Kazakh grammar for beginners · Witnessed and completed past actions in {{-ды / -ді / -ты / -ті}}
Following the Simple Present Tense, this lesson introduces actions that have already occurred in the past. In Kazakh, the fundamental tense for completed, directly witnessed events is the Simple Past Tense (Jedel ötken şaq (Жедел өткен шақ)).
This tense corresponds directly to the Turkish Görülen Geçmiş Zaman (yazdım, geldin, gitti, okuduk).
Unlike compound tenses, the Simple Past attaches directly to the verb stem without any intermediate vowel or glide: stem + past tense suffix (-dy / -dı / -ty / -tı (-ды / -ді / -ты / -ті)) + personal ending.
| The verb stem ends in | Back vowel (a, o, ū, y (а, о, ұ, ы)) | Front vowel (ä, e, ö, ü, ı (ә, е, ө, ү, і)) |
|---|---|---|
| a vowel, i, u (й, у), or a voiced consonant (j, z, l, m, n, ñ, r (ж, з, л, м, н, ң, р)) | -dy (-ды) | -dı (-ді) |
| a voiceless consonant (k, q, p, s, t, f, h, ş (к, қ, п, с, т, ф, х, ш)), or b, v, g, d (б, в, г, д) | -ty (-ты) | -tı (-ті) |
The suffix attaches directly to the verb stem, adhering strictly to back-and-front vowel harmony.
| Person | Pronoun | Ending (Back vowel) | Ending (Front vowel) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st singular ("I") | Men (Мен) | -m (-м) | -m (-м) |
| 2nd singular informal ("you") | Sen (Сен) | -ñ (-ң) | -ñ (-ң) |
| 2nd singular polite ("you") | Sız (Сіз) | -ñyz (-ңыз) | -ñız (-ңіз) |
| 3rd singular ("he / she / it") | Ol (Ол) | — | — |
| 1st plural ("we") | Bız (Біз) | -q (-қ) | -k (-к) |
| 2nd plural informal ("you all") | Sender (Сендер) | -ñdar (-ңдар) | -ñder (-ңдер) |
| 2nd plural polite ("you all") | Sızder (Сіздер) | -ñyzdar (-ңыздар) | -ñızder (-ңіздер) |
| 3rd plural ("they") | Olar (Олар) | — (or -lar (-лар)) | — (or -ler (-лер)) |
These endings are based on the possessive suffixes, with the 1st person plural taking -q / -k (-қ / -к) (matching Turkish -k).
Attaching -dy- (-ды-) and personal endings to the back-vowel stem bar- (бар-) ("to go"). All eight persons appear in full sequence with their explicit subject pronouns.
Men bardym Мен бардым
I went · Turkish: Ben gittim (vardım)
1st person singular: stem bar- (бар-) + -dy- (-ды-) + -m (-м).
Sen bardyñ Сен бардың
you went · Turkish: Sen gittin
2nd person singular informal: stem bar- (бар-) + -dy- (-ды-) + -ñ (-ң).
Sız bardyñyz Сіз бардыңыз
you went · Turkish: Siz gittiniz
2nd person singular polite: stem bar- (бар-) + -dy- (-ды-) + -ñyz (-ңыз).
Ol bardy Ол барды
he went, she went · Turkish: O gitti
3rd person singular: stem bar- (бар-) + -dy (-ды) (no personal ending).
Bız bardyq Біз бардық
we went · Turkish: Biz gittik
1st person plural: stem bar- (бар-) + -dy- (-ды-) + -q (-қ).
Sender bardyñdar Сендер бардыңдар
you all went · Turkish: Siz gittiniz
2nd person plural informal: stem bar- (бар-) + -dy- (-ды-) + -ñdar (-ңдар).
Sızder bardyñyzdar Сіздер бардыңыздар
you all went · Turkish: Siz gittiniz
2nd person plural polite: stem bar- (бар-) + -dy- (-ды-) + -ñyzdar (-ңыздар).
Olar bardy Олар барды
they went · Turkish: Onlar gittiler
3rd person plural: stem bar- (бар-) + -dy (-ды) (no personal ending).
Attaching -dı- (-ді-) and front-vowel personal endings to the stem kel- (кел-) ("to come").
Men keldım Мен келдім
I came · Turkish: Ben geldim
1st person singular: stem kel- (кел-) + -dı- (-ді-) + -m (-м).
Sen keldıñ Сен келдің
you came · Turkish: Sen geldin
2nd person singular informal: stem kel- (кел-) + -dı- (-ді-) + -ñ (-ң).
Sız keldıñız Сіз келдіңіз
you came · Turkish: Siz geldiniz
2nd person singular polite: stem kel- (кел-) + -dı- (-ді-) + -ñız (-ңіз).
Ol keldı Ол келді
he came, she came · Turkish: O geldi
3rd person singular: stem kel- (кел-) + -dı (-ді) (no personal ending).
Bız keldık Біз келдік
we came · Turkish: Biz geldik
1st person plural: stem kel- (кел-) + -dı- (-ді-) + -k (-к).
