Kazakh grammar for beginners · Ongoing actions and the four auxiliary verbs of physical stance
To express an action taking place right now at this exact moment ("I am writing right now", matching Turkish -iyor), Kazakh uses the Present Continuous tense (naq osy şaq (нақ осы шақ)).
Kazakh forms the Present Continuous as an analytical compound: the main verb takes a converb ending (-yp / -ıp / -p (-ып / -іп / -п)), followed by one of four auxiliary verbs of physical stance: otyru (отыру) (stem otyr (отыр) "sitting"), tūru (тұру) (stem tūr (тұр) "standing"), jatu (жату) (stem jatyr (жатыр) "lying down"), or jüru (жүру) (stem jür (жүр) "walking / moving around"). The personal endings attach to the auxiliary verb.
| Auxiliary verb (Infinitive / Stem) | Literal posture | Continuous aspect and usage |
|---|---|---|
| otyru (отыру) (otyr (отыр)) | "to sit / sits" | Seated actions and stationary desk/table work (such as writing, reading, eating, drinking tea). |
| tūru (тұру) (tūr (тұр)) | "to stand / stands" | Standing actions and vertical positions (such as standing in line, waiting, looking, buying at a counter). |
| jatu (жату) (jatyr (жатыр)) | "to lie down / lies" | Lying down / resting, linear directional transit actively in progress along a road (such as going, coming), and general environmental processes (such as raining). |
| jüru (жүру) (jür (жүр)) | "to walk / roams" | Non-directional movement (roaming around), or regular ongoing activities carried out over days/weeks (such as attending school, visiting regularly). |
| Stem ends in | Converb suffix | Example verb stem | Converb form |
|---|---|---|---|
| a consonant (back vowel: a, o, ū, y (а, о, ұ, ы)) | -yp (-ып) | jaz- (жаз-) ("write") | jazyp (жазып) ("writing") |
| a consonant (front vowel: ä, e, ö, ü, ı (ә, е, ө, ү, і)) | -ıp (-іп) | kel- (кел-) ("come"), ış- (іш-) ("drink") | kelıp (келіп) ("coming"), ışıp (ішіп) ("drinking") |
| a vowel | -p (-п) | oqy- (оқы-) ("read"), söile- (сөйле-) ("speak") | oqyp (оқып) ("reading"), söilep (сөйлеп) ("speaking") |
The motion verbs bar- (бар-) ("to go") and kel- (кел-) ("to come") uniquely take -a / -e (-а / -е) before jatyr (жатыр): bara jatyr (бара жатыр) ("is going / on the way"), kele jatyr (келе жатыр) ("is approaching / coming").
| Person | Ending (back / front) | Attached to otyr (отыр) ("sits") | Attached to jür (жүр) ("walks") |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men (Мен) (1st singular) | -myn / -mın (-мын / -мін) | otyrmyn (отырмын) | jürmın (жүрмін) |
| Sen (Сен) (2nd informal) | -syñ / -sıñ (-сың / -сің) | otyrsyñ (отырсың) | jürsıñ (жүрсің) |
| Sız (Сіз) (2nd polite) | -syz / -sız (-сыз / -сіз) | otyrsyz (отырсыз) | jürsız (жүрсіз) |
| Ol (Ол) (3rd singular) | — | otyr (отыр) | jür (жүр) |
| Bız (Біз) (1st plural) | -myz / -mız (-мыз / -міз) | otyrmyz (отырмыз) | jürmız (жүрміз) |
| Sender (Сендер) (2nd pl. informal) | -syñdar / -sıñder (-сыңдар / -сіңдер) | otyrsyñdar (отырсыңдар) | jürsıñder (жүрсіңдер) |
| Sızder (Сіздер) (2nd pl. polite) | -syzdar / -sızder (-сыздар / -сіздер) | otyrsyzdar (отырсыздар) | jürsızder (жүрсіздер) |
| Olar (Олар) (3rd plural) | — | otyr (отыр) | jür (жүр) |
The third person takes no personal ending on the auxiliary verb.
Combining the converb jazyp (жазып) with the auxiliary otyr (отыр) across all eight persons in full sequence with explicit subject pronouns.
Men jazyp otyrmyn Мен жазып отырмын
I am writing · Turkish: Ben yazıyorum
1st person singular: stem jaz- (жаз-) + -yp (-ып) + auxiliary otyr (отыр) + -myn (-мын).
Sen jazyp otyrsyñ Сен жазып отырсың
you are writing · Turkish: Sen yazıyorsun
2nd person singular informal: stem jaz- (жаз-) + -yp (-ып) + auxiliary otyr (отыр) + -syñ (-сың).
