Verbs in Kazakh

107 words on the topic

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  Керек

  needed

  Stands at the end of the sentence: "magan su kerek" is "I need water" — literally "for-me water [is] needed".
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  Ұнайды

  is liked

  The subject is the thing that pleases: "magan shai unaidy" is "the tea appeals to me" — the liking is done by the tea, not by you.
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  Бару

  to go

  The infinitive ends in "-u". "Uige baramyn" is "I am going home".
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  Жеу

  to eat

  Only about food: "eat" in the sense of "exist" is a different word, "bar". Inviting you to the table, they say "zhengiz" — do eat.
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  Ішу

  to drink

  Also "to take medicine": "dari ishu". Soup is "drunk" too, not eaten.
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  Оқу

  to read

  The same word says "to study": "universitette oqimyn" is "I study at the university". Exactly like the Turkish okumak.
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  Сөйлеу

  to speak

  To speak in general; to say something specific is "aitu". One root with "soz", "word", and "soilem", "sentence".
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  Істеу

  to work

  The same word says "to do": "ne istep zhaturshyn?" is "what are you doing?". About the workplace: "bankte isteimin", "I work at a bank".
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  Тұру

  to live

  The same word says "to stand up" and "to cost": "erte turamyn" is "I get up early", "qansha turady?" is "how much does it cost". Only the phrase tells them apart.
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  Бар

  there is

  A whole verb in three letters, placed at the end: "su bar ma?" is "is there water?". Much like the Turkish var. "To eat" is the other word, "zheu".
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  Үйрену

  to learn

  To master something yourself: a language, a craft, a habit. To teach someone else is "uiretu", with an extra "-t-" in the middle.
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  Таңдау

  to choose

  ng before d sounds nasal: ta-ng-dau
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  Көру

  to see

  o with the lips pushed forward while saying "e": KO-ru
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  Есту

  to hear

  the stress falls on the last syllable: es-TU
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  Ұйықтау

  to sleep

  u is a short "u" with a shade of "o", q is a voiceless k from the throat: UIYQ-tau
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  Тасу

  to carry

  To carry and to haul: "su tasu" is "to carry water". The language splits carrying by direction: away is "aparu", over here is "akelu".
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  Қою

  to place

  q is a voiceless k from deep in the throat; the "yu" sounds like "yu": QO-yu
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  Сындыру

  to break (something)

  The course knows "broken"; the root "syn-" is the same. "Synu" is to break by itself, "-dyr-" adds the one who breaks.
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  Салу

  to build

  A house is exactly "salady": "ui salu". On its own "salu" is "to put", and the course has seen it in "an salu", "to sing", and "suret salu", "to draw".
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  Қыздыру

  to heat

  q is a voiceless k from deep in the throat: QYZ-dy-ru
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  Зат жинау

  to pack

  "To gather, to tidy" — you have already seen it in "tidying the house". Before a trip things stand in the singular.
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  Шомылу

  to bathe

  Bathing for pleasure and cleanliness. Swimming as a skill is the other verb.
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  Жүзу

  to swim

  u rounded, lips forward: ZU-zu
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  Күнге күю

  to sunbathe

  Literally "to burn in the sun": the verb is "to scorch". A tan grows from the same root — it means both tanned and sunburnt.
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  Балық аулау

  to fish

  "To hunt, to ply a trade"; with "fish" it is to go fishing. The fish stands with no ending, as in "packing".
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  Суару

  to water

  From "water": "to make watery". The same trick in "to feed" — "to make food".
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  Кию

  to put on

  To put on and to wear at once: "I will put on a dress" implies wearing it. To take off is the other verb.
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  Киіп көру

  to try on

  Literally "having put on, to look". The "look" after an adverbial means "to try doing": "to try eating" is built the same way.
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  Күлу

  to laugh

  u rounded: KU-lu
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  Жылау

  to cry

  Do not confuse with "warm": one letter apart, and the moods are opposites.
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  Қорқу

  to be afraid

  q twice in a row: QOR-Qu
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  Таңғалу

  to be surprised

  ng nasal before gh: tan-GHA-lu
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  Үміттену

  to hope

  u rounded at the start, i short: U-mit-te-nu
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  Дауласу

  to argue

  The tail "-lasu" means "to do mutually": dispute becomes argue, just as "word" becomes "converse".
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  Уәде беру

  to promise

  a open: u-A-de
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  Ұрысу

  to quarrel

  u short at the start: U-ry-su
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  Құшақтау

  to hug

  u short, q twice: QU-shaQ-tau
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  Тамақ дайындау

  to cook

  "Food" from unit 7 means both the throat and the meal; here it is the meal. The verb is "to prepare".
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  Жуу

