen above during the day, getting cooler toward evening.
Lines one by one
| Kazakh | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Демалысқа (Demalysqa) тауға (tauğa) шығамыз (shyğamyz) ба (ba)? | Demalysqa tauğa shyğamyz ba? | Shall we go to the mountains for the weekend? |
| Ауа райы болжамын қарадың ба? (Aua raiy bolzhamyn qaradyñ ba) Сенбіде (Senbide) нөсер (Nöser) дейді (Deidi). | Aua raiy bolzhamyn qaradyñ ba? Senbide nöser deidi. | Have you checked the weather forecast? They promise a downpour on Saturday. |
| Ал (al) жексенбіде (Zheksenbide) ше? Күн ашық (Kün ashyq) болады (bolady) ма (ma)? | Al zheksenbide she? Kün ashyq bolady ma? | And on Sunday? Will it be sunny? |
| Иә (Iä), бірақ (Biraq) таңертең (tañerteñ) қалың (Qalyñ) тұман (Tūman) болады (bolady) екен (eken). | Iä, biraq tañerteñ qalyñ tūman bolady eken. | Yes, but in the morning, it turns out, there will be thick fog. |
| Тұман (Tūman) тарқағанша күтеміз. Ауа температурасы (Aua temperaturasy) қандай (Qandai)? | Tūman tarqağansha kütemiz. Aua temperaturasy qandai? | We'll wait for the fog to lift. What's the air temperature? |
| Күндіз (kündiz) он бес (On bes) градус (gradus) жылы (Zhyly), кешке қарай (Keshke qarai) салқындайды. | Kündiz on bes gradus zhyly, keshke qarai salqyndaidy. | Fifteen above during the day, getting cooler toward evening. |
| Жақсы (Zhaqsy). Бұлақтың жанында (zhanynda) тоқтап (toqtap), тамақ (Tamaq) ішейік (isheiik). | Zhaqsy. Būlaqtyñ zhanynda toqtap, tamaq isheiik. | Good. We'll stop by the stream and eat. |
| Келістік (kelistik). Найзағай (Naizağai) болса (bolsa), бірден (Birden) қайтамыз. | Kelistik. Naizağai bolsa, birden qaitamyz. | Agreed. If there's a thunderstorm, we'll head back at once. |
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?
“Демалысқа (Demalysqa) тауға (tauğa) шығамыз (shyğamyz) ба (ba)?” (Demalysqa tauğa shyğamyz ba?) — Shall we go to the mountains for the weekend? 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.