Бар
“Бар” — there is in Kazakh. Verb, level A1, topic — verbs. 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". In a live sentence: “Менде уақыт бар” — I have time. You can hear how it sounds right here. One of 107 words in the set “verbs” in the Kazakh course.
In short
| Written in Kazakh | Бар |
| Translation | there is |
| Part of speech | verb |
| Level | A1 |
- Барthere is
Why it looks that way
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".
A word with a story stays in memory longer than one learned as a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.
In a live sentence
A single word almost never appears alone in conversation. A sentence shows where it fits and what stands next to it.
- Менде уақыт барI have time
Nearby words: verbs
I want, I can, I am going, I know. Twenty verbs cover more everyday sentences than two hundred nouns.
- КерекneededStands at the end of the sentence: "magan su kerek" is "I need water" — literally "for-me water [is] needed".
- Ұнайдыis likedThe 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.
- Баруto goThe infinitive ends in "-u". "Uige baramyn" is "I am going home".
- Жеуto eatOnly about food: "eat" in the sense of "exist" is a different word, "bar". Inviting you to the table, they say "zhengiz" — do eat.
- Ішуto drinkAlso "to take medicine": "dari ishu". Soup is "drunk" too, not eaten.
- Оқуto readThe same word says "to study": "universitette oqimyn" is "I study at the university". Exactly like the Turkish okumak.
- Сөйлеуto speakTo speak in general; to say something specific is "aitu". One root with "soz", "word", and "soilem", "sentence".
- Істеуto workThe same word says "to do": "ne istep zhaturshyn?" is "what are you doing?". About the workplace: "bankte isteimin", "I work at a bank".
- Тұруto liveThe 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.
- Үйренуto learnTo master something yourself: a language, a craft, a habit. To teach someone else is "uiretu", with an extra "-t-" in the middle.
Test yourself
Five questions from the same set — “verbs”. Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than knowing a familiar word on sight, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “there is” in Kazakh?
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".
- How do you say “to speak” in Kazakh?
To speak in general; to say something specific is "aitu". One root with "soz", "word", and "soilem", "sentence".
- How do you say “to go” in Kazakh?
The infinitive ends in "-u". "Uige baramyn" is "I am going home".
- How do you say “to learn” in Kazakh?
To master something yourself: a language, a craft, a habit. To teach someone else is "uiretu", with an extra "-t-" in the middle.
- How do you say “to read” in Kazakh?
The same word says "to study": "universitette oqimyn" is "I study at the university". Exactly like the Turkish okumak.
How not to forget this word
Reading a word and remembering it are different jobs. A day later, little survives of a single reading — and that is not bad memory, that is how memory works.
- This has been tested on foreign words too. The difference shows up most when you test yourself a few days later rather than straight away.checked many timesKim & Webb, 2022, Language Learning 72(2) · 48 experiments, 3,411 participants, 98 comparisons.
- Recalling beats re-reading. Covering the translation and trying to remember it does more than reading it ten more times.checked many timesAdesope, 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.
- An answer you worked out yourself sticks better than one handed to you.checked many timesBertsch et al., 2007, Memory & Cognition 35(2) · 86 studies, 445 comparisons, d = 0.40.
Frequently asked
How do you say “there is” in Kazakh?
«Бар». In a live sentence: “Менде уақыт бар” — I have time. You can hear how it sounds right on this page. Verb, level A1, from the set “verbs”.
Why does this word look the way it does?
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". A word with a story stays in memory longer than a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.
Can I hear how it sounds?
Yes, right on this page: click the word and it will play. The sound works on any phone, and nothing needs to be installed.