Language/Kazakh/Grammar/Questions

Kazakh Grammar - How to Ask Questions

Hi Kazakh learners! 😊
In today's lesson, we will be discussing how to ask questions in the Kazakh language. Asking questions is an important part of any language, and it is essential to understand the rules and structure of Kazakh questions in order to communicate effectively.

Summary

This lesson on Kazakh grammar focuses on how to ask questions in the Kazakh language. The basic question structure is similar to English, with the subject followed by the verb and object. Yes/no questions are formed by adding the particle "-pa" to the end of the sentence, while wh-questions use appropriate wh-words at the beginning of the sentence. Other question structures include tag questions and negative questions. With practice, learners can confidently and accurately ask questions in Kazakh.

Basic Question Structure

The basic structure of a question in Kazakh is very similar to English. The subject of the sentence comes first, followed by the verb, and then the object. For example:

• Men ne isteymin? (What do I want?)

• Sen nege keldin? (Why did you come?)

• Ol kim? (Who is he/she?)
• Sen neme jasapty? (What did you do?)
• Biz neden barayyn? (Why are we going?)
• Siz qalay? (How are you?)
• Oqshaq kimeshe? (Whose backpack is this?)
• Qayerde turasiz? (Where are you staying?)
• Ushin kimge telefon qilasan? (Who are you calling for?)

Remember, in these examples, the subject comes first, followed by the verb, and then the object.

Yes/No Questions

Yes/no questions are formed by adding the particle -pa to the end of the sentence. For example:

• Sen keldin-pa? (Did you come?)
• Sen isteysiz-pa? (Do you want?)

• Ol kitap okyp-ti? (Did he/she read the book?)
• Biz oyun oynap-tymyz-ba? (Are we playing a game?)
• Siz tauar jazyp-tymyz-ba? (Did you write the report?)
• Ushin zholdap-ti-mi? (Did they take the road?)
• Sen qalam bar-ma? (Don't you have a pen?)
• Ol shash parasy bar-ma? (Does he/she have six coins?)
• Biz tamaq iistemiz-ba? (Do we want food?)

In each of these examples, the particle "-pa" is added to the end of the sentence to indicate a yes/no question.

Wh-Questions

Wh-questions are formed by adding the appropriate wh-word at the beginning of the sentence. For example:

• Neye isteymin? (What do I want?)
• Kenege keldin? (To whom did you come?)

• Kim kelip-ke shymkentke barady? (Who went to Shymkent?)
• Qalay zhurek tayinlasa alamyz? (How can we prepare the heart?)
• Qai turaly jazyp bermektisiz? (What do you want to write about?)
• Kaysynan kashan kete alamyz? (When can we leave for Kaysyn?)
• Kainan shai nedin turady? (What kind of tea is Kainan?)
• Qalay bolyp sauskesiz? (How are you feeling?)
• Qalada qaysi teatirdi korip-ti? (Which theater did you see in Almaty?)

In each of these examples, the appropriate wh-word is added at the beginning of the sentence to indicate the type of question being asked.

Other Question Structures

In addition to the basic question structure, there are several other ways to form questions in Kazakh.

Tag Questions

Tag questions are formed by adding the particle -ma to the end of the sentence. For example:

• Sen keldin-ma? (You came, right?)
• Sen isteysiz-ma? (You don't want, do you?)

• Ol universitette okuytyma? (He studied at the university, didn't he?)
• Siz muzikalyqta qatystyqta? (You attended the musical, right?)
• Bizda mashina bar, jaly kerek-mi? (We have a car, we need to go by it, don't we?)
• Senge elimdeki bolashaqtar zhandan kerek-mi? (You need the help of the doctors in my hands, don't you?)
• Siz oqshatta okumasyz, javab bereseniz? (You haven't studied in school, would you answer?)
• Ol saudada islep turatyn, jaksy eken? (He works in trade, it's good, isn't it?)
• Biz telefon nomerdi malymattarga qoyamyz, kerek-mi? (We need to give the phone number to the customers, don't we?)

In each of these examples, the particle "-ma" is added to the end of the sentence to indicate a tag question.

Negative Questions

Negative questions are formed by adding the particle -ma to the end of the sentence and using the negative form of the verb. For example:

• Sen kelmeysiz-mi? (You didn't come, did you?)
• Sen istemeymiz-mi? (We don't want, do we?)

• Ol okumasyz-ma? (He didn't study, did he?)
• Siz birge kelmey-ma? (You didn't come together, did you?)
• Biz qabandyqqa tegilmey-miz-ma? (We're not going to the concert, are we?)
• Sen qarighanda yurup jatasyz-ma? (You're not going to walk in the snow, are you?)
• Ol okymas-ma? (She didn't read, did she?)
• Siz kazir ushin almadyz-ma? (You didn't buy it for now, did you?)
• Bizdamyz baqytnyn kazhety bermey-ma? (We're not giving the money back, are we?)

In each of these examples, the particle "-ma" is added to the end of the sentence along with the negative form of the verb to indicate a negative question.

Conclusion

Asking questions in Kazakh is not difficult once you understand the basic structure and the various ways to form questions. With practice, you will be able to ask questions confidently and accurately.

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Related Lessons

• Consonants
• Past Tense (ӨТКЕН ШАҚ)
• Plurals
• Negation
• Pronouns
• Conditional Mood
• Future Tense
• Nouns
• Adjectives