Signification
Informal apology to a peer
Contexte culturel
The concept of 'Uyat' (shame) governs much of social life. Apologizing correctly is a way to avoid 'Uyat' for your family. Historically, the 'Biy' (judges) would settle disputes. A sincere 'Кешір' could prevent a 'Barymta' (livestock raid) between tribes. In cities like Almaty, code-switching with Russian is common. You might hear 'Кешір, сори' as a double apology. If you are a guest and make a mistake, a host will often say 'Ештеңе етпейді' (It's nothing) before you even finish saying 'Кешір'.
The '-ші' trick
Add '-ші' to make it 'Кешірші' when you really want someone to stop being mad at you. It's much more persuasive!
The Age Gap
When in doubt, always use 'Кешіріңіз'. It's never rude to be too formal, but it's very rude to be too informal.
Signification
Informal apology to a peer
The '-ші' trick
Add '-ші' to make it 'Кешірші' when you really want someone to stop being mad at you. It's much more persuasive!
The Age Gap
When in doubt, always use 'Кешіріңіз'. It's never rude to be too formal, but it's very rude to be too informal.
Body Language
A small nod or hand on the chest makes your 'Кешір' feel 10x more sincere to a Kazakh speaker.
Teste-toi
You bumped into your classmate. What do you say?
Ой! ____, байқамай қалдым.
Since it's a classmate (a peer), the informal 'Кешір' is the most natural choice.
Complete the sentence to say 'Forgive me' to your friend.
____ кешірші.
The verb 'кешіру' requires the object to be in the accusative case ('Мені').
Match the phrase to the person you are speaking to.
1. Кешір 2. Кешіріңіз
Informal for the brother, formal for the grandmother.
Fill in the missing word in this text message conversation.
A: Сен қайдасың? B: ____, мен ұйықтап қалыппын!
Person B is apologizing for oversleeping.
🎉 Score : /4
Aides visuelles
When to say 'Кешір'
Accidents
- • Spilling water
- • Bumping into someone
- • Dropping something
Social
- • Being late
- • Forgetting a name
- • Interrupting a friend
Banque d exercices
4 exercicesОй! ____, байқамай қалдым.
Since it's a classmate (a peer), the informal 'Кешір' is the most natural choice.
____ кешірші.
The verb 'кешіру' requires the object to be in the accusative case ('Мені').
1. Кешір 2. Кешіріңіз
Informal for the brother, formal for the grandmother.
A: Сен қайдасың? B: ____, мен ұйықтап қалыппын!
Person B is apologizing for oversleeping.
🎉 Score : /4
Questions fréquentes
10 questionsNo, that would be considered very unprofessional. Use 'Кешіріңіз'.
'Кешір' is more common in daily life. 'Ғафу ет' is slightly more formal or 'bookish'.
The most common response is 'Ештеңе етпейді' (It's nothing) or 'Жақсы' (Okay/Fine).
Yes, it's very common. You might also see it shortened to 'Кеш' in very lazy slang, but 'Кешір' is better.
Yes, it can be used to get someone's attention, but only if they are your peer.
The suffix '-ші' is a softening particle that turns a command into a polite request or plea.
In big cities, young people understand 'Sorry', but using 'Кешір' shows much more respect for the culture.
If they look older than 20 and you are a student, use 'Кешіріңіз'. If they look like a teenager, 'Кешір' is fine.
Yes, 'Кешіріңдер' is used when apologizing to a group of friends.
You can, but you should probably add more words like 'Өтінемін, мені кешірші' to show depth.
Expressions liées
Кешіріңіз
specialized formFormal sorry
Ғафу ет
synonymPardon me
Айыпқа бұйырма
similarDon't take offense
Өкінемін
builds onI regret
Ештеңе етпейді
contrastIt's nothing / No problem
