Language/Kirghiz/Grammar/Past-Tense

◀️ Present Tense — Previous Lesson

Next Lesson — Future Tense ▶️

Kirghiz → Grammar → 0 to A1 Course → Past Tense

Welcome to the Kirghiz Grammar lesson on the Past Tense! Today, we’ll embark on a fascinating journey into the realm of past actions in the Kirghiz language. Understanding the past tense is crucial for effective communication, as it allows you to express experiences, narrate stories, and share memories.

In this lesson, you will learn how to conjugate verbs in the past tense and create affirmative, negative, and interrogative sentences. We’ll provide a variety of examples to solidify your understanding, followed by engaging exercises to practice what you’ve learned.

Get ready to dive into the structure of the past tense in Kirghiz, and by the end of this lesson, you will feel confident forming sentences that describe actions that have already occurred.

Importance of the Past Tense in Kirghiz

The past tense is a vital component of any language, allowing us to communicate not just what is happening now, but also what has happened before. In Kirghiz, mastering the past tense opens the door to richer conversations and storytelling.

Structure of the Lesson

1. Introduction to the Past Tense

2. Conjugation of Verbs in the Past Tense

3. Affirmative Sentences

4. Negative Sentences

5. Interrogative Sentences

6. Examples

7. Exercises

8. Solutions and Explanations

Introduction to the Past Tense

In Kirghiz, the past tense serves to indicate actions that have been completed. To form the past tense, we typically take the base form of the verb and apply certain suffixes. The exact suffix can vary depending on the verb's root and the subject performing the action.

Conjugation of Verbs in the Past Tense

To conjugate verbs in the past tense, we often append specific endings based on the subject of the sentence. Here are the common past tense suffixes:

• -ды / -ди: used for the 1st and 2nd person singular

• -ды / -ди: used for the 3rd person singular

• -быз / -биз: used for the 1st person plural

• -дыңар / -динер: used for the 2nd person plural

• -ды / -ди: used for the 3rd person plural

The choice of suffixes can depend on vowel harmony, which is an important aspect of Kirghiz phonetics.

Affirmative Sentences

Affirmative sentences state that something has happened. Here’s how to form them:

1. Start with the subject.

2. Follow with the verb in the past tense.

3. Add any additional information.

Here’s a simple formula:

Subject + Verb (Past Tense) + Object/Additional Info

Negative Sentences

To create negative sentences in Kirghiz, you will typically add the word "емес" (meaning "not") after the verb.

The structure is:

Subject + Verb (Past Tense) + эмес + Object/Additional Info

Interrogative Sentences

Interrogative sentences ask questions and can be formed by adding a question particle at the end of the statement. The common question particle is "бы" or "би?", which can vary based on the subject.

The structure is:

Subject + Verb (Past Tense) + бы/би?

Examples

Let's take a look at some examples of past tense conjugation in Kirghiz:

Kirghiz	Pronunciation	English
Мен бардым.	Men bardım.	I went.
Сен келдиң.	Sen keldin.	You came.
Алтын көрдү.	Altyn kördü.	Altyn saw.
Биз жеп алдык.	Biz jep aldık.	We ate.
Силер жаздыңар.	Siler jazdıngar.	You (plural) wrote.
Алар сүйлөштү.	Alar süylöshtü.	They spoke.
Мен китеп окудум.	Men kitep okudum.	I read a book.
Сен өткөрдүң.	Sen ötkördün.	You held.
Ал чеккен.	Al chekken.	He/She drank.
Биз сүрөт тарттык.	Biz süröt tarttık.	We drew a picture.
Силер ырдадыңар.	Siler yrdadınar.	You (plural) sang.
Алар иштеди.	Alar ishtedi.	They worked.
Мен үйгө бардым.	Men üygö bardım.	I went home.
Сен кино көрдүң.	Sen kino kördün.	You watched a movie.
Ал кечке чейин отурду.	Al kechke cheyin oturdu.	He/She sat until evening.
Биз топтоштук.	Biz toptoshtuq.	We gathered.
Силер китеп жаздыңар.	Siler kitep jazdıngar.	You (plural) wrote a book.
Алар муздак суу ичти.	Alar muzdak suu içti.	They drank cold water.
Мен жаңы жумушка бардым.	Men jany jumushka bardım.	I went to a new job.
Сен досторуң менен чыктың.	Sen dostoruñ menen chıktın.	You went out with your friends.

Exercises

Now that we’ve covered the essential components of the past tense, let’s put your knowledge to the test with some exercises!

Exercise 1: Conjugate the Verbs

Conjugate the following verbs in the past tense based on the subject provided.

1. (Мен) жаз (to write)

2. (Сен) көр (to see)

3. (Ал) кет (to leave)

4. (Биз) сүйлө (to speak)

5. (Силер) жеп (to eat)

Exercise 2: Form Affirmative Sentences

Create affirmative sentences using the past tense with the following subjects and verbs.

1. (Мен) сүрөт тарт (to draw a picture)

2. (Сен) китеп оку (to read a book)

3. (Ал) суу ич (to drink water)

4. (Биз) жөнөт (to send)

5. (Силер) көр (to see)

Exercise 3: Create Negative Sentences

Transform the following affirmative sentences into negative sentences.

1. Мен кино көрдүм.

2. Сен тамак жедиң.

3. Ал китеп жазды.

