LingoflyБос
“Бос” (Bos) — empty in Kazakh. Adjective, level A2, topic — basic words. The same word as free: an empty spot and free time are one in Kazakh; a vacant seat and an empty seat are both it, and empty words keep it too. In a live sentence: “Тоңазытқыш мүлдем бос тұр” (Toñazytqysh müldem bos tūr) — The fridge stands completely empty. You can hear how it sounds right here. Written with the characters Б, о, с.
In short
| Written in Kazakh | Бос (Bos) |
| Read in Latin letters | Bos |
| Translation | empty |
| Part of speech | adjective |
| Level | A2 |
Why it looks that way
the same word as free: an empty spot and free time are one in Kazakh; a vacant seat and an empty seat are both it, and empty words keep it too
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: basic words
Yes, no, good, bad, very. The small change of a language — and no sentence assembles without it.
- ИәIäyesä is like the e in "met", but wider: iy-E
- ЖоқZhoqnoThe same word means "there is not": su zhoq is "there is no water". It is the negative partner of bar, "there is".
- ЖақсыZhaqsygood, wellThe standard answer to "how are you?". One word serves as adverb and adjective alike: zhaqsy adam is "a good person".
- ЖаманZhamanbad, badlyLike zhaqsy, one word for adjective and adverb: zhaman kun is "a bad day", zhaman boldy is "it went badly".
- Өте жақсыÖte zhaqsyvery well"Ote" means "very" and always stands right before the word it boosts.
- ЖәнеZhäneandA bookish conjunction joining words and sentences alike. In living speech "men" often stands in its place: "agham men epkem" — brother and sister.
- БірақBiraqbutStands at the head of the second part: "bilemin, birak aitpaimyn" — I know, but I will not say. The bookish replacement is "alaida".
- ЖартыZhartyhalf"Zharty keli" is half a kilo, and "zharty sagat" is half an hour: the word works with weight and with time alike.
- Тағы бірTağy birone more"Taghy" is "more", "bir" is "one". At the table this asks for a second helping: "taghy bir kese" — one more cup.
- ЖетедіZhetediit is enoughFrom "zhetu", "to reach, to suffice". Literally "it will reach", that is, it will do.
Test yourself
Five questions from the same set — “basic words”. Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than knowing a familiar word on sight, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “empty” in Kazakh?
the same word as free: an empty spot and free time are one in Kazakh; a vacant seat and an empty seat are both it, and empty words keep it too
- How do you say “but” in Kazakh?
Stands at the head of the second part: "bilemin, birak aitpaimyn" — I know, but I will not say. The bookish replacement is "alaida".
- How do you say “good, well” in Kazakh?
The standard answer to "how are you?". One word serves as adverb and adjective alike: zhaqsy adam is "a good person".
- How do you say “it is enough” in Kazakh?
From "zhetu", "to reach, to suffice". Literally "it will reach", that is, it will do.
- How do you say “and” in Kazakh?
A bookish conjunction joining words and sentences alike. In living speech "men" often stands in its place: "agham men epkem" — brother and sister.
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 “empty” in Kazakh?
«Бос» (Bos), read “Bos”. In a live sentence: “Тоңазытқыш мүлдем бос тұр” (Toñazytqysh müldem bos tūr) — The fridge stands completely empty. You can hear how it sounds right on this page. Adjective, level A2, from the set “basic words”; written with the characters Б, о, с.
How is “Бос” (Bos) written in Latin letters?
Bos. 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 same word as free: an empty spot and free time are one in Kazakh; a vacant seat and an empty seat are both it, and empty words keep it too. 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.