  to wash

  To wash anything: dishes, hands, the car. You have already seen it in "doing the laundry".
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  Қайнату

  to boil

  q at the start: QAI-na-tu
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  Қуыру

  to fry

  q at the start: QU-y-ru
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  Пісіру

  to bake

  i short twice: PI-si-ru
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  Турау

  to chop

  To cut into small pieces. To cut in two is a different verb, and to cut a finger yet another phrase.
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  Дәмін тату

  to taste

  a open: DA-min
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  Тапсырыс беру

  to place an order

  Another "noun + give" pair, like "to promise". Kazakh builds half its verbs this way.
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  Қоңырау шалу

  to make a call

  The second word on its own means "to throw over, to touch": the call is "thrown". To whom takes the dative.
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  Жүктеп алу

  to download

  u rounded: zUK-tep a-LU
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  Жіберу

  to dispatch

  i short: zhi-be-ru
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  Алу

  to receive

  The most hard-working verb of the language: to take, to get, to buy (with a tail) and "can" in its chain.
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  Жауап беру

  to reply

  Literally "to give an answer". Kazakh assembles dozens of verbs this way: to place an order, to promise, to permit.
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  Қосу

  to switch on

  q deep: Qo-SU
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  Өшіру

  to switch off

  o with the lips pushed forward, as in "word": O-shi-ru
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  Жөндеп беру

  to mend

  o rounded: zhON-dep be-RU
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  Ауыстыру

  to replace

  From "to change"; you saw it in "layover". What is replaced takes the accusative.
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  Жеңу

  to win

  ng nasal, as in English "sing": zhe-NGu
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  Ұтылу

  to lose (a game)

  u short and tense: U-ty-lu
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  Жүгіру

  to run

  u rounded, i short: zhu-gi-ru
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  Секіру

  to jump

  i short: se-ki-ru
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  Отыру

  to sit

  Both "to sit" and "to sit down". In a chain with an adverbial it gives duration: "I am sitting and writing".
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  Тік тұру

  to stand

  i short, u short: TIK TU-ru
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  Жату

  to lie

  Both "to lie" and "to lie down". Like "to sit", it works as an auxiliary: "he is coming here right now" uses it.
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  Көтеру

  to lift

  o rounded: ko-te-ru
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  Лақтыру

  to throw

  q deep: laq-ty-ru
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  Ұстау

  to catch

  u short and tense: Us-tau
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  Құлау

  to fall

  u short and tense: QU-lau
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  Ән салу

  to sing

  a wide: AN sa-LU
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  Би билеу

  to dance

  Noun and verb from one root: the dance, and to dance. Such a pair sounds normal in Kazakh, not like a tautology.
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  Ойнау

  to play

  what you play goes bare, with no preposition or ending: shakhmat oinau, futbol oinau; for instruments there is another verb, tartu
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  Сурет салу

  to draw

  salu again, the same verb as in an salu and gol salu; literally to place a picture
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  Суретке түсіру

  to take a photo

  round u, short i: TU-siru
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  Серуендеу

  to stroll

  a bookish but living word; in speech people more often say kydyru — to wander with no particular goal
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  Демалу

  to take a rest

  dem means breath: to rest is to catch your breath; from it comes the familiar demalys — vacation and days off
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  Үйлену

  to get married

  round u at the start: UY-le-nu
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  Шақыру

  to invite

  deep back q: sha-Qy-RU
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  Дұға ету

  to pray

  etu, to do, builds verbs out of nouns: duga etu, ruqsat etu, komek etu; the namaz itself is namaz oqu
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  Ораза ұстау

  to fast

  tense short u: Us-tau
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  Құттықтау

  to congratulate

  short u, deep back q twice: QUT-tyq-TAU
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  Сыпыру

  to sweep

  you sweep the floor, the yard, the path; the tool is sypyrgysh, built with the same suffix -gysh as shansorgysh
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  Кірді жуу

  to do laundry

  short i: KIR-di
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  Үтіктеу

  to do the ironing

  round u, short i: U-tik-teu
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  Сұрау

  to ask (for)

  tense short u: SU-RAU
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  Рұқсат ету

  to allow

  tense short u, deep back q: Ruq-SAT e-TU
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  Тыйым салу

  to forbid

  tyiym is a ban; and once more salu, which builds verbs: an salu, gol salu, tyiym salu; what is forbidden takes the dative
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  Көшіріп жазу

  to cheat (copy)

  rounded lips, short i: ko-shi-RIP zha-ZU
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  Түзету

  to fix (an error)

  round u, stress at the end: tu-ze-TU
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  Үнемдеу

  to economize

  round u, stress at the end: u-nem-DEU
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  Жұмсау

  to spend

  tense short u: zhum-SAU
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  Жинау

