Language/Kirghiz/Vocabulary/Telling-Time

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Kirghiz → Vocabulary → 0 to A1 Course → Telling Time

In today's lesson, we're diving into an essential aspect of daily life that connects us all: telling time. Knowing how to ask for and express the time in Kirghiz will not only enhance your conversational skills but also deepen your understanding of the culture and context in which this beautiful language is spoken.

Time is a fundamental part of our everyday routines—whether we're scheduling a meeting, planning a meal, or catching up with friends. As you embark on this journey to learn Kirghiz, mastering the vocabulary and phrases related to telling time will empower you to engage more meaningfully with native speakers.

In this lesson, we will cover the following topics:

• Understanding the basic vocabulary related to time

• Learning how to ask for the time

• Expressing the time in different contexts

• Exploring common time-related phrases

• Engaging in practical exercises to solidify your understanding

So, let’s get started!

Basic Vocabulary for Telling Time

Before we dive into the mechanics of telling time, let's familiarize ourselves with some essential vocabulary. Here are the key terms you'll need:

Kirghiz	Pronunciation	English
саат	saat	hour / o'clock
мүнөт	minöt	minute
секунд	sekünd	second
таң	tañ	morning
түш	tüsh	noon
кеч	kech	evening
түн	tün	night
эртең	erteng	tomorrow
кечээ	kechey	yesterday
азыр	azyr	now
жакын	jakyn	near
өтө	öte	very
убакыт	ubaqıt	time
жарым	jarım	half
толук	toluq	full
жума	juma	week
ай	ay	month
жыл	jıl	year

These words will form the building blocks of our conversation about time.

Asking for the Time

When you're in a situation where you need to ask for the time, there are a couple of polite ways to do so. Here are some examples:

Kirghiz	Pronunciation	English
Сизде саат канча?	Sizde saat kancha?	What time is it?
Сизге саат кандай?	Sizge saat kanday?	How is the time?
Саатты айта аласызбы?	Saatty ayta alasyzby?	Can you tell me the time?

These phrases will help you initiate a conversation about time!

Expressing the Time

Telling the time in Kirghiz follows a straightforward structure. Here’s how you can express different times:

1. Full Hours: To say the hour, simply state the number followed by "саат" (saat).

• Example: Саат үч (Saat üch) - It's 3 o'clock.

2. Minutes: For minutes, you can use the format "саат [hour] [minutes]" or "саат [hour] [minutes] өттү" (ötty) for “past”.

• Example: Саат төрт мүнөт беш (Saat tört minöt besh) - It's 4 hours and 5 minutes.

3. Half Hours: When it's half past the hour, you can say "саат [hour] жарым".

• Example: Саат алты жарым (Saat alty jarım) - It's half past 6.

4. Quarter Hours: For quarter past or quarter to, use "саат [hour] чейинки" (cheyinki) for "to" and "саат [hour] чейин" (cheyin) for "past".

• Example: Саат беш чейинки (Saat besh cheyinki) - It's quarter to 5.

• Example: Саат төрт чейин (Saat tört cheyin) - It's quarter past 4.

Now, let’s put this into practice with more examples:

Kirghiz	Pronunciation	English
Саат бир	Saat bir	It's 1 o'clock.
Саат эки	Saat eki	It's 2 o'clock.
Саат үч жарым	Saat üch jarım	It's half past 3.
Саат төрт мүнөт он	Saat tört minöt on	It's 4 hours and 10 minutes.
Саат беш чейинки	Saat besh cheyinki	It's quarter to 5.
Саат алты чейин	Saat alty cheyin	It's quarter past 6.
Саат жети жарым	Saat jeti jarım	It's half past 7.
Саат сегиз	Saat segiz	It's 8 o'clock.
Саат тогуз мүнөт үч	Saat toguz minöt üch	It's 9 hours and 3 minutes.
Саат он жарым	Saat on jarım	It's half past 10.

Common Time-Related Phrases

To enhance your conversational skills, here are some common phrases related to time:

Kirghiz	Pronunciation	English
Азыр эмне?	Azyr emne?	What is the time now?
Чоңдор үчүн саат канча?	Chondor üchün saat kancha?	What time is it for adults?
Убакытты текшерип койсоңуз болотпу?	Ubaqıtty tekşerip koysoñuz bolotmu?	Could you check the time?
Кечинде жолугушабызбы?	Kechinde jolugushabyzby?	Shall we meet in the evening?
Эртеңки саат жети менен жети жарымда жолугушабыз.	Erteñki saat jeti menen jeti jarımda jolugushabyz.	We will meet tomorrow at 7 to 7:30.
Сиздин саатыңыз туурабы?	Sizdin saatıñız turabı?	Is your watch correct?
Түнү 11де уктоого жатам.	Tünü 11de uqtogo jatatım.	I'm going to sleep at 11 at night.
Кечээ саат үчтө жолугуштук.	Keche sa'at üch'tö jolugushtuk.	We met yesterday at 3 o'clock.
Убакыт өтүп баратат.	Ubaqıt ötip baratat.	Time is passing by.
Жумадан кийин канча саат?	Juma'dan keyin kancha saat?	What time is it after Friday?

These phrases will come in handy in various situations.

Practice Exercises

To solidify your understanding of telling time in Kirghiz, let’s move on to some exercises. These activities will help reinforce what you've learned.