4. Биз мектепке бардык.

5. Силер сүйлөдүңөр.

Exercise 4: Form Interrogative Sentences

Ask questions using the past tense with the following subjects and verbs.

1. (Мен) жаз (to write)

2. (Сен) көр (to see)

3. (Ал) кет (to leave)

4. (Биз) сүйлө (to speak)

5. (Силер) жеп (to eat)

Exercise 5: Translate the Sentences

Translate the following sentences from English to Kirghiz in the past tense.

1. I went to the market.

2. You played football.

3. He learned the language.

4. We traveled to Bishkek.

5. They danced at the party.

Exercise 6: Fill in the Blanks

Complete the sentences using the correct form of the verb in the past tense.

1. Мен __________ (бара) үйгө.

2. Сен __________ (сүйлөш) доорунда.

3. Ал __________ (көр) кино.

4. Биз __________ (жаз) кат.

5. Силер __________ (жеп) торт.

Exercise 7: Create Sentences

Write your own sentences using the following prompts.

1. (Мен) жеп __________ (to eat)

2. (Силер) барған __________ (to go)

3. (Ал) сүйлөгөн __________ (to speak)

4. (Биз) көргөн __________ (to see)

5. (Сен) жазган __________ (to write)

Exercise 8: Identify the Errors

Find and correct the mistakes in the following sentences.

1. Мен бардык. (I went)

2. Сен жеп жатат. (You are eating)

3. Ал көрдү. (He saw)

4. Биз сүйлөдү. (We spoke)

5. Силер кетти. (You left)

Exercise 9: Answer the Questions

Respond to the past tense questions you formulated in Exercise 4.

1. What did you write?

2. What did you see?

3. Where did he leave?

4. What did we speak about?

5. What did you (plural) eat?

Exercise 10: Write a Short Story

Using the past tense, write a short story (3-5 sentences) about what you did yesterday.

Solutions and Explanations

Now, let’s go through the solutions for each exercise to help you understand the correct answers and reinforce your learning.

Solutions for Exercise 1

1. Мен жаздым. (Men jazdım.)

2. Сен көрдүң. (Sen kördün.)

3. Ал кетти. (Al ketti.)

4. Биз сүйлөдүк. (Biz süylödük.)

5. Силер жеди. (Siler jedi.)

Solutions for Exercise 2

1. Мен сүрөт тарттым. (Men süröt tarttım.)

2. Сен китеп окудуң. (Sen kitep okudun.)

3. Ал суу ичти. (Al suu içti.)

4. Биз жөнөттүк. (Biz jönöttük.)

5. Силер көрдүңөр. (Siler kördünör.)

Solutions for Exercise 3

1. Мен кино көргөн эмесмин.

2. Сен тамак жебегенсиң.

3. Ал китеп жазган эмес.

4. Биз мектепке барган эмеспиз.

5. Силер сүйлөбөй калгансыздар.

Solutions for Exercise 4

1. Мен жаздыңбы? (Did I write?)

2. Сен көрдүңбү? (Did you see?)

3. Ал кеттиби? (Did he leave?)

4. Биз сүйлөдүбү? (Did we speak?)

5. Силер жеп алдыңарбы? (Did you eat?)

Solutions for Exercise 5

1. Мен базарга бардым. (Men bazarga bardım.)

2. Сен футбол ойнодуң. (Sen futbol oynodun.)

3. Ал тилди үйрөндү. (Al tildi üyründü.)

4. Биз Бишкекке саякат кылдык. (Biz Bishkekke sayakat kıldık.)

5. Алар тойдо бийлешти. (Alar toydo biyleşti.)

Solutions for Exercise 6

1. Мен бардым.

2. Сен сүйлөштүң.

3. Ал көрдү.

4. Биз жаздык.

5. Силер жеп алдыңар.

Solutions for Exercise 7

This is subjective; there are multiple correct answers.

1. Мен жеп алгам. (I ate.)

2. Силер барғанбыз. (You (plural) went.)

3. Ал сүйлөгөн. (He spoke.)

4. Биз көргөнбуз. (We saw.)

5. Сен жазгансың. (You wrote.)

Solutions for Exercise 8

1. Мен барганмын. (I went.)

2. Сен жеп алдың. (You ate.)

3. Ал көргөн. (He saw.)

4. Биз сүйлөшкөнбүз. (We spoke.)

5. Силер кетишкен. (You left.)

Solutions for Exercise 9

This is subjective; there are multiple correct answers.

1. Мен китеп жаздым. (I wrote a book.)

2. Мен кино көрдүм. (I watched a movie.)

3. Ал мектепке кетти. (He left for school.)

4. Биз кыргыз тилин сүйлөштүк. (We spoke Kyrgyz.)

5. Биз балык жедик. (We ate fish.)

Solutions for Exercise 10

This is subjective; there are multiple correct answers.

In conclusion, the past tense in Kirghiz opens a window to express experiences, share stories, and connect with others through shared memories. Practice makes perfect, and I encourage you to revisit these structures often as you continue your journey in learning Kirghiz.

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

Other Lessons

• Present Tense
• Adjectives
• Noun Cases
• Conditional Mood
• Future Tense
• Comparative and Superlative
• Personal pronouns
• Gender
• Personal Pronouns

◀️ Present Tense — Previous Lesson

Next Lesson — Future Tense ▶️