Sender keldıñder Сендер келдіңдер
you all came · Turkish: Siz geldiniz
2nd person plural informal: stem kel- (кел-) + -dı- (-ді-) + -ñder (-ңдер).
Sızder keldıñızder Сіздер келдіңіздер
you all came · Turkish: Siz geldiniz
2nd person plural polite: stem kel- (кел-) + -dı- (-ді-) + -ñızder (-ңіздер).
Olar keldı Олар келді
they came · Turkish: Onlar geldiler
3rd person plural: stem kel- (кел-) + -dı (-ді) (no personal ending).
When the verb stem ends in a voiceless consonant (k, q, p, s, t, f, h, ş (к, қ, п, с, т, ф, х, ш)), the past tense suffix begins with t (т): -ty- (-ты-) or -tı- (-ті-).
Men aittym Мен айттым
I said · Turkish: Ben söyledim (dedim)
1st person singular: stem ait- (айт-) + -ty- (-ты-) + -m (-м).
Sen aittyñ Сен айттың
you said · Turkish: Sen söyledin
2nd person singular informal: stem ait- (айт-) + -ty- (-ты-) + -ñ (-ң).
Sız aittyñyz Сіз айттыңыз
you said · Turkish: Siz söylediniz
2nd person singular polite: stem ait- (айт-) + -ty- (-ты-) + -ñyz (-ңыз).
Ol aitty Ол айтты
he said, she said · Turkish: O söyledi
3rd person singular: stem ait- (айт-) + -ty (-ты) (no personal ending).
Bız aittyq Біз айттық
we said · Turkish: Biz söyledik
1st person plural: stem ait- (айт-) + -ty- (-ты-) + -q (-қ).
Sender aittyñdar Сендер айттыңдар
you all said · Turkish: Siz söylediniz
2nd person plural informal: stem ait- (айт-) + -ty- (-ты-) + -ñdar (-ңдар).
Sızder aittyñyzdar Сіздер айттыңыздар
you all said · Turkish: Siz söylediniz
2nd person plural polite: stem ait- (айт-) + -ty- (-ты-) + -ñyzdar (-ңыздар).
Olar aitty Олар айтты
they said · Turkish: Onlar söylediler
3rd person plural: stem ait- (айт-) + -ty (-ты) (no personal ending).
Because each personal ending distinctly identifies the subject, subject pronouns are often omitted in natural conversation.
In the third person singular, because there is no personal ending attached, the bare past verb alone (such as keldı (келді) or bardy (барды)) expresses "he arrived" or "she went".
Men bardym Мен бардым
I went · Turkish: Ben gittim
Full sentence with subject pronoun.
bardym бардым
I went · Turkish: gittim
1st person singular with subject pronoun dropped.
Ol keldı Ол келді
he came, she came · Turkish: O geldi
3rd person singular with subject pronoun.
keldı келді
he came, she came · Turkish: geldi
3rd person singular bare past verb.
| Stem ends in | Negative suffix | Past marker | Conjugated "I did not..." |
|---|---|---|---|
| a vowel, or i, u, r, l (й, у, р, л) | -ma / -me (-ма / -ме) | -dy / -dı (-ды / -ді) | barmadym (бармадым) ("I did not go") / kelmedım (келмедім) ("I did not come") |
| a voiced consonant: j, z, m, n, ñ (ж, з, м, н, ң) | -ba / -be (-ба / -бе) | -dy / -dı (-ды / -ді) | jazbadym (жазбадым) ("I did not write") / jüzbedım (жүзбедім) ("I did not swim") |
| a voiceless consonant: k, q, p, s, t, f, h, ş (к, қ, п, с, т, ф, х, ш) | -pa / -pe (-па / -пе) | -dy / -dı (-ды / -ді) | aitpadym (айтпадым) ("I did not say") / kömektespedım (көмектеспедім) ("I did not help") |
Because the negative suffix always ends in a vowel (-a (-а) or -e (-е)), the past tense marker is always -dy (-ды) (back vowel) or -dı (-ді) (front vowel) across all negative verbs.
To negate a verb in the Simple Past, attach the appropriate negative suffix directly to the stem, followed by the past tense marker -dy / -dı (-ды / -ді) and personal endings.
All eight persons progress in strict order across verbs taking the three different negative allomorphs (-ma / -me (-ма / -ме), -ba / -be (-ба / -бе), and -pa / -pe (-па / -пе)).
Men barmadym Мен бармадым
I did not go · Turkish: Ben gitmedim
1st person singular: stem bar- (бар-) + -ma- (-ма-) + -dy- (-ды-) + -m (-м).
Sen kelmedıñ Сен келмедің
you did not come · Turkish: Sen gelmedin
2nd person singular informal: stem kel- (кел-) + -me- (-ме-) + -dı- (-ді-) + -ñ (-ң).
Sız jazbadyñyz Сіз жазбадыңыз
you did not write · Turkish: Siz yazmadınız
2nd person singular polite: stem jaz- (жаз-) + -ba- (-ба-) + -dy- (-ды-) + -ñyz (-ңыз).
