Lingoflyбос орын
- бос орынbos orynfree seat
“бос орын” (bos oryn) — free seat in Kazakh. Noun, level A1, topic — transport. The word means both "empty" and "free". With a tail the narrow vowel drops. In a live sentence: “Артта бос орын бар ма?” (Artta bos oryn bar ma) — Is there a free seat in the back? You can hear how it sounds right here. Written with the characters б, о, с, о, р, ы, н. One of 21 words in the set “transport” in the Kazakh course.
In short
| Written in Kazakh | бос орын (bos oryn) |
| Read in Latin letters | bos oryn |
| Translation | free seat |
| Part of speech | noun |
| Level | A1 |
Why it looks that way
The word means both "empty" and "free". With a tail the narrow vowel drops.
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.
Nearby words: transport
Bus, metro, taxi, stop, station. These are words you need to recognize in writing — off a departure board and off a sign.
- АвтобусAvtobusbusA loanword that came by way of Russian. The stress is heard both ways: on the last syllable by the Kazakh rule, av-to-BUS, and as in the source, av-TO-bus.
- ТаксиTaksitaxiDoes not change for number, but takes cases as its own: "taksimen" is "by taxi", "taksige" is "into the taxi".
- БекетBeketstationOne word for the station and the stop alike: "avtobus beketi" is a bus stop, "temir zhol beketi" is a railway station.
- БилетBiletticketA loanword Kazakh took in whole and does not give back; the native phrase appears only in the carrier's rules.
- ҰшақŪshaqairplaneu is a short "u" with tense lips: u-SHAQ
- ҚайықQaiyqboatq at the start and the end: qa-YIQ
- ВелосипедVelosipedbicycleThe dictionaries carry an old jesting name — "the devil's cart"; it is a real historical name. In the city only the borrowed word is said.
- Автобус аялдамасыAvtobus ayaldamasybus stop signThe word for "stop" comes from "to linger". The sign on the pole in Almaty is labeled exactly with this phrase.
- Жол жүру картасыZhol zhüru kartasytransit passu rounded: zu-RU
- БағытBağytroutegh voiced throaty: ba-GHYT
Test yourself
Five questions from the same set — “transport”. Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than knowing a familiar word on sight, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “free seat” in Kazakh?
The word means both "empty" and "free". With a tail the narrow vowel drops.
- How do you say “bicycle” in Kazakh?
The dictionaries carry an old jesting name — "the devil's cart"; it is a real historical name. In the city only the borrowed word is said.
- How do you say “station” in Kazakh?
One word for the station and the stop alike: "avtobus beketi" is a bus stop, "temir zhol beketi" is a railway station.
- How do you say “route” in Kazakh?
A bus route and a direction in general.
- How do you say “boat” in Kazakh?
A small boat. The ship is a different word and a different size.
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 “free seat” in Kazakh?
«бос орын» (bos oryn), read “bos oryn”. In a live sentence: “Артта бос орын бар ма?” (Artta bos oryn bar ma) — Is there a free seat in the back? You can hear how it sounds right on this page. Noun, level A1, from the set “transport”; written with the characters б, о, с, о, р, ы, н.
How is “бос орын” (bos oryn) written in Latin letters?
bos oryn. This is a practical spelling — you need it to read aloud and be understood, not to meet an academic standard.
Why does this word look the way it does?
The word means both "empty" and "free". With a tail the narrow vowel drops. 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 this 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.