LingoflyКей-кейде
- Кей-кейдеKei-keideonce in a while
“Кей-кейде” (Kei-keide) — once in a while in Kazakh. Adverb, level B1, topic — time, days and hours. The doubled some word: now and then, rarer still; anda-sanda means from time to time, and sirek means rarely. In a live sentence: “Кей-кейде ауылға барып тұрамын” (Kei-keide auylğa baryp tūramyn) — Once in a while I drive out to the village. You can hear how it sounds right here. Written with the characters К, е, й, к, е, й, д, е.
In short
| Written in Kazakh | Кей-кейде (Kei-keide) |
| Read in Latin letters | Kei-keide |
| Translation | once in a while |
| Part of speech | adverb |
| Level | B1 |
Why it looks that way
the doubled some word: now and then, rarer still; anda-sanda means from time to time, and sirek means rarely
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.
- Кей-кейде ауылға барып тұрамынKei-keide auylğa baryp tūramynOnce in a while I drive out to the village
Nearby words: time, days and hours
Today, tomorrow, in the morning, at six. You cannot arrange to meet without these — let alone understand the answer.
- СағатSağathourThe same word means "clock", wrist or wall: "qol sagaty" is a wristwatch. "Sagat neshe?" is "what time is it?".
- КүнKündayThe same word means "sun", as in many Turkic languages: the luminary and the day it measures share a name. When you need the luminary itself, it is "kun kozi".
- БүгінBügintoday"Bul", "this", plus "kun", "day": the two fuse into one word.
- ЕртеңErteñtomorrowDo not confuse with "ertemen", "early in the morning": the root "erte", "early", is shared, but the meanings have drifted apart.
- КешеKesheyesterdayDo not confuse with "kesh", "evening": one letter moves a whole day.
- КешKesheveningAlso "late": "kesh boldy" is both "it got late" and "evening has come". One root in "keshke", "in the evening", and "keshikti", "was late".
- ТүнTünnightThe deep night, already without light. The evening before dark is "kesh", and for Kazakh the border between them is firm.
- Сағат нешеде?Sağat neshede?at what time?"Hour", "how many", plus the where tail. Literally "at which hour".
- Кеш болып қалдыKesh bolyp qaldyit is already lateAgain that "qaldy" — "it went and became". Literally "it became late", not "it is late".
- Таңғы асTañğy asbreakfastng is an n said in the nose; gh is a throaty g on the exhale: tan-GHY as
Test yourself
Five questions from the same set — “time, days and hours”. Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than knowing a familiar word on sight, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “once in a while” in Kazakh?
the doubled some word: now and then, rarer still; anda-sanda means from time to time, and sirek means rarely
- How do you say “night” in Kazakh?
The deep night, already without light. The evening before dark is "kesh", and for Kazakh the border between them is firm.
- How do you say “today” in Kazakh?
"Bul", "this", plus "kun", "day": the two fuse into one word.
- How do you say “breakfast” in Kazakh?
"Tan" is "daybreak", "-ghy" turns it into a quality: "the morning meal". Lunch and dinner are assembled exactly the same way.
- How do you say “evening” in Kazakh?
Also "late": "kesh boldy" is both "it got late" and "evening has come". One root in "keshke", "in the evening", and "keshikti", "was late".
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 “once in a while” in Kazakh?
«Кей-кейде» (Kei-keide), read “Kei-keide”. In a live sentence: “Кей-кейде ауылға барып тұрамын” (Kei-keide auylğa baryp tūramyn) — Once in a while I drive out to the village. You can hear how it sounds right on this page. Adverb, level B1, from the set “time, days and hours”; written with the characters К, е, й, к, е, й, д, е.
How is “Кей-кейде” (Kei-keide) written in Latin letters?
Kei-keide. 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 doubled some word: now and then, rarer still; anda-sanda means from time to time, and sirek means rarely. 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.