Language/Kazakh/Grammar/General-Adverbs
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Adverbs are words that modify other parts of speech such as verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. In Kazakh, adverbs play an important role in expressing time, frequency, manner, degree, and other aspects of the sentence. In this lesson, you will learn about general adverbs in Kazakh and how to use them in various contexts.
Take a moment to explore these relevant pages as you conclude this lesson: Give your Opinion & Attributive and Predicative Adjectives.
Formation
Most adverbs in Kazakh are formed by adding the suffix "-дай" or "-тай" to the root of an adjective:
| Adjective | Adverb |
|---|---|
| жақсы (good) | жақсыдай (well) |
| көп (many) | көптай (much) |
| тәжірибелі (experienced) | тәжірибелідей (experiencedly) |
| бесік (hard) | бесіктай (hard) |
There are some exceptions in which adverbs are formed using a different suffix or by changing the vowel of the root:
| Adjective | Adverb |
|---|---|
| жақын (near) | жақында (closely) |
| оң (right) | оңай (easily) |
| лесби (heavy) | лесбиден (heavily) |
| кеш (late) | кешке (late) |
Other adverbs are generated by using the particle "да" at the end of an adjective:
| Adjective | Adverb |
|---|---|
| қызықты (bad) | қызықтыда (terribly) |
| өте (very) | өтеде (too much) |
| балалық (childish) | балалықпен (childishly) |
Remember that adverbs typically appear after the verb that they modify.
Usage
Adverbs in Kazakh can modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. In each case, they express a different aspect of the sentence:
Verbs
When adverbs modify verbs, they express how the action is carried out. Here are some examples:
- Біз сүйдім. (We ate.) => Біз жақсы сүйдік. (We ate well.)
- Алаша қайта толтырылды. (The Alasha was refilled.) => Алаша жинақта жақсы толтырылды. (The Alasha was refilled well.)
Note that some verbs have an inherent adverbial meaning and do not require an additional adverb:
- Түсіндім. (I understood.)
- Қабылдадылар. (They accepted.)
Adjectives
Adverbs can also modify adjectives to express the degree of the quality being described:
- Тамақ тәмді (The food is tasty) => Тамақ өте тәмді (The food is very tasty)
- Сіз қарт (You are strong) => Сіз өте қарт (You are very strong)
Other Adverbs
Finally, adverbs can modify other adverbs, in which case they express the degree or intensity of the adverb:
- Сіз дербес білесіз (You know little) => Сіз өте кем дербес білесіз (You know very little)
- Бұл шаршы жылдық (This watch is yearly) => Бұл шаршы қандай жылдық? (How yearly is this watch?)
Remember to avoid the erroneous use of adjectives (where adverbs are required) in order to achieve the proper meaning of the sentence.
Examples
Here are some common general adverbs in Kazakh:
| Kazakh | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| жақсыдай | jaksıdai | well |
| тәжірибелідей | tajirǐbelidai | experiencedly |
| қызықтыда | qızıqtyda | terribly |
| оңай | oñai | easily |
| өте | öte | much/very |
| кешке | keşke | late |
| жинақта | jinaktada | well |
Exercises
Translate these sentences into Kazakh.
- You are walking slowly.
- The soup tastes very spicy.
- We are speaking too quickly.
- She sings beautifully.
- They arrived very early.
Sources
- Kazakh Grammar | LEARN101.ORG
- Kazakh Grammar - with Affix List
- A Grammar of Kazakh Zura Dotton, Ph.D John Doyle Wagner
Other Lessons
- Comparative and Superlative Degrees
- How to Use Be
- Compound Prepositions and Postpositions
- Dative Case
- How to Use Have
- Demonstrative Pronouns
- Stress and Intonation
- Temporal Adverbs
- Consonants
- Plurals
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