In English, we're used to explaining reasons with separate words: "I didn't come because I got sick" or "Because it was raining, we stayed home."
In Kyrgyz, there's the word анткени (because), but reasons are often expressed more compactly — using the suffix -гандыктан, which attaches to the participial stem of the verb.
🧠 Logic
This construction is assembled from three parts:
- -ган: forms the participial form (one who has done)
- -дык: turns the participle into an abstract noun (the fact of the action happening)
- -тан: the ablative case ending (from what?)
Literally: "Starting from the fact of the action..."
Оору- (to be ill) → ооруган (one who fell ill) → ооругандык (the fact of falling ill) → ооругандыктан (because of falling ill / since [someone] got sick)
ооругандыктанооруroot "to be ill"ганparticipleдыкfact (noun)танablative case→ because [someone] got sick
🧮 Formula
Verb stem + -ган-ген-гон-гөн-кан-кен-кон-көн + -дык-дик-дук-дүк + -тан-тен
The -ган suffix is chosen according to vowel harmony and sound assimilation:
- After vowels and voiced consonants: -ган/-ген/-гон/-гөн
- After voiceless consonants: -кан/-кен/-кон/-көн
The -дык suffix — always with -д-, because the participle ends in the voiced -н. The vowel is chosen by vowel harmony:
| Vowel group | Suffix | Example |
|---|---|---|
| а, я, ы | -дыктан | бар → баргандыктан |
| э, е, и | -диктен | кел → келгендиктен |
| о, ё, у, ю | -дуктан | бол → болгондуктан |
| ө, ү | -дүктөн | көр → көргөндүктөн |
Alternative formula: -гандык + possessive suffix + үчүн
The "because" construction has a second variant — instead of the ablative -тан, a possessive suffix + үчүн (for / for the sake of) is used:
Verb stem + -ган-кан... + -дык-дик-дук-дүк + possessive suffix + үчүн
| -гандыктан | -гандыгы үчүн | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Мен бош эмес болгондуктан... | Мен бош эмес болгондугум үчүн... | Because I was busy... |
| Ал кечиккендиктен... | Ал кечиккендиги үчүн... | Because he was late... |
болгондугум үчүнболroot "to be"гонparticipleдугfact (noun)умpossessive "my"үчүнpostposition "for"→ because I was
Both variants are interchangeable. The form with үчүн appears more often in written and formal speech.
💡 Examples
In this construction, the reason usually comes first and the result at the end.
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| Жамгыр жаагандыктан, биз үйдө калдык. | Because it rained, we stayed home. |
| Мен ооруп калгандыктан, жумушка барбайм. | Since I got sick, I won't go to work. |
| Ал кечиккендиктен, биз ансыз баштадык. | Because he was late, we started without him. |
| Мен муну билбегендиктен, ката кетирдим. | Because I didn't know this, I made a mistake. |
The last example uses the negation -бе: билбегендиктен.
билбегендиктенбилroot "to know"беnegationгенparticipleдикfact (noun)тенablative case→ because [someone] didn't know
⚠️ Important notes
Анткени vs -гандыктан
| Language | Example |
|---|---|
| English | I didn't come because I got sick. |
| With анткени | Мен келген жокмун, анткени ооруп калдым. |
| With -гандыктан | Ооруп калгандыктан, мен келген жокмун. |
The анткени version is grammatically correct and widely used. The -гандыктан construction sounds more cohesive and literary, because cause and result are woven into one flowing phrase.
When the reason is a noun, not an action
If the reason is expressed as a noun rather than a verb, there are two options:
Neutral reason: -дан улам
The most versatile and literary option. The noun is put in the ablative case, then the postposition улам is added.
Formula: Noun + -дан-ден-дон-дөн-тан-тен-тон-төн + улам
| Kyrgyz | Translation |
|---|---|
| Аба ырайынан улам | Due to the weather |
| Жумуштан улам | Because of work |
| Оорудан улам | Because of illness |
Negative reason (someone is to blame): айынан
The word айып means "fault/blame." The construction айынан literally means "by the fault of [this]." It's used when something went wrong and you're pointing to the culprit (even if that culprit is an inanimate object).
It often requires the genitive case (-нын/-нин...) before it, though in colloquial speech this is sometimes dropped.
Formula: Noun + -дын-дин... + айынан
| Kyrgyz | Translation |
|---|---|
| Жамгырдын айынан | Because of the rain (the rain is to blame for getting us wet) |
| Пробканын айынан | Because of the traffic jam (we were late due to traffic) |
See also:
- Introduction to verbs — the concept of stems and conjugation
- Participle — how -ган is formed
- Ablative case — the -тан/-дан ending
- Genitive case — for the construction with айынан
- Vowel harmony — choosing the vowel in the suffix
- Sound assimilation — -ган/-кан
- Purpose: in order to (-ыш үчүн) — the construction with үчүн