A1 Honorifics & Register 1 min read Leicht

Formal Introductions

Als gelernt markieren
Practice it

Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

Use 'Siz' for respect and 'Sen' for friends; always use 'Siz' when meeting someone new to show proper Kazakh etiquette.

  • Use 'Siz' (formal you) for elders, strangers, and superiors: 'Siz kimsiz?' (Who are you?)
  • Use 'Sen' (informal you) only for close friends and children: 'Sen kimsing?' (Who are you?)
  • Match your verb endings to the pronoun: 'Siz barasiz' (formal) vs 'Sen barasin' (informal).
Pronoun (Siz/Sen) + Verb + Suffix (-siz/-sin)

Meanings

The honorific register in Kazakh distinguishes between formal and informal address through pronoun choice and verb conjugation.

1

Formal Address

Used for respect, distance, or professional settings.

“Siz kimsiz?”

“Siz qaydan keldingiz?”

Pronoun and Verb Agreement

Pronoun Meaning Verb Suffix (Present) Example
Men I -min Baramin
Sen You (inf) -sin Barasin
Ol He/She - Baradi
Biz We -miz Baramiz
Siz You (form) -siz Barasiz
Olar They -dar Baradilar

Reference Table

Reference table for Formal Introductions
Form Structure Example
Affirmative Siz + Verb + siz Siz barasiz
Negative Siz + Verb + me + siz Siz barmaysiz
Question Siz + Verb + siz + be? Siz barasiz ba?
Short Answer Iya, baramin Yes, I go
Formal Request Sizge... Sizge rahmet
Informal Request Seng... Seng rahmet

Formalitätsspektrum

Formell
Siz qalay siz?

Siz qalay siz? (Greeting)

Neutral
Qalay siz?

Qalay siz? (Greeting)

Informell
Qalay-sin?

Qalay-sin? (Greeting)

Umgangssprache
Qalay?

Qalay? (Greeting)

The Honorific Map

You

Formal

  • Siz You (formal)

Informal

  • Sen You (informal)
Sign up free to read full explanation

Examples by Level

1

Siz kimsiz?

Who are you?

2

Siz qaydasiz?

Where are you?

3

Siz keldingiz be?

Did you arrive?

4

Sizge rahmet.

Thank you.

1

Sen qalaysin?

How are you?

2

Siz ne istep jatsiz?

What are you doing?

3

Sen kelmedin be?

Didn't you come?

4

Sizge kömektese alamyn ba?

Can I help you?

1

Siz bizben birge barasiz ba?

Are you going with us?

2

Sen munda nege kelding?

Why did you come here?

3

Siz keshiktingiz be?

Are you late?

4

Senin aytqaning durys.

What you said is correct.

1

Sizge osy masele boyynsha habarlasyp turmyn.

I am calling you regarding this issue.

2

Senin oiynsha, bul qalay bolady?

In your opinion, how will this be?

3

Sizden surayyn degenim...

What I wanted to ask you is...

4

Senin qatysuyn mindetti.

Your participation is mandatory.

1

Sizdin pikrinizdi bilsem deymin.

I would like to know your opinion.

2

Senin osy iske degen kozqarasyn erekshe.

Your perspective on this matter is unique.

3

Sizge degen qurmetim sheksiz.

My respect for you is limitless.

4

Senin komegindi bagalaymyn.

I appreciate your help.

1

Sizdin osy saladagy jetistikterinizdi joogary bagalaymyz.

We highly value your achievements in this field.

2

Senin bul qylygyn meni tandaldyrdy.

This behavior of yours surprised me.

3

Sizge qatysty barlyq derekterdi jynadym.

I have collected all the data regarding you.

4

Senin janynda ozimdi erkin sezemin.

I feel free when I am with you.

Easily Confused

Formal Introductions vs. Siz vs Olar

Learners confuse formal 'you' (Siz) with 'they' (Olar).

Formal Introductions vs. Sen vs Men

Learners mix up 'you' (Sen) and 'I' (Men).

Formal Introductions vs. Siz vs Sizder

Learners don't know when to use plural formal.

Häufige Fehler

✗

Sen kimsiz?

✓

Siz kimsiz?

Mixing pronouns and endings.
✗

Siz keldi.

✓

Siz keldiniz.

Missing the formal suffix.
✗

Sen keldiniz be?

✓

Sen keldin be?

Using formal ending with informal pronoun.
✗

Sizler keldin.

✓

Sizler keldiniz.

Incorrect pluralization of formal.

Sentence Patterns

Siz ___ siz?

Sen ___ sin?

Siz ___ ba?

Senin ___ qalay?

Real World Usage

Job Interview constant

Sizdin tajiribeniz bar ma?

Texting a stranger very common

Sizge qalay habarlasam?

Ordering food constant

Sizge ne kerek?

Social Media common

Senin surating keremet!

Travel common

Siz qaydan keldingiz?

Family dinner common

Senin tamagyn damdi.

