Kazakh Verb Differences & False Friends

Kazakh grammar for beginners · How common Kazakh and Turkish verbs parted ways over time

Many core Kazakh and Turkish verbs share exact Proto-Turkic ancestral roots. Yet over a long time of geographical and cultural separation, their daily communicative roles shifted in fascinating ways.

A learner who relies solely on surface sound resemblance will quickly encounter "false friends" (for example, assuming tabu (табу) means tapmak "to worship", when in Kazakh it actually means bulmak "to find").

This lesson surveys the most important verb pairs where Kazakh and Turkish diverged, giving you clear cognitive maps to avoid misunderstandings.

Turkish Comparison: Shifts in Meaning and Sound

Notice two distinct types of relationships between Kazakh and Turkish verbs:

1. Cognates with semantic shift: The words come from the exact same Turkic root, but one language narrowed or shifted its everyday usage (e.g. söileu (сөйлеу) "to speak" answers to Turkish söylemek "to say").

2. False look-alikes: Words that sound deceptively similar but come from different roots or denote unrelated concepts in Turkish (e.g. jabu (жабу) "to close" vs. yapmak "to do").

Speaking and telling: söileu (сөйлеу), aitu (айту), söilesu (сөйлесу), and deu (деу)

Kazakh Verb	English Meaning	Turkish Counterpart	Etymology & Usage Note	Example in Context
söileu (сөйлеу)	to speak / talk	konuşmak	From stem *söz-le-*. Standard verb for speaking a language (contrasts with Turkish söylemek, which means "to say").	Qazaqşa söileimın. (Қазақша сөйлеймін.) (Kazakça konuşuyorum.)
aitu (айту)	to say / tell	söylemek (demek)	From Proto-Turkic *āy-. Cognate with Old Anatolian Turkish eyitmek / aytmak. Used when stating or delivering specific information.	Şyndyqty aitty. (Шындықты айтты.) (Gerçeği söyledi.)
söilesu (сөйлесу)	to converse together	konuşmak (söyleşmek)	Reciprocal stem söiles- (сөйлес-) + -u (-у). Used when two or more people converse together.	Dosymmen söilestım. (Досыммен сөйлестім.) (Arkadaşımla konuştum.)
deu (деу)	to say (quotative)	demek	Direct cognate with Turkish demek. Quotes words directly or pairs with converb dep (деп) (Turkish diye).	«Jaraidy» dedı («Жарайды» деді) («Tamam» dedi) / «Kelemın» dep aitty («Келемін» деп айтты) («Geleceğim» diye söyledi)

Notice the clear division: söileu (сөйлеу) is general speaking/ability, aitu (айту) is delivering a statement, söilesu (сөйлесу) is conversation, and deu (деу) is quoting speech.

Finding, holding, closing, desiring, and passing: The classic false friends

Kazakh Verb	English Meaning	Turkish Counterpart	False Friend Pitfall & What It Does NOT Mean	Example in Context
tabu (табу)	to find / discover	bulmak	Does NOT mean Turkish tapmak ("to worship", which in Kazakh is tabynu (табыну)). From Proto-Turkic *tap- ("to find, obtain").	Kıtapty taptym. (Кітапты таптым.) (Kitabı buldum.)
ūstau (ұстау)	to hold / grasp / catch	tutmak (yakalamak)	Has NOTHING to do with Turkish usta ("master craftsman", which in Kazakh is şeber (шебер) or noun ūsta (ұста)). In Kazakh, ūstau (ұстау) is the standard verb for physically holding or catching (from verb stem *usta-*), while the direct cognate of Turkish tutmak (from Proto-Turkic *tut-) survives in Kazakh tūtu (тұту) (used for observing a fast or abstract holding).	Qolynan ūstady. (Қолынан ұстады.) (Elinden tuttu.)
jabu (жабу)	to close / shut / cover	kapatmak (örtmek)	Does NOT mean Turkish yapmak ("to do / make"). Kazakh uses jabu (жабу) exclusively for closing, shutting, and covering, whereas making or creating is jasau (жасау) (e.g. esık jasau (есік жасау) = kapı yapmak). From Proto-Turkic *yap-.	Esıktı japty. (Есікті жапты.) (Kapıyı kapattı.)
ısteu (істеу)	to do / make / work	yapmak (işlemek / çalışmak)	Does NOT mean Turkish istemek ("to want / desire", which in Kazakh is qalau (қалау)). It is the exact cognate of Turkish işlemek (from noun *iş* "work" + verbalizer *-le-*, with Kipchak sound shift *iş-le-* → ıste- (істе-)). While Turkish narrowed işlemek to "to function/operate" and uses yapmak for "to do", Kazakh ısteu (істеу) remains the universal verb for doing and working.	Jūmys ısteimın. (Жұмыс істеймін.) (Çalışıyorum / iş yapıyorum.)
qalau (қалау)	to desire / want / choose	istemek / dilemek / seçmek	Does NOT mean Turkish kalmak ("to stay / remain", which in Kazakh is qalu (қалу)). Borrowed from Persian *xvāh* ("to desire / wish"). In Kazakh, qalau (қалау) is the universal verb for desiring, wanting, or wishing for something (answering to Turkish istemek / dilemek).	Qalağanyñdy tañda. (Қалағаныңды таңда.) (İstediğini seç.)
ötu (өту)	to pass / cross / elapse	geçmek	Cognate with Turkish ötmek. Proto-Turkic *öt-* originally spanned two distinct meanings: passing through and emitting sound. Each language retained a different meaning of the same Proto-Turkic origin: Kazakh kept the motion sense as its primary verb ("to pass / cross / elapse", answering to Turkish geçmek), while Turkish specialized ötmek for bird singing and crowing (Kazakh sairau / şaqyru (сайрау / шақыру)), keeping the ancient motion sense only as a remnant in Turkish öte ("beyond") and ötürü ("due to").	Uaqyt öttı. (Уақыт өтті.) (Vakit geçti.)

