Asking questions — ма/ме/ба/бе/па/пе + question words
BeginnerYes/no questions get a little particle at the end of the sentence; everything else uses a question word. No word-order changes, no "do" — the sentence stays exactly as it was.
The yes/no particle
Take any statement and add ма/ме/ба/бе/па/пе after the last word — that's the whole question:
Бұл кітап. (This is a book.) → Бұл кітап па? (Is this a book?)
Ол үйде. (He is at home.) → Ол үйде ме? (Is he at home?)
Which of the six? Same logic as the plural:
after a vowel or л, р, у, й → ма/ме
after м, н, ң, з, ж → ба/бе
after a voiceless consonant → па/пе
…with vowel harmony picking а or е.
The question words
кім — who: Ол кім? (Who is that?)
не — what: Бұл не? (What is this?)
қайда — where (to): Сен қайда барасың? (Where are you going?)
қашан — when: Ол қашан келеді? (When is he coming?)
қалай — how: Қалайсыз? (How are you?)
қанша / неше — how much / how many: Бұл қанша тұрады? (How much does this cost?)
неге — why: Неге келмедің? (Why didn't you come?)
не — what: Бұл не? (What is this?)
қайда — where (to): Сен қайда барасың? (Where are you going?)
қашан — when: Ол қашан келеді? (When is he coming?)
қалай — how: Қалайсыз? (How are you?)
қанша / неше — how much / how many: Бұл қанша тұрады? (How much does this cost?)
неге — why: Неге келмедің? (Why didn't you come?)
With a question word you do NOT add the particle — the word itself already makes it a question.
Hear the questions
-
Бұл кітап па?Is this a book?voiceless п → па
-
Ол үйде ме?Is he at home?vowel е → ме
-
Сіз қазақсыз ба?Are you Kazakh?з → ба
-
Шай ішесіз бе?Will you have some tea?з → бе (front word)
-
Бұл не?What is this?
-
Ол кім?Who is that?
-
Сен қайда барасың?Where are you going?
-
Бұл қанша тұрады?How much does this cost?
Practice
8 sentences · multiple choice · English → Kazakh