In English we say: "I started reading", "He started playing", and so on. We take the verb "to start" and put any other action next to it in its infinitive form.
In Kyrgyz, the verb баштоо (to begin) works alongside your main action, but no infinitive is needed. We turn the main action into a process and link them together.
🧠 The Logic
Just as in the «to continue» (-а бер) construction, we take the verb stem, attach a linking vowel, and place the verb башта- after it.
Literally, we're saying: "While doing — began."
💡 Башта- most often appears in the past tense (баштады), because if you've already started doing something — the start is already in the past!
🧮 The Formula
Pattern: Stem + linking vowel -а-е-о-ө-й + башта + personal ending
How to choose the vowel? By vowel harmony:
| Condition | Vowel | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Consonant (а, я, ы, у, ю) | -а | бар → бара башта- |
| Consonant (и, е, э) | -е | бил → биле башта- |
| Consonant (о, ё) | -о | кой → коё башта- |
| Consonant (ө, ү) | -ө | көр → көрө башта- |
| Vowel | -й | оку → окуй башта-, иште → иштей башта- |
💡 Spelling note: й + о = ё: кой + о = коё башта (not койо башта).
The verb башта- changes for tense and person:
| Form | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| мен (past) | жаза баштадым | I started writing |
| ал (past) | окуй баштады | he started reading |
| биз (past) | иштей баштадык | we started working |
| алар (past) | сүйлөй башташты | they started talking |
| ал (present) | жаза баштайт | he starts writing |
жаза баштадымжазroot "to write"аlinking vowelбашта"to begin"дыpast tenseмI→ I started writing
Negative Form
Negation goes on the auxiliary verb башта-:
| Affirmative | Negative | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| жаза баштадым | жаза баштаган жокмун | I didn't start writing |
| окуй баштайт | окуй баштабайт | he's not starting to read |
Question Form
| Affirmative | Question | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| жаза баштадың | жаза баштадыңбы? | did you start writing? |
| окуй баштайт | окуй баштайтпы? | is he starting to read? |
💡 Examples
Launching a process
| Kyrgyz | Translation |
|---|---|
| Мен жаза баштадым. | I started writing. |
| Ал окуй баштады. | He started reading. |
| Биз иштей баштадык. | We started working. |
| Жамгыр жаай баштады. | It started raining. |
| Алар сүйлөй башташты. | They started talking. |
— Жамгыр жаай баштады! — It's started raining! — Кол чатыр алып кел. — Go get an umbrella.
— Иштей баштадыңбы? — Have you started working? — Ооба, эми гана баштадым. — Yes, just started.
⚠️ Important Notes
Starting an ACTION vs Starting an OBJECT
English speakers sometimes wonder when to use two verbs and when to use one. The rule is simple:
Starting to do an action → two verbs:
- Мен китеп окуй баштадым. — I started reading a book (the process)
Starting an object or event → one verb:
- Мен сабакты баштадым. — I started the lesson (an object)
- Биз жумушту баштадык. — We started the work
- Кино башталды. — The film started (passive voice — it started itself)
See also:
- Introduction to verbs — the basics of how verbs work
- Continue (-а бер) — the same formula, different meaning
- Complete (-ып чык) — covering the full volume
- Finish (-ып бүт) — stopping the process
- Passive voice (-ыл) — for «башталды»
- Vowel harmony — choosing the linking vowel