Sız jazyp otyrsyz Сіз жазып отырсыз
you are writing · Turkish: Siz yazıyorsunuz
2nd person singular polite: stem jaz- (жаз-) + -yp (-ып) + auxiliary otyr (отыр) + -syz (-сыз).
Ol jazyp otyr Ол жазып отыр
he is writing, she is writing · Turkish: O yazıyor
3rd person singular: stem jaz- (жаз-) + -yp (-ып) + auxiliary otyr (отыр) (no personal ending).
Bız jazyp otyrmyz Біз жазып отырмыз
we are writing · Turkish: Biz yazıyoruz
1st person plural: stem jaz- (жаз-) + -yp (-ып) + auxiliary otyr (отыр) + -myz (-мыз).
Sender jazyp otyrsyñdar Сендер жазып отырсыңдар
you all are writing · Turkish: Siz yazıyorsunuz
2nd person plural informal: stem jaz- (жаз-) + -yp (-ып) + auxiliary otyr (отыр) + -syñdar (-сыңдар).
Sızder jazyp otyrsyzdar Сіздер жазып отырсыздар
you all are writing · Turkish: Siz yazıyorsunuz
2nd person plural polite: stem jaz- (жаз-) + -yp (-ып) + auxiliary otyr (отыр) + -syzdar (-сыздар).
Olar jazyp otyr Олар жазып отыр
they are writing · Turkish: Onlar yazıyorlar
3rd person plural: stem jaz- (жаз-) + -yp (-ып) + auxiliary otyr (отыр) (no personal ending).
Combining the front-vowel stem küt- (күт-) ("to wait") with the auxiliary tūr (тұр) across all eight persons to express actions performed in a standing or upright position.
Men kütıp tūrmyn Мен күтіп тұрмын
I am waiting · Turkish: Ben bekliyorum (ayaktayım)
1st person singular: stem küt- (күт-) + -ıp (-іп) + auxiliary tūr (тұр) + -myn (-мын).
Sen kütıp tūrsyñ Сен күтіп тұрсың
you are waiting · Turkish: Sen bekliyorsun
2nd person singular informal: stem küt- (күт-) + -ıp (-іп) + auxiliary tūr (тұр) + -syñ (-сың).
Sız kütıp tūrsyz Сіз күтіп тұрсыз
you are waiting · Turkish: Siz bekliyorsunuz
2nd person singular polite: stem küt- (күт-) + -ıp (-іп) + auxiliary tūr (тұр) + -syz (-сыз).
Ol kütıp tūr Ол күтіп тұр
he is waiting, she is waiting · Turkish: O bekliyor
3rd person singular: stem küt- (күт-) + -ıp (-іп) + auxiliary tūr (тұр) (no personal ending).
Bız kütıp tūrmyz Біз күтіп тұрмыз
we are waiting · Turkish: Biz bekliyoruz
1st person plural: stem küt- (күт-) + -ıp (-іп) + auxiliary tūr (тұр) + -myz (-мыз).
Sender kütıp tūrsyñdar Сендер күтіп тұрсыңдар
you all are waiting · Turkish: Siz bekliyorsunuz
2nd person plural informal: stem küt- (күт-) + -ıp (-іп) + auxiliary tūr (тұр) + -syñdar (-сыңдар).
Sızder kütıp tūrsyzdar Сіздер күтіп тұрсыздар
you all are waiting · Turkish: Siz bekliyorsunuz
2nd person plural polite: stem küt- (күт-) + -ıp (-іп) + auxiliary tūr (тұр) + -syzdar (-сыздар).
Olar kütıp tūr Олар күтіп тұр
they are waiting · Turkish: Onlar bekliyorlar
3rd person plural: stem küt- (күт-) + -ıp (-іп) + auxiliary tūr (тұр) (no personal ending).
While oqyp otyr (оқып отыр) specifically depicts reading while seated in a chair, jatyr (жатыр) functions both literally (reading while lying down on a couch or in bed) and broadly as Kazakh's primary auxiliary for an action in active, ongoing progress.
Below is the full eight-person paradigm combining the vowel-stem converb oqyp (оқып) with the auxiliary jatyr (жатыр):
Men oqyp jatyrmyn Мен оқып жатырмын
I am reading · Turkish: Ben okuyorum
1st person singular: stem oqy- (оқы-) + -p (-п) + auxiliary jatyr (жатыр) + -myn (-мын).
