KZ Foreign Language Exam flashcards

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Vowel harmony rule

Kazakh suffixes must match the last vowel of the stem: front vowels ә, е, і, ө, ү take front-variant suffixes, and back vowels а, о, ұ, ы, у take back-variant suffixes.

Plural suffix variants

The plural is -лар, -лер, -дар, -дер, -тар, or -тер, selected by the final sound of the noun and by vowel harmony, for example кітаптар, үйлер, балалар.

Genitive case ending

The ілік case marks possession with -ның, -нің, -дың, -дің, -тың, or -тің, as in мектептің (of the school), chosen by harmony and final consonant.

Accusative case ending

The табыс case marks a definite direct object with -ны, -ні, -ды, -ді, -ты, or -ті, for example кітапты (the book, as object).

Dative case ending

The барыс case marks direction or indirect object with -ға, -ге, -қа, or -ке, for example мектепке (to school) and үйге (to the house).

Locative case ending

The жатыс case marks location with -да, -де, -та, or -те, for example қалада (in the city) and үстелде (on the table).

Ablative case ending

The шығыс case marks source or origin with -дан, -ден, -тан, or -тен, for example мектептен (from school) and үйден (from home).

Instrumental case ending

The көмектес case marks means or accompaniment with -мен, -бен, or -пен, for example қаламмен (with a pen) and досыммен (with my friend).

Definite past tense

The -ды, -ді, -ты, -ті suffix marks a completed past action the speaker witnessed, for example бардым (I went) and келді (he came).

Resultative past tense

The -ған, -ген, -қан, -кен suffix marks a past action viewed as a state or reported result, for example келген (has come, apparently came).

Progressive present construction

The pattern -ып жатыр or -іп жатыр expresses an action in progress now, for example оқып жатыр (is reading) and жазып жатыр (is writing).

Polite imperative form

Adding -ыңыз or -іңіз to a verb stem forms a polite command used with strangers and superiors, for example келіңіз (please come).

First person plural imperative

The suffix -айық or -ейік forms a suggestion including the speaker, equivalent to let us, for example барайық (let us go) and көрейік (let us see).

Negation suffix

Verb negation inserts -ма, -ме, -ба, -бе, -па, or -пе before personal endings, for example бармадым (I did not go) and келмеді (he did not come).

Consonant assimilation rule

Suffix-initial consonants match stem-final voicing: voiceless finals к, қ, п, с, т, ш take -ты, -ті, -қа, -ке, -та, -те, while voiced finals take the voiced forms.

Postposition case government

Each postposition fixes the case of its complement: дейін and кейін take ablative, үшін and туралы take nominative, so learn the case with the word.

Question particle ba/be

The particles ма, ме, ба, бе, па, пе attach to the final word to form a yes-no question, for example Келдің бе? (Did you come?).

Main idea location

In Kazakh expository passages the topic sentence usually opens the paragraph, so the first sentence of each paragraph is the highest-yield place to answer main-idea questions.

Contrast connectives

Бірақ and алайда mean but and however and signal contrast, while сондықтан signals result and өйткені signals cause, guiding logic questions.

Referent tracking method

To resolve ол, бұл, or сол, locate the nearest preceding noun that agrees in number context, since Kazakh pronouns carry no gender distinction.

Inference item rule

A correct inference answer must be supported by an explicit sentence in the passage; statements that are generally true but unstated are distractors.

Vocabulary in context

Choose the meaning that fits the surrounding collocation rather than the most frequent dictionary sense, because Kazakh content words are frequently polysemous.

Scanning for numerals

Digits and capitalised proper nouns are visually distinct in Kazakh text, so locating them first quickly anchors the sentence that answers a detail question.

Stress placement rule

Kazakh word stress normally falls on the final syllable, and adding a suffix shifts the stress rightward, so the stressed peak marks the word end.

Question intonation contour

Yes-no questions rise on the final word, while questions containing an interrogative word such as қайда or кім typically use a falling contour.

Clock time expression

Clock time is сағат plus the number, for example сағат үш (three o'clock); after and until use кейін and дейін with the required case.

Register marker siz versus sen

Hearing сіз signals formal address to a superior or stranger, while сен signals informal address between close peers, revealing the relationship in dialogues.

Spoken negation cues

Negation is heard either as the suffix set -ма, -ме, -ба, -бе, -па, -пе with personal endings, or as the word жоқ at the clause end.

Formal letter closing

Formal Kazakh letters open with Сәлеметсіз бе! and close with Құрметпен followed by the writer's name, while informal letters use Сау болыңыз.

Argument paragraph frame

An argumentative paragraph states a claim, adds two supporting sentences with evidence, acknowledges one counterpoint, then closes with a conclusion sentence.

Cohesion markers in writing

Sequence writing with біріншіден, екіншіден, сонымен қатар, and қорытындылай келе to mark first, second, addition, and conclusion explicitly.

Speaking answer pattern

Answer speaking prompts with a claim plus two supporting details, a structure that fills thirty to forty-five seconds and avoids long silent pauses.

High-yield vowel contrasts

Drill ә versus а, ө versus о, ү versus ұ, and ы versus і, because these Kazakh vowel pairs are distinct phonemes whose confusion changes word meaning.

Turn-taking markers

Signal agreement with иә, дұрыс, келісемін and polite disagreement with кешіріңіз, бірақ, then return a question to keep an interactive task moving.