Ol aitpady Ол айтпады
he did not say, she did not say · Turkish: O söylemedi
3rd person singular: stem ait- (айт-) + -pa- (-па-) + -dy (-ды).
Bız barmadyq Біз бармадық
we did not go · Turkish: Biz gitmedik
1st person plural: stem bar- (бар-) + -ma- (-ма-) + -dy- (-ды-) + -q (-қ).
Sender jazbadyñdar Сендер жазбадыңдар
you all did not write · Turkish: Siz yazmadınız
2nd person plural informal: stem jaz- (жаз-) + -ba- (-ба-) + -dy- (-ды-) + -ñdar (-ңдар).
Sızder kelmedıñızder Сіздер келмедіңіздер
you all did not come · Turkish: Siz gelmediniz
2nd person plural polite: stem kel- (кел-) + -me- (-ме-) + -dı- (-ді-) + -ñızder (-ңіздер).
Olar oqymady Олар оқымады
they did not read · Turkish: Onlar okumadılar
3rd person plural: stem oqy- (оқы-) + -ma- (-ма-) + -dy (-ды).
Notice how the past tense suffix always reverts to -dy / -dı (-ды / -ді) in the negative, even for verbs whose positive past forms ended in voiceless -ty / -tı (-ты / -ті).
oqydym → oqymadym оқыдым → оқымадым
I read → I did not read · Turkish: okudum → okumadım
Vowel stem oqy- (оқы-) + -ma- (-ма-) + -dym (-дым).
jazdym → jazbadym жаздым → жазбадым
I wrote → I did not write · Turkish: yazdım → yazmadım
Voiced stem jaz- (жаз-) + -ba- (-ба-) + -dym (-дым).
aittym → aitpadym айттым → айтпадым
I said → I did not say · Turkish: söyledim → söylemedim
Voiceless stem ait- (айт-) + -pa- (-па-) + -dym (-дым).
keldım → kelmedım келдім → келмедім
I came → I did not come · Turkish: geldim → gelmedim
Front sonorant stem kel- (кел-) + -me- (-ме-) + -dım (-дім).
Men dükenge barmadym. Мен дүкенге бармадым.
I did not go to the shop. · Turkish: Ben dükkâna gitmedim.
Noun düken (дүкен) in the dative case (dükenge (дүкенге)) with negative past verb barmadym (бармадым).
Sen dükenge bardyñ ba? Сен дүкенге бардың ба?
did you go to the shop? · Turkish: Sen dükkâna gittin mi?
Question particle ba (ба) follows the past verb bardyñ (бардың).
Sız kıtap aldyñyz ba? Сіз кітап алдыңыз ба?
did you buy (take) a book? · Turkish: Siz kitap aldınız mı?
Polite past verb aldyñyz (алдыңыз) with question particle ba (ба).
Aijan üige keldı me? Айжан үйге келді ме?
did Aizhan come home? · Turkish: Ayzhan eve geldi mi?
Dative üige (үйге) with third-person past verb keldı (келді) and front question particle me (ме).
Past tense endings -dym / -dıñ (-дым / -дің) form the backbone of personal storytelling and narrative reflections.
In Aua-rai by BAYANSULU, the singer alternates between past affirmative actions and negative past reflections:
Men köñılıme senı qaladym Мен көңіліме сені қаладым
I wanted you in my heart · Turkish: Ben gönlüme seni istedim
From Aua-rai: stem qala- (қала-) + -dy- (-ды-) + -m (-м) (1st person singular past).
Jüregıñdı keide jaraladym Жүрегіңді кейде жараладым
sometimes I wounded your heart · Turkish: Yüreğini bazen yaraladım
From Aua-rai: stem jarala- (жарала-) + -dy- (-ды-) + -m (-м).
Keide sağan qaramadym Кейде саған қарамадым
sometimes I did not look at you · Turkish: Kimi zaman sana bakmadım
From Aua-rai: negative stem qarama- (қарама-) + -dy- (-ды-) + -m (-м).
Both Kazakh and Turkish form the witnessed past tense by attaching the dental stop consonant (-d- / -t-) directly to the verb stem: Kazakh -dy / -dı / -ty / -tı (-ды / -ді / -ты / -ті) matches Turkish -dı / -di / -du / -dü / -tı / -ti / -tu / -tü.
Both languages use Type 2 (possessive-derived) personal endings: Kazakh -m (-м) matches Turkish -m (keldım (келдім) matches geldim), Kazakh -ñ (-ң) matches Turkish -n (keldıñ (келдің) matches geldin), and Kazakh -ñyz / -ñız (-ңыз / -ңіз) matches Turkish -niz / -niz (keldıñız (келдіңіз) matches geldiniz).
The first-person plural ending is identical in both languages: Kazakh -q / -k (-қ / -к) answers directly to Turkish -k (Kazakh bardyq (бардық) matches Turkish vardık / gittik, and Kazakh keldık (келдік) matches Turkish geldik).
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