Sen oqyp jatyrsyñ Сен оқып жатырсың
you are reading · Turkish: Sen okuyorsun
2nd person singular informal: stem oqy- (оқы-) + -p (-п) + auxiliary jatyr (жатыр) + -syñ (-сың).
Sız oqyp jatyrsyz Сіз оқып жатырсыз
you are reading · Turkish: Siz okuyorsunuz
2nd person singular polite: stem oqy- (оқы-) + -p (-п) + auxiliary jatyr (жатыр) + -syz (-сыз).
Ol oqyp jatyr Ол оқып жатыр
he is reading, she is reading · Turkish: O okuyor
3rd person singular: stem oqy- (оқы-) + -p (-п) + auxiliary jatyr (жатыр) (no personal ending).
Bız oqyp jatyrmyz Біз оқып жатырмыз
we are reading · Turkish: Biz okuyoruz
1st person plural: stem oqy- (оқы-) + -p (-п) + auxiliary jatyr (жатыр) + -myz (-мыз).
Sender oqyp jatyrsyñdar Сендер оқып жатырсыңдар
you all are reading · Turkish: Siz okuyorsunuz
2nd person plural informal: stem oqy- (оқы-) + -p (-п) + auxiliary jatyr (жатыр) + -syñdar (-сыңдар).
Sızder oqyp jatyrsyzdar Сіздер оқып жатырсыздар
you all are reading · Turkish: Siz okuyorsunuz
2nd person plural polite: stem oqy- (оқы-) + -p (-п) + auxiliary jatyr (жатыр) + -syzdar (-сыздар).
Olar oqyp jatyr Олар оқып жатыр
they are reading · Turkish: Onlar okuyorlar
3rd person plural: stem oqy- (оқы-) + -p (-п) + auxiliary jatyr (жатыр) (no personal ending).
Standard verbs form the continuous aspect by taking the converb suffix -yp / -ıp / -p (-ып / -іп / -п) before the stance auxiliary (e.g. jazyp otyr (жазып отыр), kütıp tūr (күтіп тұр), oqyp jatyr (оқып жатыр)).
However, **directional motion verbs** — verbs expressing physical transit along a route toward a destination (such as baru (бару) "to go" and kelu (келу) "to come") — are an important exception: their stems attach the vocalic converb **-a / -e (-а / -е)** (not -yp / -ıp (-ып / -іп)), pairing specifically with **jatyr (жатыр)** to depict movement in progress ("on the way / approaching right now"):
Men bara jatyrmyn Мен бара жатырмын
I am going (on my way) · Turkish: Ben gidiyorum (yoldayım)
Converb is bar-a (бар-а) (not *baryp (*барып)), paired with jatyrmyn (жатырмын) to mean "I am on my way".
Ol kele jatyr Ол келе жатыр
he is coming, she is coming · Turkish: O geliyor (yolda)
Stem kel- (кел-) + vocalic converb -e (-е) (not *kelıp (*келіп)) + auxiliary jatyr (жатыр).
Poiyz kele jatyr Пойыз келе жатыр
the train is coming · Turkish: Tren geliyor (yaklaşıyor)
Noun poiyz (пойыз) with motion continuous kele jatyr (келе жатыр) (the train is approaching).
Avtobus kele jatyr Автобус келе жатыр
the bus is coming · Turkish: Otobüs geliyor (yaklaşıyor)
Noun avtobus (автобус) with motion continuous kele jatyr (келе жатыр) (the bus is on its way).
Combining the stem oqy- (оқы-) with the front-vowel auxiliary jür (жүр) across all eight persons to express regular activities or routines ongoing over an extended period.
Men oqyp jürmın Мен оқып жүрмін
I am studying (attending school) · Turkish: Ben okuyorum (öğrenim görüyorum)
1st person singular: stem oqy- (оқы-) + -p (-п) + auxiliary jür (жүр) + -mın (-мін).
Sen oqyp jürsıñ Сен оқып жүрсің
you are studying (these days) · Turkish: Sen okuyorsun
2nd person singular informal: stem oqy- (оқы-) + -p (-п) + auxiliary jür (жүр) + -sıñ (-сің).
Sız oqyp jürsız Сіз оқып жүрсіз
you are studying (these days) · Turkish: Siz okuyorsunuz
2nd person singular polite: stem oqy- (оқы-) + -p (-п) + auxiliary jür (жүр) + -sız (-сіз).
Ol oqyp jür Ол оқып жүр
he is studying, she is studying · Turkish: O okuyor
3rd person singular: stem oqy- (оқы-) + -p (-п) + auxiliary jür (жүр) (no personal ending).
