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

Tatar Grammar - How to Use "Be"

Hi Tatar learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn how to use "be" in Tatar. This is an intermediate level lesson, so if you are a beginner, don't worry. We will start with some basic concepts before moving on to more advanced ones. By the end of this lesson, you will be able to use "be" in every tense and form. Let's get started!

Once you've mastered this lesson, take a look at these related pages: How to Use Have & 0 to A1 Course.

What is "be" in Tatar

"Be" is an auxiliary verb that we use to create the present tense, past tense, and progressive (continuous) tense. In Tatar, "be" is translated as "бул" (bul). The verb "бул" is always in the third person singular form regardless of the subject. We will see this in more detail later on.

Present Tense

To create the present tense, we use the verb "бул" followed by the predicate. The predicate is the part of the sentence that describes the subject or tells us what the subject does. The predicate can be a noun, an adjective, or a verb.

Let's see some examples:

Tatar	Pronunciation	English
Мин башкача.	Min başqaca.	I am a student.
Сез китап окасыз.	Sez kitap okasız.	You are not reading a book.
Ул идет.	Ul idet.	He/She is walking.
Безне дөнья тура барып торышы керек.	Beznä dön'ä tura barıp torışı kerek.	We need to be honest in this world.
Сез күләгә мәгълүмат җибәрә ярыйсыз.	Sez küläğä mäğlümät cibärä yarıysız.	You are listening to music without headphones.
Алар дансын йөрәт.	Alar dansın yöret.	They are dancing.

As you can see in the examples, the verb "бул" is always in the third person singular form, and the predicate can be a noun, an adjective, or a verb. Let's move on to the past tense.

Past Tense

To create the past tense, we use the verb "бул" in its past form, which is "булды" (buldı), followed by the predicate. Again, the predicate can be a noun, an adjective, or a verb.

Let's see some examples:

Tatar	Pronunciation	English
Мин башлаган шәхес едим.	Min başlağan şähəs edim.	I was a beginner.
Сез китап окаясызды.	Sez kitap okayasızdı.	You did not read a book.
Ул бар күчтәрен куртып кеткән.	Ul bar küçtären kurtıp ketkän.	He/She went home tired.
Без ярсыйдык.	Bez yarsıydık.	We were hungry.
Сез телефоннарды чакырак мәшгул идем.	Sez telefonnardı çakırak mäşğul idem.	You were busy checking your phone.
Алар спортзалда булды.	Alar sportzalda buldı.	They were at the gym.

Again, we see that the verb "бул" is always in the third person singular form, but this time in the past form "булды". Let's move on to the progressive (continuous) tense.

Progressive (Continuous) Tense

To create the progressive (continuous) tense, we use the verb "бул" in the present tense followed by the auxiliary verb "йокы" (yokı), which means "not". Then we add the gerund form of the main verb. The gerund form of the verb is created by adding "-ган" (-gan) to the stem of the verb. Note that the gerund form is always in the third person singular form.

Let's see some examples:

Tatar	Pronunciation	English
Мин әйел табигача йокы кеш куган.	Min äyel tabiğaça yokı keş kuğan.	I am not sleeping early today because I am talking to my wife.
Сез үңғушылыкка тез җавап вәрәҗек йокы итәрсез.	Sez üñğuşılıqqa tez cawap väräcäk yokı itärsez.	You won't be responding fast to messages because you are going to a concert.
Ул китап окаябый китап язып итә.	Ul kitap okayabıy kitap yazıp itä.	He/She is not reading a boring book, but writing a book.
Без газета укыябыз эшләргә йокы батхат ечәге күчергә түгерәк.	Bez gazeta ukıyabız äşlärgä yokı batxat yöçäge küçärgä tügeräk.	We won't be reading the newspaper, but walking to the park tomorrow morning.
Сез сказка укуясыз гузгын утый.	Sez skazka ukuyasız guzgın utıy.	You are not reading a fairy tale, but watching a horror movie.
Алар бәхәрде көтерелмән яшәргә йокы.	Alar bähärdä köterelmän yaşärgä yokы.	They are not sunbathing, but swimming.

As you can see, the present tense of "бул" is used, followed by "йокы" (not), and then the gerund form of the main verb.

Dialogue

Person 1: Мин кафеһанәда булдым. (Min kafehanädä buldım.)
(I was at the café.)
Person 2: Кафеһанә мины сырсындырган местә булды? (Kafehanä minı sırsındırğan mästä buldı?)
(Was the café the place where you got lost?)
Person 1: Йок, мин юлдағыр түгерәк бардыйм. (Yok, min yuldagır tügeräk bardıym.)
(No, I was just passing by.)
Person 2: Әйгәтип, сез өчен гөзәл дөнья үзәрен үзегез? (Äygätip, sez öçän gözäl dön'ä üzären üzägäz?)
(By the way, are you looking at the beautiful world?)
Person 1: Өчен булдым, ал бу белән монна калдым. (Öçän buldım, al bulan monna kaldım.)
(I was looking but got stuck with this problem.)

Conclusion

That's it for this lesson! We have learned how to use "be" in Tatar for the present tense, past tense, and progressive (continuous) tense. Remember that the verb "бул" is always in the third person singular form, and the predicate can be a noun, an adjective, or a verb. To improve your Tatar grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

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➡ If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.
➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎

Upon wrapping up this lesson, take a look at these related pages: Conjunctions & Personal pronouns.

Other Lessons

• Adjectives
• Personal pronouns
• Questions
• Plurals
• Give your Opinion
• Conditional Mood
• Nouns
• Pronouns
• How to Use Have

Sources

• Tatar language - Wikipedia
• TATAR GRAMMAR
• Tatar Grammar - How to Use "Be"

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