Sign up free to see all examples
💡

When in doubt, use Siz

It is better to be too formal than too rude.
⚠️

Don't mix

Never use 'Siz' with 'Sen' verb endings.
🎯

Listen to them

If they use 'Sen', you can switch to 'Sen'.
💬

Respect elders

Always use 'Siz' for anyone older than you.

Smart Tips

Always use 'Siz'.

Sen kimsing? → Siz kimsiz?

Use 'Siz'.

Sen ne aytasin? → Siz ne aytasiz?

Use 'Siz'.

Sen qaydasin? → Siz qaydasiz?

Use 'Sen'.

Siz qalay siz? → Sen qalay-sin?

Aussprache

Siz [siz], Sen [sen]

Siz vs Sen

Siz has a long 'i' sound, Sen is short.

Question

Siz barasiz ba? ↑

Rising intonation at the end.

Memorize It

Mnemonic

Siz is Sizeable (Big/Respectful), Sen is Small (Close/Informal).

Visual Association

Imagine a tall, regal person wearing a crown (Siz) and a small, playful child (Sen).

Rhyme

Use Siz for the wise, use Sen for your friends.

Story

A traveler arrives in a village. He meets an elder and says 'Siz'. The elder smiles. Later, he meets a friend and says 'Sen'. They laugh together.

Word Web

SizSenQurmetSizgeSizdinSizben

Herausforderung

Write 5 sentences using 'Siz' and 5 using 'Sen' today.

Kulturelle Hinweise

Respect for elders is the core of Kazakh culture.

Similar honorifics exist in Kyrgyz and Uzbek.

The 'Siz' form is common across Turkic languages.

The 'Siz' form comes from the pluralization of the second person to show respect.

Conversation Starters

“

Siz kimsiz?

“

Siz qalay siz?

“

Senin atyn kim?

“

Sizge ne kerek?

Journal Prompts

Write about meeting a new person.
Describe a conversation with a friend.
Write a formal letter to a teacher.
Compare formal and informal speech.
Sign up free to see all tips

Test Yourself

Fill in the correct pronoun.

___ kimsiz?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Siz
The verb ends in -siz, so use Siz.
Choose the correct verb form. Multiple Choice

Siz ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: barasiz
Siz requires -siz ending.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Sen kimsiz?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Sen kimsin?
Pronoun and verb must match.
Change to formal. Sentence Transformation

Sen barasin.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Siz barasiz.
Formalize both pronoun and verb.
True or False? True False Rule

Siz is used for friends.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: False
Siz is for formal situations.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: Siz kimsiz? B: ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Men Armanmin.
Answer must match the subject.
Order the words. Sentence Building

siz / barasiz / ba / ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Siz barasiz ba?
Standard word order.
Sort into Formal/Informal. Grammar Sorting

Sort: Siz, Sen, -siz, -sin

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Siz/-siz, Sen/-sin
Correct pairings.

Score: /8

Ubungsaufgaben

8 exercises
Fill in the correct pronoun.

___ kimsiz?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Siz
The verb ends in -siz, so use Siz.
Choose the correct verb form. Multiple Choice

Siz ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: barasiz
Siz requires -siz ending.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Sen kimsiz?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Sen kimsin?
Pronoun and verb must match.
Change to formal. Sentence Transformation

Sen barasin.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Siz barasiz.
Formalize both pronoun and verb.
True or False? True False Rule

Siz is used for friends.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: False
Siz is for formal situations.
Complete the dialogue. Dialogue Completion

A: Siz kimsiz? B: ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Men Armanmin.
Answer must match the subject.
Order the words. Sentence Building

siz / barasiz / ba / ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Siz barasiz ba?
Standard word order.
Sort into Formal/Informal. Grammar Sorting

Sort: Siz, Sen, -siz, -sin

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Siz/-siz, Sen/-sin
Correct pairings.

Score: /8

FAQ (8)

Yes, but it sounds distant or joking.

Use 'Siz' to be safe.

It is grammatically plural but used for singular respect.

Kazakh verbs agree with the subject pronoun.

When the other person suggests it.

Not to friends, but yes to strangers.

Add 'be' or 'ba' at the end.

No, 'Siz' is the standard.

Sign up free to practice

In Other Languages

German high

Sie/du

German uses 3rd person plural for 'Sie'.

French high

Vous/tu

French 'vous' is also the plural 'you'.

Spanish moderate

Usted/tú

Spanish 'usted' uses 3rd person singular.

Japanese low

Desu/Masu

Pronouns are often omitted in Japanese.

Arabic moderate

Antum/Anta

Arabic has gendered pronouns.

Chinese moderate

Nin/Ni

Chinese verbs do not conjugate.

Previous
Identity Statements

Related Grammar Rules

B2

Formal Tone
A2

Polite Imperatives
B1

Honorific Pronouns
B1

Honorific Verbs
B1

Register Selection
Was this helpful?

Kommentare (0)

Zum Kommentieren Anmelden
Noch keine Kommentare. Sei der Erste, der seine Gedanken teilt!