Bız oqyp jürmız Біз оқып жүрміз
we are studying (these days) · Turkish: Biz okuyoruz
1st person plural: stem oqy- (оқы-) + -p (-п) + auxiliary jür (жүр) + -mız (-міз).
Sender oqyp jürsıñder Сендер оқып жүрсіңдер
you all are studying (these days) · Turkish: Siz okuyorsunuz
2nd person plural informal: stem oqy- (оқы-) + -p (-п) + auxiliary jür (жүр) + -sıñder (-сіңдер).
Sızder oqyp jürsızder Сіздер оқып жүрсіздер
you all are studying (these days) · Turkish: Siz okuyorsunuz
2nd person plural polite: stem oqy- (оқы-) + -p (-п) + auxiliary jür (жүр) + -sızder (-сіздер).
Olar oqyp jür Олар оқып жүр
they are studying (these days) · Turkish: Onlar okuyorlar
3rd person plural: stem oqy- (оқы-) + -p (-п) + auxiliary jür (жүр) (no personal ending).
Because the personal ending on the auxiliary verb explicitly identifies who is performing the action, subject pronouns are frequently omitted in natural conversation.
Men kıtap oqyp otyrmyn Мен кітап оқып отырмын
I am reading a book · Turkish: Ben kitap okuyorum
Full sentence with explicit subject pronoun Men (Мен).
Kıtap oqyp otyrmyn Кітап оқып отырмын
I am reading a book · Turkish: Kitap okuyorum
Same sentence with the 1st person pronoun Men (Мен) dropped.
Ol kıtap oqyp otyr Ол кітап оқып отыр
he is reading a book, she is reading a book · Turkish: O kitap okuyor
3rd person singular with explicit pronoun Ol (Ол).
Kıtap oqyp otyr Кітап оқып отыр
he is reading a book, she is reading a book · Turkish: Kitap okuyor
3rd person singular with the pronoun Ol (Ол) dropped.
| Stem ends in | Negative converb suffix | Auxiliary | Conjugated "I am not..." |
|---|---|---|---|
| a vowel, or i, u, r, l (й, у, р, л) | -mai / -mei (-май / -мей) | otyr / jatyr (отыр / жатыр) | barmai jatyrmyn (бармай жатырмын) ("I am not going") / kelmei jatyrmyn (келмей жатырмын) ("I am not coming") |
| a voiced consonant: j, z, m, n, ñ (ж, з, м, н, ң) | -bai / -bei (-бай / -бей) | otyr / jatyr (отыр / жатыр) | jazbai otyrmyn (жазбай отырмын) ("I am not writing") / jüzbei jatyrmyn (жүзбей жатырмын) ("I am not swimming") |
| a voiceless consonant: k, q, p, s, t, f, h, ş (к, қ, п, с, т, ф, х, ш) | -pai / -pei (-пай / -пей) | otyr / jatyr (отыр / жатыр) | aitpai tūrmyn (айтпай тұрмын) ("I am not saying") / ışpei otyrmyn (ішпей отырмын) ("I am not drinking") |
To negate the Present Continuous, the main verb attaches the negative converb (-mai / -bai / -pai (-май / -бай / -пай)), followed by the auxiliary verb with its personal ending.
All eight persons progress in strict order across verbs taking the three negative converb allomorphs (-mai / -mei (-май / -мей), -bai / -bei (-бай / -бей), and -pai / -pei (-пай / -пей)).
Men jazbai otyrmyn Мен жазбай отырмын
I am not writing · Turkish: Ben yazmıyorum
1st person singular: stem jaz- (жаз-) + -bai (-бай) + auxiliary otyr (отыр) + -myn (-мын).
Sen kelmei jatyrsyñ Сен келмей жатырсың
you are not coming · Turkish: Sen gelmiyorsun
2nd person singular informal: stem kel- (кел-) + -mei (-мей) + auxiliary jatyr (жатыр) + -syñ (-сың).
Sız oqymai otyrsyz Сіз оқымай отырсыз
you are not reading · Turkish: Siz okumuyorsunuz
2nd person singular polite: stem oqy- (оқы-) + -mai (-май) + auxiliary otyr (отыр) + -syz (-сыз).
Ol aitpai tūr Ол айтпай тұр
he is not telling, she is not telling · Turkish: O söylemiyor
3rd person singular: stem ait- (айт-) + -pai (-пай) + auxiliary tūr (тұр) (no personal ending).
Bız jazbai otyrmyz Біз жазбай отырмыз
we are not writing · Turkish: Biz yazmıyoruz
1st person plural: stem jaz- (жаз-) + -bai (-бай) + auxiliary otyr (отыр) + -myz (-мыз).
