Language/Kazakh/Grammar/Negation

Kazakh Grammar - Negation

Hi Kazakh learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will delve into the topic of negation in Kazakh grammar. When we negate a sentence, we mean to express its opposite. Negation is an essential concept in any language, and it is a crucial tool for communication. By knowing how to negate a sentence in Kazakh, you can express your thoughts and ideas more accurately. So let's get started and explore this topic in depth.

Negation Particle

In Kazakh, the negation particle used to form a negative sentence is жоq. To negate a sentence, we put the word жоq before the verb. The verb is then conjugated to agree with the subject of the sentence.

For example, let's use the verb ол ("to be"):

Kazakh	English
Ол!! He is!	Ол жоқ!! He is not!

In the above example, we added the negation particle жоқ before the verb ол ("to be") to form a negative sentence. Note that the verb is conjugated the same way as in the positive sentence.

Let's see another example with the verb қарау ("to see"):

Kazakh	English
Мен оны көрдім!! I saw him!	Мен оны көрмедім!! I did not see him!

In the above example, the negation particle ме is added to the verb көру ("to see") in its past tense form көрдім ("I saw") to form the negative past tense form көрмедім ("I did not see"), to agree with the subject мен ("I").

Negation of Nouns and Adjectives

To express negation in Kazakh for nouns and adjectives, we add the negation particle емес after the word we want to negate. The particle емес means "not" or "no".

For example, let's use the adjective үлкен ("big"):

Kazakh	English
Сенің өркенің үлкен екенін білемін!! I know that your house is big!	Сенің өркенің үлкен емес екенін білемін!! I know that your house is not big!

In the above example, we added the negation particle емес after the adjective үлкен ("big") to express negation.

Let's see another example with the noun ұсыныс ("invitation"):

Kazakh	English
Ол маған ұсыныс берді!! He invited me!	Ол маған ұсыныс бермеді!! He did not invite me!

In the above example, we added the negation particle ме after the verb беру ("to give") in its past tense form берді ("invited") to form the negative past tense form бермеді ("did not invite"), to agree with the subject ол ("he").

Double Negation

In Kazakh grammar, it is common to use double negation, which is the use of two negative words in a sentence. This is a grammatically correct form of negation in Kazakh and is used to emphasize negation or denial.

For example:

Kazakh	English
Ол менен болмайды!! He will not come with me!	Ол менен жоқ болатындай болып отыр!! He is not coming with me!

In the above example, we used the negation particle жоқ to form the negative sentence, and also added the negation particle болмайды to emphasize negation.

Let's see another example:

Kazakh	English
Сол лауазымның тереңі емес!! This soup is not spicy!	Сол лауазымның тереңі солт емес екенін ұмытмаймын!! This soup is not just not spicy, but also not salty!

In the above example, we added the negation particle емес after the adjective терең ("spicy") to express negation, and also used the negation particle солт to emphasize negation.

Dialogue

• Person 1: Сіз Туркіяда жұмыс істедін бе? (Did you work in Turkey?)
• Person 2: Жоқ, мен Туркіяда жұмыс істемедім. (No, I did not work in Turkey.)

• Person 1: Жинақты кешігіңізге барған жоқ пе? (Did you not go to the party last night?)
• Person 2: Емес, мен жинаққа бардым. (No, I went to the party.)

Conclusion

Negation is a fundamental concept in Kazakh grammar. By understanding negation, you can express the opposite of a sentence and better communicate your ideas. To improve your Kazakh Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions! Don't forget to explore our Grammar section for more lessons.

Keep learning and practicing! 🙂

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Sources

• Kazakh language
• Kazakh grammar