Every time: -ган сайын

In English, we often describe recurring actions or processes that build up over time: "Every time I hear that song, I cry," "The more I read, the more I understand," or "As time goes by..."

In Kyrgyz, all of these meanings are covered by one versatile word — сайын (every / each), which attaches to the verb.

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🧠 Logic

The word сайын marks regularity or each individual step of a process.

To link it to an action, we turn the verb into a participle using the familiar suffix -ган.

Literally, the phrase «Мен барган сайын» translates as: "On each of my trips..." or "Every time I go..."

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🧮 Formula

The suffix — chosen according to vowel harmony:

• After voiced consonants and vowels: -ган / -ген / -гон / -гөн
• After voiceless consonants (к, п, с, т, ш): -кан / -кен / -кон / -көн

барган сайын
бар
verb root
ган
participle
сайын
every time
→ every time [someone] goes

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💡 Examples

This construction has two main meanings depending on context.

1. "Every time" (Repetition)

Used when one action consistently triggers another.

2. "The more... the more" (Progression)

Used when an action accumulates and changes the situation.

жашаган сайын
жаша
verb root
ган
participle
сайын
every time
→ the longer [someone] lives

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Useful phrase

This phrase comes up in conversation all the time!

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⚠️ Important notes

1. The main trap: Verb or Time?

We don't slap the -ган suffix onto every word!

иштеген сайын
иште
verb root
ген
participle
сайын
every time
→ the more [someone] works

Examples with nouns:

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See also:

• Introduction to verbs — the concept of stems and conjugation
• Participle — how -ган is formed
• Vowel harmony — choosing the vowel in the suffix
• Sound assimilation — -ган/-кан
• When (-ганда) — other temporal connectives
• Since (-гандан бери) — a similar construction