What is the word order in Kyrgyz?

Subject, then object, then verb: Мен китеп окуйм — literally \'I book read\'. Because the endings already say who is doing what, the order can shift for emphasis. The verb, though, stays at the end.

How do you make a sentence negative in Kyrgyz?

With an ending on the verb, not a separate word. Since negation lives inside the verb and the verb comes last, the \'not\' arrives at the end of the sentence — the opposite of where you are used to hearing it.

Do adjectives come before or after the noun in Kyrgyz?

Before, just as in English: кызыл алма, a red apple. And the adjective never changes to agree with the noun, because there is nothing to agree with.

How to build sentences in Kyrgyz

Start with subject–object–verb

Мен китеп окуйм.: Men kitep okuym.I read a book.I + book + read.
Ал чай ичет.: Al chay ichet.He or she drinks tea.
Биз кыргызча үйрөнөбүз.: Biz kyrgyzcha üyrönöbüz.We learn Kyrgyz.
Атам банкта иштейт.: Atam bankta ishteyt.My father works at a bank.

Put descriptions before nouns

Adjectives normally come before the noun and do not agree in gender or number. A noun plus adjective can also make a present-tense statement without a separate word for “is.”

чоң үй: chong üya large house
кызыл алма: kyzyl almaa red apple
Бул үй чоң.: Bul üy chong.This house is large.
Бүгүн аба суук.: Bügün aba suuk.The weather is cold today.

Use case endings for direction and place

Мен үйгө барам.: Men üygö baram.I am going home.-гө marks destination.
Мен үйдө отурам.: Men üydö oturam.I am sitting at home.-дө marks location.
Мен үйдөн келдим.: Men üydön keldim.I came from home.-дөн marks source.
Мен досума китеп бердим.: Men dosuma kitep berdim.I gave my friend a book.

Make a sentence negative

The negative marker joins the verb and follows vowel and consonant harmony: -ба/-бе/-бо/-бө or -па/-пе/-по/-пө. Tense and person endings come after it.

Мен барбайм.: Men barbaym.I am not going.
Ал эт жебейт.: Al et jebeyt.He or she does not eat meat.
Биз түшүнгөн жокпуз.: Biz tüshüngön jokpuz.We did not understand.
Бул кымбат эмес.: Bul kymbat emes.This is not expensive.эмес negates a noun or adjective statement.

Turn a statement into a yes/no question

Add a separate question particle that harmonizes with the preceding word: -бы/-би/-бу/-бү or -пы/-пи/-пу/-пү. It is written together with the word before it in standard Kyrgyz spelling.

Сиз кыргызча сүйлөйсүзбү?: Siz kyrgyzcha süylöysüzbü?Do you speak Kyrgyz?
Бул автобусту күтөсүзбү?: Bul avtobustu kütösüzbü?Are you waiting for this bus?
Чай ысыкпы?: Chay ysykpy?Is the tea hot?

Add time, then expand

Time expressions often come near the beginning. Build one layer at a time: time + subject + place or object + verb.

Бүгүн мен иштейм.: Bügün men ishteym.Today I work.
Эртең биз тоого барабыз.: Erteng biz toogo barabyz.Tomorrow we will go to the mountains.
Кечээ мен досум менен киного бардым.: Kechöö men dosum menen kinogo bardym.Yesterday I went to the cinema with my friend.

FAQ

Common questions

What is the word order in Kyrgyz?: Subject, then object, then verb: Мен китеп окуйм — literally \'I book read\'. Because the endings already say who is doing what, the order can shift for emphasis. The verb, though, stays at the end.
How do you make a sentence negative in Kyrgyz?: With an ending on the verb, not a separate word. Since negation lives inside the verb and the verb comes last, the \'not\' arrives at the end of the sentence — the opposite of where you are used to hearing it.
Do adjectives come before or after the noun in Kyrgyz?: Before, just as in English: кызыл алма, a red apple. And the adjective never changes to agree with the noun, because there is nothing to agree with.

Case endings let you expand these patterns without losing clarity.

Study the six cases