kazakhtili қазақ тілі

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Going to a place — present tense

beginner

In Kazakh you say "I go" the same way you say "I am going" — there is no separate continuous tense. The verb stem stays the same, and the ending changes for the person and the place.

Explanation

How it works

To say "I go to " you need three things:

1. The place in the **dative case** (-ге / -ке / -ға / -қа). This is the "to" marker.
2. The verb **бару** (to go), in the right person form: **барамын / барасың / барады / барамыз / барасыңдар / барады**.
3. Word order: usually **subject → place → verb**.

Example: **Мен мектепке барамын.** = I go to school. (literally: "I school-to go-I")

Explanation

Vowel harmony — short version

Kazakh follows vowel harmony. The dative ending you pick depends on the place word:

- Back-vowel words (а, ы, о, ұ) → **-ға / -қа**
- Front-vowel words (ә, і, е, ө, ү) → **-ге / -ке**
- **-қа / -ке** after voiceless consonants (п, т, к, с, ш, …)
- **-ға / -ге** after voiced consonants and vowels

Don't worry about memorising rules — feel it from examples.

Examples

Hear it first

  • Мен мектепке барамын.
    I go to school.
  • Сен наубайханаға барасың.
    You go to the bakery.
  • Ол жұмысқа барады.
    He / she goes to work.
  • Біз дүкенге барамыз.
    We go to the shop.
  • Сендер базарға барасыңдар.
    You (plural) go to the bazaar.
  • Олар дәрігерге барады.
    They go to the doctor.
Practice

Practice — pick the correct Kazakh

15 sentences · multiple choice · English → Kazakh

Practice

Practice — pick the correct English

8 sentences · multiple choice · Kazakh → English

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