  to save up

  the same verb as to tidy up in the home unit: uy zhinau; the general sense is to gather into a heap — money, things, harvest and people; what you save for takes the dative
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  Сақтандырып алу

  to insure

  deep back q, short y: saq-tan-dy-RYP a-LU
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  Түшкіру

  to sneeze

  round u, short i: tush-ki-RU
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  Ауырып қалу

  to fall ill

  short y, deep back q: a-u-y-RYP qa-LU
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  Сауығу

  to recover

  throaty g, tense short u: sa-u-Y-ghu
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  Келісу

  to agree

  short i, stress at the end: ke-li-SU
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  Жұмыстан шығу

  to quit a job

  tense short u, short y: zhu-mys-TAN shy-GHU
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  Жұмыстан шығару

  to fire

  tense short u, throaty g: zhu-mys-TAN shy-gha-RU
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  Көшіп кіру

  to move in

  rounded lips, short i: ko-SHIP ki-RU
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  Көшіп шығу

  to move out

  rounded lips, throaty g: ko-SHIP shy-GHU
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  Қоныс аудару

  to relocate

  deep back q, short y: qo-NYS a-u-da-RU
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  Орау

  to wrap up

  the base sense is to wind and wrap: dishes in paper, a scarf around the neck; things go into boxes with the verb salu
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  Орамын ашу

  to undo the wrapping

  short y, stress at the end: o-ra-MYN a-SHU
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  Орнығу

  to settle in

  throaty g, short y: or-ny-GHU
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  қарау

  to watch

  "Koru" the course gave as "to see" — what falls into the eye on its own; "qarau" means to direct the gaze, and what is watched takes the accusative.
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  ұшу

  to fly

  The course already gave "arrive by plane" and "leave by plane"; the bare "ushu" suits both bird and plane, and where to takes the directional case.
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  пайдалану

  to use

  "Qoldanu" the course already gave as "to apply" — to put a trick or a rule to work; this one is to use a thing, and the thing takes the accusative.
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  -а білу

  to know how to

  There is no verb of its own: "bilu" the course gave as "to know", and ability is assembled with the tail "-a/-e/-y" on the main verb plus "bilu" — hence the card is written with the tail.
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  кездестіру

  to run into

  "Kezdesu" the course gave as a meeting by arrangement; the tail "-tir" turns it into "to come upon" — to meet by chance, while a guest is met with "qarsy alu".
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  қол тигізу

  to touch

  "Ustau" the course keeps for "to catch", and "tiyu" lives in "suyq tiyu", "to catch a cold"; touching is literally "touching with the hand", and the object takes the directional case.

How it sounds in a sentence

A word list is a blank. Conversation is made of sentences, and these are the ones the words fit into most often.

• Маған кофе керек

  I need coffee
• Маған шай ұнайды

  I like tea
• Мен үйге барамын

  I am going home
• Таңертең ботқа жеймін

  In the morning I eat porridge
• Кешке шай ішемін

  In the evening I drink tea
• Мен кітап оқимын

  I am reading a book

What is worth knowing about these words

Керек — needed. Stands at the end of the sentence: "magan su kerek" is "I need water" — literally "for-me water [is] needed".

Ұнайды — is liked. The subject is the thing that pleases: "magan shai unaidy" is "the tea appeals to me" — the liking is done by the tea, not by you.

Бару — to go. The infinitive ends in "-u". "Uige baramyn" is "I am going home".

Жеу — to eat. Only about food: "eat" in the sense of "exist" is a different word, "bar". Inviting you to the table, they say "zhengiz" — do eat.

Test yourself

First by ear — the way you will meet the word in conversation. Click the speaker and pick the translation.

Now the other way around: recall the spelling from the meaning. That is harder, and therefore more useful.

How to learn the set instead of just reading it

I want, I can, I am going, I know. Twenty verbs cover more everyday sentences than two hundred nouns.

A list is read in a minute and forgotten in a day. What works: hide the translation, try to recall, get it wrong — and come back to the same words tomorrow.

• Recalling beats re-reading. Covering the translation and trying to remember it does more than reading it ten more times.checked many times
  Adesope, Trevisan & Sundararajan, 2017, Review of Educational Research 87(3) · 188 experiments, 272 comparisons. g = 0.61; against plain re-reading 0.51, against passive review 0.93.
• This holds not only in experiments but in ordinary classrooms, with real students.checked many times
  Mawson & Kang, 2025, Behavioral Sciences 15(6):771 · 22 studies, d = 0.54 (confidence interval 0.31–0.77). The authors warn that individual studies disagree widely.

Next

• All topics of the Kazakh language4039 words by topic and letter
• Greetings and goodbyes10 words
• Numbers and counting11 words
• Food and drink188 words
• Shopping and money83 words
• Asking the way18 words