Language/Tatar/Grammar/Gender

Tatar Grammar - Gender

Hi Tatar learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will focus on one important aspect of Tatar grammar – gender. We will explore the concept of gender and how it is reflected in noun declension, adjectives, and pronouns. We will also highlight some interesting facts and cultural information along the way. By the end of this lesson, you will be able to use gender correctly in your Tatar sentences.

Introduction

Gender is a grammatical category used to classify nouns, adjectives, and pronouns as masculine, feminine, or neuter. Like many other languages, Tatar also has gender. In Tatar, gender is indicated by the endings of the word. Knowing the gender of a word is important because it affects the form of other words around it.

Masculine Gender

In Tatar, masculine gender is indicated by the endings -ы, -е, -ө, -у, -ү, - I, -ЛӘ, -РӘ. Let's look at some examples:

Tatar	Pronunciation	English
ул	ul	he
башкар	başqar	director
апа	apa	father
шәхәр	şәhәr	city

As you can see, the masculine gender endings are quite varied. It's important to memorize the gender of a word when learning new vocabulary so that you know which endings to use when declensing adjectives and pronouns.

Examples

• Person 1: Ул кызык. (He is busy.)
• Person 2: Башкар чоң имтиханга бәйләнешегез. (The director will meet you at the main entrance.)

Feminine Gender

In Tatar, feminine gender is indicated by the endings -а, -ә, -я, -е, -ө. Let's look at some examples:

Tatar	Pronunciation	English
әйән	äyän	mother
ярдәмче	yardämçe	nurse
мәртәбә	märtäbä	rank

As with masculine gender, feminine gender endings are also varied. But unlike masculine gender, feminine gender words often end in a vowel.

Examples

• Person 1: Әйәнен йарамаңыз. (Go with your mother.)
• Person 2: Ярдәмчене тамак ечәйгез. (Don't eat the nurse's food.)

Neuter Gender

In Tatar, neuter gender is represented by the endings -чәк, -чәү, -хән, -дән, -дөн. This gender is less common in Tatar but it's important to recognize it when you encounter it. Let's look at some examples:

Tatar	Pronunciation	English
калчаҡ	kalçaq	alley
улт	ult	people
кичкенчек	kiçkençek	kitten

Notice that neuter gender endings also are varied. The neuter gender is often used to refer to things, places or concepts rather than people or animals.

Examples

• Person 1: Калчаҡка, бәхәмаҡты йәйәгез. (Let's go to the alley and have a picnic.)
• Person 2: Ултта, киләчәк активлек сорауы булыргаңыз. (In public, ask neutral questions.)

Adjectives

In Tatar, adjectives agree in gender and in number with the nouns they modify. This means that the endings of adjectives change depending on the gender of the noun. Here's an example:

Tatar	Pronunciation	English
агач	ağaç	tree
тыңлы	tıñlı	high
үзе	üzä	face
ачык	açıq	open
Кисәгә, беренче квартала күчкә модалы булган җан итеп, бул монументның ачык бәйләнешен күтәйәк.	Kisäge, berençä kwartala küçkä modalı bulğan can itep, bul monümentnıñ açıq bäylänäşen küteyäk.	In the winter, after walking through the first quarter of the street, we waited for the opening of this monument. (masculine gender) In the example above, the masculine gender noun (квартала) takes the adjective тыңлы also in the masculine form (no additional endings). Let's look at the feminine and the neuter gender examples: Tatar Pronunciation English гөзәл gözäl beautiful сәнәлә sänälä clever Гөйөтә №5-нә мәгәрәфәт сәнәлә булган. Göyötä №5-nä mägeräft sänälä bulğan. In the fifth grade she was a distinguished student. (feminine gender) чуңғыш çüñğış noisy үзлек üzlek interesting Үзлек килемнәре кер. Üzlek kilemnäre ker. Interesting carpets. (neuter gender) Pronouns Tatar pronouns also agree in gender with the nouns they replace. Let's look at some examples: Tatar Pronunciation English ул ul he әе äyä she бы bı it You must always know the gender of the person, object, or animal when replacing the noun with a pronoun. Examples Person 1: Айшә нәрсә гыйбәт итептә? (What is Aysha gossiping about?) Person 2: Ол, ул иң җамгырлы булган язма, яктырак. (She is criticizing the book, which he likes a lot.) Cultural Information Tatar is the official language of Tatarstan, a republic located in the Russian Federation. With about 5.5 million speakers, Tatar is one of the minority languages in Russia. Tatar language is a Turkic language closely related to Turkish, Azerbaijani, and Kazakh. Fun fact: Tatarstan is the birthplace of the famous Soviet and Russian singer, Muslim Magomayev. He is known for his unique baritone voice and was awarded numerous Soviet and Russian awards. Conclusion In this lesson, we covered the basics of gender in Tatar grammar. We looked at how gender affects noun declension, adjectives, and pronouns. Make sure to memorize the gender of new vocabulary so that you can use it correctly in sentences. Remember that adjectives and pronouns must agree in gender and number with the noun they modify or replace. To improve your Tatar Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions! ➡ 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. 😎 Sources Tatar Language Tatarstan Muslim Magomayev