These false friends are among the most frequent stumbling blocks for Turkish speakers learning Kazakh.

Untangling Turkish "sokmak": soğu (соғу), sūğu (сұғу), kırgızu (кіргізу), and şağu (шағу)

Kazakh Verb	English Meaning	Turkish Counterpart	Semantic Domain & Etymology	Example in Context
soğu (соғу)	to strike / hit / beat / ring	vurmak / çalmak / çarpmak	Preserves Proto-Turkic *sok- ("to strike, beat, knock"). Used for hitting, heartbeats, and phone calls (telefon soğu (телефон соғу)). Does NOT mean inserting.	Telefon soqtym. (Телефон соқтым.) (Telefon ettim / açtım.)
sūğu (сұғу)	to thrust into / pierce / stick in	sokmak / saplamak	Exact phonetic cognate of Turkish sokmak (from Proto-Turkic *sok- with Kipchak vowel shift *o* → *u*). Expresses physical penetration or inserting.	Qaltasyna qolyn sūqty. (Қалтасына қолын сұқты.) (Cebine elini soktu.)
kırgızu (кіргізу)	to insert / put inside / bring in	girdirmek (içeri sokmak / koymak / takmak)	Causative of kıru (кіру) ("to enter", cognate with Turkish girmek, from Proto-Turkic *kīr-). Standard verb for putting objects inside or bringing someone into a room.	Kılttı kırgızdı. (Кілтті кіргізді.) (Anahtarı taktı / soktu.)
şağu (шағу)	to sting / bite (insect or snake)	sokmak (arı / yılan)	Dedicated Turkic verb for stings and insect bites. Kazakh never uses soğu (соғу) or sūğu (сұғу) for animal stings.	Ara şaqty. (Ара шақты.) (Arı soktu.)

While Turkish merged several of these distinct actions under sokmak, Kazakh clearly separates striking (soğu (соғу)), physical inserting (sūğu / kırgızu (сұғу / кіргізу)), and insect stinging (şağu (шағу)).

Motion and direction: baru (бару) vs. ketu (кету) vs. kelu (келу)

Kazakh Verb	English Meaning	Turkish Counterpart	Directional Focus & Etymology	Example in Context
baru (бару)	to go (to a place)	gitmek / varmak	From Proto-Turkic *bar-. Focuses on motion toward a destination; takes the dative case (-ğa / -ge (-ға / -ге)).	Sabaqqa baramyn. (Сабаққа барамын.) (Derse gidiyorum.)
ketu (кету)	to leave / depart	ayrılmak / gitmek	From Proto-Turkic *kē(y)t-t-). Focuses on departure away from a place; takes the ablative case (-dan / -den (-дан / -ден)).	Üiden kettı. (Үйден кетті.) (Evden ayrıldı / gitti.)
kelu (келу)	to come / arrive	gelmek	From Proto-Turkic *kẹl-. Direct equivalent to Turkish gelmek.	Mūnda kel! (Мұнда кел!) (Buraya gel!)

While Turkish uses gitmek for both going to a place and leaving, Kazakh clearly contrasts goal-oriented baru (бару) with departure-oriented ketu (кету).

