Language/Kirghiz/Grammar/How-to-Use-Be

Kirghiz Grammar - How to Use "Be"

Hi Kirghiz learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will focus on how to use the verb "be" in Kirghiz. Knowing how to properly use this verb is essential to form sentences and express ideas in Kirghiz. We will go through the different forms of "be", how to use them in different contexts, and some fun facts about the language along the way.

So let's get started! 🚀

"Be" in Kirghiz

In Kirghiz, "be" is expressed through the verb "бол-" (bol-). This verb is irregular, and it changes depending on the subject and tense. Here are the different forms of "бол-" (bol-) in the present tense:

Subject	Verb form	Pronunciation	English
I	болуу	bo-lu	am
You (singular)	болосуң	bo-lo-sung	are
He/She/It	болот	bo-lot	is
We	болобуз	bo-lo-buz	are
You (plural)	болосуңуз	bo-lo-su-nuz	are
They	болдор	bo-l-dor	are

As you can see, the verb form changes based on the subject. Note that "бол-" (bol-) is usually omitted in the present tense, except for emphasis or to form a question.

Let's see some examples:

• Менин атым Айжан. Мен болуум. (Menin atym Ayjan. Men boluum.) - My name is Ayjan. I am.

• Сен жакшысың. Сен болосуң. (Sen jakshysyng. Sen bolosung.) - You're good. You are.

• Ол кайра келди. Ол болот. (Ol kaira keldi. Ol bolot.) - They came back. They are.

• Бизге помощь керек. Биз болобуз. (Bizge pomosh cherek. Biz bolobuz.) - We need help. We are.

How to Use "Be"

Now that you know the forms of "бол-" (bol-) in the present tense, let's see how to use them in different contexts.

Identification

To identify someone or something, you can use the present tense of "бол-" (bol-) with a noun or pronoun. For example:

• Бул китеп. Ол барабы. (Bul kitep. Ol baraby.) - This is a book. It is mine.

• Алар балабы. Олар болдор. (Alar balaby. Olar boldor.) - They are kids. They are.

Location

To express location, you can use the present tense of "бол-" (bol-) with a locative noun, such as "торго" (torho - table), "деректерде" (derhkterde - in documents), or "жерде" (jerde - on the ground). For example:

• Менин китеп торгоос жакта. Менин китеби болот. (Menin kitep torgoos jakta. Menin kitebi bolot.) - My book is on the table. It is.

• Бул документтерде сакталган. Олар болдор. (Bul dokumentterde sakhtalgan. Olar boldor.) - They are stored in the documents. They are.

• Ал жерден жүрөө баштады. Ол болот. (Al jerden juroo bashtady. Ol bolot.) - He started walking from the ground. He is.

Nationality and Profession

To express nationality or profession, you can use the present tense of "бол-" (bol-) with a noun or a pronoun. For example:

• Мен Кыргызмын. Мен болуум. (Men Kyrgyzmyn. Men boluum.) - I'm Kyrgyz. I am.

• Ол доктор. Ол болот. (Ol doktor. Ol bolot.) - He is a doctor. He is.

Emphasis

Sometimes, you might want to stress that something is happening or that something is what it is. In those cases, you can use "бол-" (bol-) to emphasize it. For example:

• Келечек болсо, он беш каттан көп. (Kelechek bols, on besh kattan kop.) - If it's tomorrow, it's more than fifteen days.

• Мен болгондомду кайтып келдим. (Men bolgondomdu kaityp keldim.) - I came back being me.

Fun Facts

Kirghiz is a Turkic language spoken in Kyrgyzstan and some parts of China, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan. It's the official language of Kyrgyzstan and has nearly 6 million speakers worldwide.

The Kirghiz language has been written in several different scripts throughout history, including the Arabic alphabet, the Latin alphabet, and the Cyrillic alphabet, which is the current official script.

Kirghiz is closely related to other Turkic languages, such as Kazakh, Uzbek, and Turkish. It shares many similarities with these languages, such as vocabulary, grammar, and syntax.

Practice Dialogue

Here is a dialogue in Kirghiz to help you practice using "бол-" (bol-) in context.

• Person 1: Алар көп байланыштын. (Alar kop baylanyshtyn.) - They have many connections.
• Person 2: Алар биздин келүүчү жарнамада болгондор. (Alar bizdin kelüüchü jarnamada bolgondor.) - They were in our TV ad.
• Person 1: Өзүң болушуң керек. (Özüng bolushung kerek.) - You need to speak.
• Person 2: Магазинде жашы бир кыз болдор. (Magazinde jashy bir kyz boldor.) - There was a young girl in the shop.

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