In English, we often turn a statement into a yes/no question simply by changing the word order or adding "do/does/did": "You're going home." → "Are you going home?". In Kyrgyz, a special question suffix is added to the word for questions that can be answered "Ооба" (Yes) or "Жок" (No). In written Kyrgyz it is required, and its form depends on the last sound of the word: -бы/-би/-бу/-бү or -пы/-пи/-пу/-пү.
This is similar to how some languages use a question particle, but with an important difference: in Kyrgyz the suffix attaches to the word and follows the rules of sound harmony.
🧠 Logic
The question suffix goes at the very end of the word, after all other suffixes and endings. Think of a train: the root is the locomotive, followed by carriages (case, number, person suffixes), and the question suffix is the very last carriage.
STEM + case + number + person + БЫ/ПЫ?
The choice of variant depends on two factors:
- The vowel (ы/и/у/ү) is determined by vowel harmony
- The consonant (б or п) is determined by sound assimilation — after voiceless consonants, use «п»
🧮 Formula: Eight variants of the suffix
The question suffix has 8 variants. The choice depends on the last sound of the word:
- After a vowel and voiced consonants (м, н, ң, л, р, з, й), use the -б- variant: -бы/-би/-бу/-бү
- After voiceless consonants (к, п, с, т, ч, ш), use the -п- variant: -пы/-пи/-пу/-пү
Table by vowel
| Last vowel | With -б- | With -п- | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| а, ы, я | -бы | -пы | Алмабы? Тамакпы? |
| е, и, э | -би | -пи | Келдиби? Китеппи? |
| о, ё, у, ю | -бу | -пу | Окуучубу? Токойбу? |
| ө, ү | -бү | -пү | Күнбү? Түшүндүңбү? |
💡 Construction examples
| Stem | + Suffixes | + Question suffix | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Студент | + тер + им = Студенттерим | + би = Студенттеримби? | Are these my students? |
| Бар | + ды + ң = Бардың | + бы = Бардыңбы? | Did you go? |
| Сен үйдө | + сүң = Сен үйдөсүң | + бү = Сен үйдөсүңбү? | Are you at home? |
💡 Examples in different situations
1. With nouns (Who is this? What is this?)
- Бул сенин унааң. → Бул сенин унааңбы? — Is this your car?
- Сен студентсиң. → Сен студентсиңби? — Are you a student?
- Ал дарыгер. → Ал дарыгерби? — Is he a doctor?
2. With verbs (Are you doing? Did you do?)
- Сен эртең иштейсиң. → Сен эртең иштейсиңби? — Are you working tomorrow?
- Алар кино көрүштү. → Алар кино көрүштүбү? — Did they watch a movie?
- Сиз барасыз. → Сиз барасызбы? — Will you go?
3. With adjectives (What kind?)
- Бул чай ысык. → Бул чай ысыкпы? — Is this tea hot?
- Ал сулуу. → Ал сулуубу? — Is she beautiful?
⚠️ Important notes
1. If there's a question word, the suffix isn't needed
The -бы suffix is used only for yes/no questions.
If the sentence already contains a question word (Ким? Эмне? Кайда? Качан? Канча?), the question suffix is not added.
| Wrong | Correct | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Сен кайда жашайсыңбы? | Сен кайда жашайсың? | Where do you live? |
| Бул кимби? | Бул ким? | Who is this? |
| Канча туратпы? | Канча турат? | How much does it cost? |
💡 Tip: A question word already makes the sentence a question. Adding the suffix would be like asking "Where do you live, huh?".
2. Negative questions
To ask a negative question, first form the negative form of the verb, then add the question suffix:
- Барбайсың (You're not going) → Барбайсыңбы? (Aren't you going?)
- Келбеди (He didn't come) → Келбедиби? (Didn't he come?)
More detail in the article Verb negation.
See also:
- Vowel harmony — vowel harmony
- Sound assimilation — choosing Б or П
- Question words — words like ким, эмне, кайда already make a sentence a question
- Verb negation — how to ask negative questions