Rescheduling the meeting in Kazakh
Colleagues arrange a new time by phone in Kazakh. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Мына мәселе бойынша қоңырау шалып тұрмын: ертеңгі кездесу.» — I'm calling about the following matter: tomorrow's meeting.; «Иә, тыңдап тұрмын. Бірдеңе өзгерді ме?» — Yes, I'm listening. Has something changed? 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: colleagues arrange a new time by phone. 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.
- Мына мәселе бойынша қоңырау шалып тұрмын: ертеңгі кездесу.I'm calling about the following matter: tomorrow's meeting.
- Иә, тыңдап тұрмын. Бірдеңе өзгерді ме?Yes, I'm listening. Has something changed?
- Өкінішке орай, кездесуді ауыстыруға тура келеді.Unfortunately, the meeting will have to be rescheduled.
- Түсінікті. Сізге қай уақыт қолайлы?I see. What time suits you?
- Бейсенбіде түстен кейін болса, өте риза болар едім.If it could be Thursday afternoon, I would be very grateful.
- Бейсенбі бола қоймас, жиналыс бар. Жұма ше?Thursday is unlikely, there's a meeting. What about Friday?
- Жұма да жарайды, бірақ бестен ерте емес.Friday would work too, but not before five.
- Келістік, уақыт белгіледік. Ертең еске саламын.Agreed, the time is set. I'll remind you tomorrow.
Lines one by one
| Kazakh | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Мына мәселе бойынша қоңырау шалып тұрмын: ертеңгі кездесу. | — | I'm calling about the following matter: tomorrow's meeting. |
| Иә, тыңдап тұрмын. Бірдеңе өзгерді ме? | — | Yes, I'm listening. Has something changed? |
| Өкінішке орай, кездесуді ауыстыруға тура келеді. | — | Unfortunately, the meeting will have to be rescheduled. |
| Түсінікті. Сізге қай уақыт қолайлы? | — | I see. What time suits you? |
| Бейсенбіде түстен кейін болса, өте риза болар едім. | — | If it could be Thursday afternoon, I would be very grateful. |
| Бейсенбі бола қоймас, жиналыс бар. Жұма ше? | — | Thursday is unlikely, there's a meeting. What about Friday? |
| Жұма да жарайды, бірақ бестен ерте емес. | — | Friday would work too, but not before five. |
| Келістік, уақыт белгіледік. Ертең еске саламын. | — | Agreed, the time is set. I'll remind you tomorrow. |
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?
“Мына мәселе бойынша қоңырау шалып тұрмын: ертеңгі кездесу.” — I'm calling about the following matter: tomorrow's meeting.. 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.