Exercise 1: Fill in the Blanks

Fill in the blanks with the correct words from the vocabulary list provided earlier.

1. Саат ______ (one) - It's 1 o'clock.

2. Саат ______ (five) жарым - It's half past 5.

3. ______ (what) саат канча? - What time is it?

4. Саат ______ (seven) ______ (five) - It's 7 hours and 5 minutes.

5. Эртең ______ (morning) канча саат? - What time is it tomorrow morning?

Solutions:

1. бир (bir)

2. беш (besh)

3. Эмне (Emne)

4. жети (jeti), беш (besh)

5. таң (tañ)

Exercise 2: Matching Phrases

Match the Kirghiz phrases to their English translations.

1. Сизде саат канча?

2. Азыр эмне?

3. Кечинде жолугушабызбы?

4. Саат төрт мүнөт он.

5. Убакытты текшерип койсоңуз болотпу?

a. What is the time now?

b. Could you check the time?

c. What time is it?

d. Shall we meet in the evening?

e. It's 4 hours and 10 minutes.

Solutions:

1 - c

2 - a

3 - d

4 - e

5 - b

Exercise 3: Telling Time

Write the time in Kirghiz for the following times:

1. 2:15

2. 6:30

3. 3:45

4. 8:05

5. 10:20

Solutions:

1. Саат эки чейин (Saat eki cheyin) - It's a quarter past 2.

2. Саат алты жарым (Saat alty jarım) - It’s half past 6.

3. Саат төрт чейинки (Saat tört cheyinki) - It's a quarter to 4.

4. Саат сегиз мүнөт беш (Saat segiz minöt besh) - It's 8 hours and 5 minutes.

5. Саат он мүнөт жети (Saat on minöt jeti) - It’s 10 hours and 20 minutes.

Exercise 4: Create Sentences

Use the words provided to create sentences in Kirghiz.

1. (you / time / what) - Сизде саат канча?

2. (I / go to sleep / at / 11) - Мен түнү 11де уктоого жатам.

3. (meet / evening / we) - Биз кечинде жолугушабыз.

4. (yesterday / we / met / at / 3) - Биз кечээ саат үчтө жолугуштук.

5. (check / time / please) - Убакытты текшерип койсоңуз болотпу?

Exercise 5: Time Conversion

Convert the following times into Kirghiz.

1. 9:00 → ______

2. 12:45 → ______

3. 1:30 → ______

4. 7:15 → ______

5. 4:50 → ______

Solutions:

1. Саат тогуз (Saat toguz) - It’s 9 o'clock.

2. Саат он эки чейинки (Saat on eki cheyinki) - It's a quarter to 1.

3. Саат бир жарым (Saat bir jarım) - It’s half past 1.

4. Саат жети чейин (Saat jeti cheyinki) - It's a quarter past 7.

5. Саат төрт мүнөт беш (Saat dört minöt besh) - It's 4 hours and 50 minutes.

Exercise 6: Role Play

In pairs, practice asking and telling the time using the phrases learned in this lesson. One student asks for the time while the other responds. Switch roles.

Exercise 7: Listening Exercise

Listen to a native speaker telling the time and write down what you hear. Then, translate it into English.

Exercise 8: Time Quiz

Create a quiz for your classmates about telling time in Kirghiz. Include questions about both vocabulary and practical applications.

Exercise 9: Dialogue Creation

Create a short dialogue between two friends discussing their plans for the day, including what time they will meet.

Exercise 10: Time Journal

For one week, write down your daily activities and the times you do them in Kirghiz. This will help reinforce your learning and create a practical connection to the language.

As you practice these exercises, remember that repetition is key to mastering any language. Don’t hesitate to revisit the vocabulary and phrases regularly!

In conclusion, knowing how to tell time in Kirghiz opens up a world of possibilities for communication. It’s a gateway to conversations that can lead to deeper connections and understanding of the culture. I hope you enjoyed this lesson, and I encourage you to keep practicing!

Table of Contents - Kirghiz Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Greetings and Introductions

• Basic Greetings
• Introducing Yourself

  ---

Basic Sentence Structure

• Subject-Object-Verb Order
• Negation

  ---

Numbers and Time

• Cardinal Numbers
• Ordinal Numbers
• Telling Time

  ---

Nouns and Pronouns

• Noun Cases
• Personal Pronouns
• Possessive Pronouns

  ---

Family and Relationships

• Family Members
• Relationship Status

  ---

Verbs and Tenses

• Present Tense
• Past Tense
• Future Tense

  ---

Food and Dining

• Meals and Ingredients
• Ordering at a Restaurant

  ---

Kirghiz Customs and Traditions

• Holidays and Celebrations
• Traditional Clothing

  ---

Travel and Transportation

• Modes of Transportation
• Asking for Directions

  ---

Adjectives and Adverbs

• Adjective Agreement
• Comparative and Superlative

  ---

Weather and Seasons

• Seasons
• Weather Conditions

  ---

Kirghiz Literature and Music

• Famous Writers and Poets
• Traditional Music and Instruments

Sources

• Kirghiz - Definition, Meaning & Synonyms | Vocabulary.com

Other Lessons

• Time
• Vegetables
• Drinks
• Climate
• Geography
• Colors
• Education
• Health
• Basic Greetings

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