I can answer the hosts' “Төрлетіңіз”, praise the food, politely turn down more, ask for water, send greetings to the family, and address an older person — with сіз.
Қонақта: what the hosts and the guest say
Қонақта: what the hosts and the guest say
In a Kazakh home the guest is led to the seat of honor, the төр, and served tea right away. Every step has a set phrase; who says what is in the table.
• The guest comes in. The hosts: төрлетіңіз — “please take the seat of honor”.
• At the table: шай алыңыз — “please have some tea”, literally “take tea”.
• They offer more: тағы ма? — “more?” To say no politely: жетеді, рақмет — “that's enough, thank you” — or тойдым — “I'm full”.
• You're thirsty: шөлдедім.
• Saying goodbye: анаңызға сәлем айтыңыз — “say hello to your mom”. The person who gets the greeting is in the dative: Асхатқа, әпкеңе.
Дастарқан — the set table. Дәм — taste: шайдың дәмі. Қонақжай — hospitable.
Older people are addressed without a name: ата — an elderly man, әже — an elderly woman, апа — a woman older than you. Only with сіз: Ата, кіріңіз. Older people speak to younger ones with сен and affectionately: балам (“my child”), қарағым (“my dear”).
Common mistakes:
• ×Сау бол (to the hostess) → Сау болыңыз
• ×Тойдымын → Тойдым
• ×Ата, нан же → Ата, нан жеңіз
Visiting: who says what
The hosts say everything with сіз.
| Situation | The hosts say | The guest answers |
|---|---|---|
| the guest comes in | қош келдіңіз, төрлетіңіз | рақмет |
| at the table | шай алыңыз | рақмет |
| they offer more | тағы ма | жетеді, рақмет |
| the guest is full | — | тойдым |
| the guest is thirsty | — | шөлдедім |
| saying goodbye | анаңызға сәлем айтыңыз | рақмет, айтамын |
Forms of address and table words
The last five words are for recognizing only.
| Word | Said to whom, and what it means |
|---|---|
| ата | to an elderly man |
| әже | to an elderly woman, a grandmother |
| апа | to a woman older than you |
| балам | older people to younger ones: “my child” |
| қарағым | older people to younger ones, fondly: “my dear” |
| үй иесі | the host, the owner of the house |
| ыдыс | dishes |
| бата | the elder's blessing at the end of the meal |
Lesson notes
Қонақта: what the hosts and the guest say
In a Kazakh home the guest is led to the seat of honor, the төр, and served tea right away. Every step has a set phrase; who says what is in the table.
• The guest comes in. The hosts: төрлетіңіз — “please take the seat of honor”.
• At the table: шай алыңыз — “please have some tea”, literally “take tea”.
• They offer more: тағы ма? — “more?” To say no politely: жетеді, рақмет — “that's enough, thank you” — or тойдым — “I'm full”.
• You're thirsty: шөлдедім.
• Saying goodbye: анаңызға сәлем айтыңыз — “say hello to your mom”. The person who gets the greeting is in the dative: Асхатқа, әпкеңе.
Дастарқан — the set table. Дәм — taste: шайдың дәмі. Қонақжай — hospitable.
Older people are addressed without a name: ата — an elderly man, әже — an elderly woman, апа — a woman older than you. Only with сіз: Ата, кіріңіз. Older people speak to younger ones with сен and affectionately: балам (“my child”), қарағым (“my dear”).
Common mistakes:
• ×Сау бол (to the hostess) → Сау болыңыз
• ×Тойдымын → Тойдым
• ×Ата, нан же → Ата, нан жеңіз