Kazakh Spatial Postpositions and Relational Nouns

Kazakh grammar for beginners · Expressing position, direction and time with postpositions and relational nouns

English uses prepositions placed before nouns ("on the table", "after school", "until morning"). Kazakh, like all Turkic languages, uses postpositions that come after the noun.

Spatial and temporal locations in Kazakh are expressed in two primary ways:

1. Relational spatial nouns (nouns of space like "top", "inside", "front", "back") taking a 3rd-person possessive ending and a case ending (such as locative -nde / -nda (-нде / -нда)).

2. True postpositions that govern a specific grammatical case (Dative or Ablative) on the preceding noun.

Relational spatial nouns with locative endings (-nde / -nda (-нде / -нда))

Kazakh spatial form	Literal root	English meaning	Turkish equivalent
üstınde (үстінде)	üst (үст) ("top")	"on top of / above"	üstünde
astynda (астында)	ast (аст) ("bottom / under")	"under / beneath"	altında
ışınde (ішінде)	ış (іш) ("interior")	"inside / in"	içinde
syrtynda (сыртында)	syrt (сырт) ("exterior")	"outside / behind"	dışında / ardında
qasynda (қасында)	qas (қас) ("side / brow")	"next to / beside"	yanında / katında
janynda (жанында)	jan (жан) ("side")	"beside / by"	yanında
aldynda (алдында)	ald (алд) ("front")	"in front of / before"	önünde
artynda (артында)	art (арт) ("back")	"behind / after"	arkasında
arasynda (арасында)	ara (ара) ("interval")	"between / among"	arasında

These spatial nouns typically link to the preceding noun using the Genitive case (-nyñ / -nıñ (-ның / -нің)), matching Turkish masanın üstünde.

Relational spatial noun constructions

Connecting a noun in the genitive case with a relational spatial noun in the locative.

Postpositions governing the Dative Case (-ğa / -ge / -qa / -ke (-ға / -ге / -қа / -ке))

Postposition	Governs case	English meaning	Turkish equivalent
deiın (дейін) (or şeiın (шейін))	Dative (-ğa / -ge / -qa / -ke (-ға / -ге / -қа / -ке))	"until / up to / as far as"	-e kadar / değin
qarai (қарай)	Dative (-ğa / -ge / -qa / -ke (-ға / -ге / -қа / -ке))	"towards / around (time)"	-e doğru

The preceding noun must carry the Dative case suffix.

Dative postposition phrases

Examples of postpositions attached to nouns in the Dative case.

Postpositions governing the Ablative Case (-dan / -den / -nan / -nen / -tan / -ten (-дан / -ден / -нан / -нен / -тан / -тен))

Postposition	Governs case	English meaning	Turkish equivalent
keiın (кейін) / soñ (соң)	Ablative (-nan / -dan / -tan (-нан / -дан / -тан))	"after"	-den sonra
būryn (бұрын)	Ablative (-nan / -dan / -tan (-нан / -дан / -тан))	"before / ago"	-den önce / evvel
basqa (басқа)	Ablative (-nan / -dan / -tan (-нан / -дан / -тан))	"other than / besides"	-den başka
berı (бері)	Ablative (-nan / -dan / -tan (-нан / -дан / -тан))	"since"	-den beri

The preceding noun must carry the Ablative case suffix.

Ablative postposition phrases

Examples of postpositions attached to nouns in the Ablative case.

Communicative sentences with postpositions and spatial nouns

Comparing Kazakh Postpositions to Turkish

The entire Kazakh postpositional system maps directly to Turkish, word for word and case for case:

1. Spatial nouns in both languages take genitive-possessive-locative chains: Kazakh üsteldıñ üstınde (үстелдің үстінде) matches Turkish masanın üstünde, and üidıñ ışınde (үйдің ішінде) matches Turkish evin içinde.

2. Dative postpositions match directly: Kazakh deiın (дейін) corresponds to Turkish değin / kadar (sağat beske deiın (сағат беске дейін) = saat beşe kadar), and qarai (қарай) corresponds to Turkish doğru (üige qarai (үйге қарай) = eve doğru).

3. Ablative postpositions share Proto-Turkic roots: keiın / soñ (кейін / соң) matches Turkish sonra, būryn (бұрын) matches Turkish öndin / önce / evvel, basqa (басқа) matches Turkish başka, and berı (бері) matches Turkish beri.

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