LingoflySigning up at the gym in Kazakh
Signing up at the gym reception in Kazakh. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Сәлеметсіз бе (Sälemetsiz be), айлық (ailyq) абонемент (Abonement) қанша тұрады?» (Qansha tūrady) — Hello, how much is a monthly membership?; «Сәлеметсіз бе (Sälemetsiz be). Айлығы жиырма (Zhiyrma) мың (Myñ) теңге (Teñge).» — Hello. A month costs twenty thousand tenge. Every line can be played right on the page.
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: signing up at the gym reception. First the whole conversation, then each line on its own, with a translation.
- Sälemetsiz be, ailyq abonement qansha tūrady?Hello, how much is a monthly membership?
- Sälemetsiz be. Ailyğy zhiyrma myñ teñge.Hello. A month costs twenty thousand tenge.
- Bassein kire me? Sheshinetin bölme bar ma?Is the pool included? Is there a changing room?
- Bassein bölek. Sheshinetin bölme men zheke shkaf kiredi.The pool is separate. The changing room and a locker are included.
- Zhattyqtyrğysh köp pe? Gantel bar ma?Are there many machines? Are there dumbbells?
- Köp. Birinshi sabaqta zhattyqtyrushy qyzdyru zhattyğuyn körsetedi.Many. At the first session the trainer will show the warm-up.
- Eshteñe etpeidi. Aqyryn bastañyz, äitpese sozylu bolady. Bügin zhazylasyz ba?No problem. Start slowly, otherwise you'll get a strain. Shall we sign you up today?
Lines one by one
| Kazakh | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Сәлеметсіз бе (Sälemetsiz be), айлық (ailyq) абонемент (Abonement) қанша тұрады? (Qansha tūrady) | Sälemetsiz be, ailyq abonement qansha tūrady? | Hello, how much is a monthly membership? |
| Сәлеметсіз бе (Sälemetsiz be). Айлығы жиырма (Zhiyrma) мың (Myñ) теңге (Teñge). | Sälemetsiz be. Ailyğy zhiyrma myñ teñge. | Hello. A month costs twenty thousand tenge. |
| Бассейн (Bassein) кіре (kire) ме (me)? Шешінетін бөлме (Sheshinetin bölme) бар (Bar) ма (ma)? | Bassein kire me? Sheshinetin bölme bar ma? | Is the pool included? Is there a changing room? |
| Бассейн (Bassein) бөлек (bölek). Шешінетін бөлме (Sheshinetin bölme) мен (Men) жеке шкаф (Zheke shkaf) кіреді (kiredi). | Bassein bölek. Sheshinetin bölme men zheke shkaf kiredi. | The pool is separate. The changing room and a locker are included. |
| Жаттықтырғыш (Zhattyqtyrğysh) көп (Köp) пе (pe)? Гантель (Gantel) бар (Bar) ма (ma)? | Zhattyqtyrğysh köp pe? Gantel bar ma? | Are there many machines? Are there dumbbells? |
| Көп (Köp). Бірінші (Birinshi) сабақта (sabaqta) жаттықтырушы (Zhattyqtyrushy) қыздыру (Qyzdyru) жаттығуын көрсетеді (körsetedi). | Köp. Birinshi sabaqta zhattyqtyrushy qyzdyru zhattyğuyn körsetedi. | Many. At the first session the trainer will show the warm-up. |
| Жақсы (Zhaqsy). Мен (Men) бұрын (būryn) спортпен (Sportpen) айналыспағанмын. | Zhaqsy. Men būryn sportpen ainalyspağanmyn. | Good. I've never done sports before. |
| Ештеңе етпейді (Eshteñe etpeidi). Ақырын (aqyryn) бастаңыз, әйтпесе (Äitpese) созылу (Sozylu) болады (bolady). Бүгін (Bügin) жазыласыз ба (ba)? | Eshteñe etpeidi. Aqyryn bastañyz, äitpese sozylu bolady. Bügin zhazylasyz ba? | No problem. Start slowly, otherwise you'll get a strain. Shall we sign you up today? |
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?
“Сәлеметсіз бе (Sälemetsiz be), айлық (ailyq) абонемент (Abonement) қанша тұрады?” (Qansha tūrady) (Sälemetsiz be, ailyq abonement qansha tūrady?) — Hello, how much is a monthly membership? 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.