Living, placing, and looking: tūru (тұру), salu (салу), and qarau (қарау)

Kazakh Verb	English Meaning	Turkish Counterpart	Cognate Note & Meaning Distinction	Example in Context
tūru (тұру)	1. to stand / get up 2. to live / reside	1. ayakta durmak / kalkmak 2. oturmak / yaşamak	Exact cognate of Turkish durmak (from Proto-Turkic *tur- "to stand/stay"). Kazakh uniquely extended tūru (тұру) to express living or residing in a place, whereas Turkish uses oturmak / yaşamak.	Almatyda tūramyn. (Алматыда тұрамын.) (Almatı'da yaşıyorum / oturuyorum.)
salu (салу)	to put / place / build	koymak / inşa etmek / yapmak	Exact cognate of Turkish salmak (from Proto-Turkic *sal-), but their everyday meanings diverged: while Turkish specialized into "to release / let loose", Kazakh uses salu (салу) for putting, placing, or constructing something (answering to Turkish koymak / yapmak).	Üi saldy. (Үй салды.) (Ev inşa etti / yaptı.)
qarau (қарау)	to look at / watch / tend to	bakmak	Primary Turkic verb for looking and directing visual attention (from Proto-Turkic *kara-). Takes the dative case (-ğa / -ge (-ға / -ге)), where Turkish developed bakmak.	Ainağa qarady. (Айнаға қарады.) (Aynaya baktı.)

Mastering these three verbs prevents frequent misunderstandings, especially understanding Almatyda tūramyn (Алматыда тұрамын) as residence rather than standing.

In real songs: Examples from our song library

Our published song catalog features these verbs in authentic colloquial and poetic contexts:

Keep going

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All Kazakh lessons

• The Alphabet — Read Kazakh without learning Cyrillic
• How the Letters Behave — The things spelling does not tell you
• Turkish ↔ Kazakh Sound Laws — Six rules that unlock hundreds of words for free
• Vowel Harmony — The same system as Turkish — with one simplification
• Numbers — One to a thousand, and what a number does to the word after it
• Days of the Week — Saturday, and the days counted off it
• Months — Twelve names to learn outright
• Seasons — The four, and the weather that comes with them
• The Plural — One suffix, six written shapes
• Body Parts — From the top of the head to the sole of the foot, and the organs in between
• Personal Pronouns — Four ways to say "you", one word for "he" and "she"
• Possessive — The ending goes on the thing owned
• Family and Kinship — Lineages, generational ties, and reciprocal kinship
• The Copula — Saying "I am a teacher" with no verb at all
• Saying What Something Is Not — One extra word, and the personal ending moves onto it
• Asking a Question — One small word at the end, and nothing else moves
• Having and Not Having — No verb "to have" — only "there is" and "there is not"
• Where: the Locative — Location and time: one ending
• Where to: the Dative — Direction, destination, recipient, and purpose
• Where from: the Ablative — Starting points, origins, and standards of comparison
• Whose: the Genitive — Possession, definite noun phrases, and relationships
• What: the Accusative — The thing an action is done to — marked only when it is a particular one
• With: the Instrumental — Who you did it with, and what you did it with
• All Seven Together — What each ending marks, and every shape it takes
• Spatial Postpositions and Relational Nouns — Expressing position, direction and time with postpositions and relational nouns
• Verbs, Infinitives and Commands — From dictionary forms in {{-у}} to bare stems, commands and polite requests
• Simple Present Tense — Habitual actions, general facts and future intentions in {{-а / -е / -й}}
• Simple Past Tense — Witnessed and completed past actions in {{-ды / -ді / -ты / -ті}}
• Distant Past and Past Participle — Experienced past actions in {{-ған / -ген}} and conversational negation with {{жоқ}}
• Habitual Past and the "Used-To" Aspect — Expressing past routines in {{-атын / -етін / -йтын / -йтін}} and habitual participles
• Reported and Narrative Past — Hearsay, indirect evidence and surprise discoveries in {{-ыпты / -іпті / -пты / -пті}}
• The Present Continuous Tense — Ongoing actions and the four auxiliary verbs of physical stance
• Future Tenses — Definite intentions in {{-мақ / -мек}} and probable futures in {{-ар / -ер / -р}}
• Desires, Intentions and Optatives — Expressing wishes in {{-ғым келеді}} and making proposals in {{-айын / -айық}}
• Ability and Inability — Expressing "can" and "cannot" using converbs in {{-а / -е / -й}} and {{алу}}
• Conditionals and "If" Clauses — Real and hypothetical conditions in {{-са / -се}} and counterfactuals with {{еді}}
• Sequential Converbs and Action Chains — Linking consecutive actions in {{-ып / -іп / -п}} without repeating conjunctions
• Causative, Passive and Reflexive Verb Voices — Grammatical voice derivations in {{-дыр / -қыз / -т}}, {{-ыл / -іл}} and {{-ыс / -іс}}
• Necessity, Obligation and Possibility — Expressing "must", "need to" and "might" with {{керек}}, {{қажет}} and {{мүмкін}}

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