At the admissions office in Kazakh
An applicant finds out what is needed to enroll in Kazakh. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Сәлеметсіз бе, университетке түсу туралы сұрағым бар.» — Hello, I have a question about applying to the university.; «Тыңдап тұрмын. Қай мамандық қызықтырады?» — I'm listening. Which major interests you? Every line can be played right on the page. The conversation is predictable: few lines, and almost all of them repeat from one exchange to the next.
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: an applicant finds out what is needed to enroll. The conversation is short and predictable — which is exactly what makes it good for a first try: few lines, and almost all of them repeat from one exchange to the next.
- Сәлеметсіз бе, университетке түсу туралы сұрағым бар.Hello, I have a question about applying to the university.
- Тыңдап тұрмын. Қай мамандық қызықтырады?I'm listening. Which major interests you?
- Экономика факультеті. Ұпайым сексен бес.The economics faculty. I have eighty-five points.
- Жақсы ұпай. Шәкіртақыға да үміт бар.A good score. There is hope for a scholarship too.
- Жатақхана бере ме? Мен басқа қаладанмын.Is there a dormitory? I'm from another city.
- Береді, бірақ орын аз. Өтінімді ерте беріңіз.They do, but there are few places. Apply early.
- Қандай құжат керек екенін айтып берсеңіз.Please tell me which documents are needed.
- Аттестат, сертификат және медициналық анықтама.A school certificate, a certificate and a medical reference.
Lines one by one
| Kazakh | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Сәлеметсіз бе, университетке түсу туралы сұрағым бар. | — | Hello, I have a question about applying to the university. |
| Тыңдап тұрмын. Қай мамандық қызықтырады? | — | I'm listening. Which major interests you? |
| Экономика факультеті. Ұпайым сексен бес. | — | The economics faculty. I have eighty-five points. |
| Жақсы ұпай. Шәкіртақыға да үміт бар. | — | A good score. There is hope for a scholarship too. |
| Жатақхана бере ме? Мен басқа қаладанмын. | — | Is there a dormitory? I'm from another city. |
| Береді, бірақ орын аз. Өтінімді ерте беріңіз. | — | They do, but there are few places. Apply early. |
| Қандай құжат керек екенін айтып берсеңіз. | — | Please tell me which documents are needed. |
| Аттестат, сертификат және медициналық анықтама. | — | A school certificate, a certificate and a medical reference. |
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 it gets in the way badly. It is one of the most reliably measured findings in the entire field.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, университетке түсу туралы сұрағым бар.” — Hello, I have a question about applying to the university.. 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.