Sender kelmei jatyrsyñdar Сендер келмей жатырсыңдар
you all are not coming · Turkish: Siz gelmiyorsunuz
2nd person plural informal: stem kel- (кел-) + -mei (-мей) + auxiliary jatyr (жатыр) + -syñdar (-сыңдар).
Sızder oqymai otyrsyzdar Сіздер оқымай отырсыздар
you all are not reading · Turkish: Siz okumuyorsunuz
2nd person plural polite: stem oqy- (оқы-) + -mai (-май) + auxiliary otyr (отыр) + -syzdar (-сыздар).
Olar aitpai tūr Олар айтпай тұр
they are not telling · Turkish: Onlar söylemiyorlar
3rd person plural: stem ait- (айт-) + -pai (-пай) + auxiliary tūr (тұр) (no personal ending).
Notice how the main verb switches from the positive converb (-yp / -ıp / -p (-ып / -іп / -п)) to the negative converb (-mai / -bai / -pai (-май / -бай / -пай)), while the auxiliary verb and its personal ending remain identical.
jazyp otyrmyn → jazbai otyrmyn жазып отырмын → жазбай отырмын
I am writing → I am not writing · Turkish: yazıyorum → yazmıyorum
Voiced stem jaz- (жаз-) + -bai (-бай) + auxiliary otyr (отыр) + -myn (-мын).
oqyp jatyrmyn → oqymai jatyrmyn оқып жатырмын → оқымай жатырмын
I am reading → I am not reading · Turkish: okuyorum → okumuyorum
Vowel stem oqy- (оқы-) + -mai (-май) + auxiliary jatyr (жатыр) + -myn (-мын).
ışıp otyrmyn → ışpei otyrmyn ішіп отырмын → ішпей отырмын
I am drinking → I am not drinking · Turkish: içiyorum → içmiyorum
Voiceless stem ış- (іш-) + -pei (-пей) + auxiliary otyr (отыр) + -myn (-мын).
bara jatyrmyn → barmai jatyrmyn бара жатырмын → бармай жатырмын
I am going → I am not going · Turkish: gidiyorum → gitmiyorum
Sonorant stem bar- (бар-) + -mai (-май) + auxiliary jatyr (жатыр) + -myn (-мын).
Men tamaq ışıp otyrmyn. Мен тамақ ішіп отырмын.
I am eating food. · Turkish: Ben yemek yiyorum.
In Kazakh, food and liquids are both consumed with the verb ışu (ішу) ("to drink / ingest").
Men şäi ışıp otyrmyn. Мен шәй ішіп отырмын.
I am drinking tea. · Turkish: Ben çay içiyorum.
Seated tea drinking naturally pairs with the auxiliary otyr (отыр).
Süt alyp tūrmyn. Сүт алып тұрмын.
I am buying (taking) milk. · Turkish: Süt alıyorum.
Standing at a store counter takes the standing auxiliary tūrmyn (тұрмын).
Sen kıtap oqyp otyrsyñ ba? Сен кітап оқып отырсың ба?
are you reading a book? · Turkish: Sen kitap okuyor musun?
The question particle ba (ба) follows the conjugated continuous verb.
The stance auxiliary jür (жүр) is often used to describe emotional states, waiting, or feelings sustained continuously over time.
In the song Ūmytsam da by BAYANSULU, the singer describes longing and waiting for someone over an extended period:
Senı kütıp jürmın men älı de Сені күтіп жүрмін мен әлі де
I am still waiting for you · Turkish: Seni bekleyip duruyorum ben hâlâ (da)
From the song Ūmytsam da. The converb kütıp (күтіп) ("waiting") pairs with jürmın (жүрмін) to describe an enduring, ongoing emotional state.
In modern Turkish, the single continuous suffix -iyor evolved historically from the Old Turkic verb *yorı-* ("to walk, to go about"): gel-e yorır gradually merged and compressed into geliyor.
Kazakh never collapsed its aspectual verbs into a single suffix. Instead, Kazakh preserved all four ancient Turkic stance verbs intact: otyru (отыру) (Turkish oturmak), tūru (тұру) (Turkish durmak), jatu (жату) (Turkish yatmak), and jüru (жүру) (Turkish yürümek).
As a result, where Turkish uses -iyor for every present action regardless of posture, Kazakh gives speakers the ability to specify whether an action is done seated, standing, lying down, or while moving around.
← Reported and Narrative Past · Future Tenses →
Home · Grammar courses · About · Privacy Policy · Terms of Service · Contact