Talk about completed events and ask about someone else’s experience.
How the language works
Jedel ötken şaq is the simple past: bardym — “I went”, keldım — “I came”. The variants -dy/-dı/-ty/-tı depend on the sounds in the stem. A polite question using sız is bardyñyz ba? The negative form is barmadym.
Useful phrases
Read, recall the meaning and say it aloud. Then compare with the audio.
Keşe dostarymmen kezdestım.
Yesterday I met my friends.
Bız saiabaqta seruendedık.
We went for a walk in the park.
Sodan keiın üige qaittyq.
Then we went home.
Demalysyñyz qalai öttı?
How was your weekend?
Men eşqaida barmadym.
I did not go anywhere.
Öte jaqsy demaldym.
I had a very good rest.
Dialogue
Demalysyñyz qalai öttı?
How was your weekend?
Jaqsy öttı. Dostarymmen kezdestım.
It was good. I met my friends.
Qaida bardyñyzdar?
Where did you go?
Saiabaqta seruendedık, sodan keiın üige qaittyq.
We walked in the park, then went home.
Check your understanding
Choose an answer before opening the explanation. Then explain your choice.
1. Choose the correct translation: “Keşe dostarymmen kezdestım.”
- Yesterday I met my friends.
- We went for a walk in the park.
- Then we went home.
- I had a very good rest.
Answer and explanation
Yesterday I met my friends.
Keşe dostarymmen kezdestım. — Yesterday I met my friends.
2. How do you say: “How was your weekend?”?
- Men eşqaida barmadym.
- Demalysyñyz qalai öttı?
- Bız saiabaqta seruendedık.
- Öte jaqsy demaldym.
Answer and explanation
Demalysyñyz qalai öttı?
Demalysyñyz qalai öttı? — How was your weekend?
3. How do you say “I did not go” about a completed past event?
- Men barmadym.
- Men baramyn.
- Men bara jatyrmyn.
- Men barmaimyn.
Answer and explanation
Men barmadym.
Barmadym consists of the negative stem barma- and the past-tense personal form -dym.
Make it your own
Describe your weekend using three connected actions. You may invent the events.
- I described past events
- I connected them with sodan keiın
- I asked the other person a question
Example response
Keşe dostarymmen kezdestım. Bız saiabaqta seruendedık. Sodan keiın kafege bardyq. Öte jaqsy demaldym. Al sızdıñ demalysyñyz qalai öttı?