How do you say in Kyrgyz: "I'm about to go to the store" or "We're just about to sit down for dinner"?
For actions you have firmly decided to do and are ready to start any moment now, Kyrgyz uses the going-to future. This form signals that your intention is as serious as it gets — you're already tying your shoes, standing at the door, or waiting for the kettle to boil.
💡 English analogy: The exact equivalent is going to in the sense of the immediate future: "I'm going to leave" = «Мен чыкканы жатамын».
🧠 The Logic
This construction translates very literally: the suffix -ганы means purpose ("in order to"), and жатат means "is in a state of." Literally: "I am in a state of about to do..."
When to use:
- The action is about to start: Мен тамак ичкени жатамын — I'm going to eat (already washing my hands)
- Physical readiness: Ал уктаганы жатат — He's going to sleep (spreading out the blankets)
- Immediate future: Тамак бышканы жатат — The food is about to be ready
When NOT to use:
- Just a plan → use -макмын (a mental intention)
- Regular actions → use the present-future tense
🧮 The Formula
Formula: Stem + -ганы/каны-гени/кени-гону/кону-гөнү/көнү + жат + personal ending
барганы жатамынбарrootганыpurposiveжатаauxiliary verbмынI→ I'm about to go
Step 1: Add the purposive suffix
According to vowel harmony and assimilation:
After vowels and voiced consonants — -ганы-гени-гону-гөнү:
| Vowel group | Suffix | Example |
|---|---|---|
| а, я, ы | -ганы | бар → барганы, чакыр → чакырганы |
| э, е, и | -гени | кел → келгени, иште → иштегени |
| о, ё, у, ю | -гону | бол → болгону, ойно → ойногону |
| ө, ү | -гөнү | көр → көргөнү, күй → күйгөнү |
After voiceless consonants — -каны-кени-кону-көнү:
- тап → тапканы, күт → күткөнү, өт → өткөнү
Step 2: The auxiliary verb жат
The verb жатуу conjugates for person (like in the present continuous):
| Person | Form (бар) | Form (көр) | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| мен | барганы жатамын | көргөнү жатамын | I'm about to go / see |
| сен | барганы жатасың | көргөнү жатасың | you're about to go / see |
| сиз | барганы жатасыз | көргөнү жатасыз | you (formal) are about to go / see |
| ал | барганы жатат | көргөнү жатат | he/she is about to go / see |
| биз | барганы жатабыз | көргөнү жатабыз | we're about to go / see |
| силер | барганы жатасыңар | көргөнү жатасыңар | you (plural) are about to go / see |
| сиздер | барганы жатасыздар | көргөнү жатасыздар | you (formal plural) are about to go / see |
| алар | барганы жатышат | көргөнү жатышат | they are about to go / see |
💡 Tip: In colloquial speech, the «мен» form is very often heard without -мын: «барганы жатам» instead of «барганы жатамын». Both are fine, but the literary norm uses the full ending.
Question form
The question suffix -бы-би-бу-бү is added to the full form.
| Person | Form (бар) | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| мен | барганы жатамынбы | am I about to go? |
| сен | барганы жатасыңбы | are you about to go? |
| ал | барганы жатабы | is he/she about to go? |
| биз | барганы жатабызбы | are we about to go? |
| алар | барганы жатышабы | are they about to go? |
⚠️ Important details
1. The "ж" almost always drops in speech
In fast, natural speech the word «жатамын» almost always loses its initial ж, and the two words merge into one:
| Literary form | How it sounds in speech |
|---|---|
| Барганы жатамын | Барганы атамын |
| Барганы жатабыз | Барганы атабыз |
| Кеткени жатат | Кеткени атат |
⚠️ Note: In written texts, messages, and formal language the full form with жат is used. But for understanding spoken Kyrgyz, this is a critically important detail. The same dropping happens in the present continuous: «иштеп жатам» sounds like «иштеп атам».
2. -ГАНЫ ЖАТАТ vs -МАКМЫН: Physical start vs Mental plan
The difference is in how close you are to the action:
| -ганы жатат (physical start) | -макмын (mental plan) |
|---|---|
| The action is about to begin. You are already in motion. | This is a plan in your head. You haven't started yet. |
| Мен тамак ичкени жатамын. — I'm going to eat (I'm walking to the kitchen, washing hands). | Мен тамак ичмекмин. — I intend to eat (sitting on the sofa, maybe later). |
💡 Rule: If you're ready to act right now — use -ганы жатат. If you're just sharing plans — use -макмын.
💡 Examples
Immediate future
| Kyrgyz | Translation |
|---|---|
| Мен сыртка чыкканы жатамын. | I'm about to go outside (already getting dressed). |
| Биз кино көргөнү жатабыз. | We're just about to watch a film (already turning it on). |
| Ал уктаганы жатат. | He's going to sleep (spreading out the blankets). |
| Тамак бышканы жатат. | The food is almost ready. |
| Алар кеткени жатышат. | They're about to leave. |
Real-life situations
| Kyrgyz | Translation |
|---|---|
| Мен душка киргени жатамын. | I'm about to get in the shower. |
| Ал экзамен тапшырганы жатат. | He's on his way to take an exam. |
| Биз тамак жегени жатабыз. | We're sitting down to eat. |
— Эмне кылып жатасың? — What are you doing? — Сыртка чыкканы жатамын. — I'm about to head outside.
— Алар кайда? — Where are they? — Кеткени жатышат. — They're about to leave.
See also:
- Introduction to verbs — the foundation for understanding tenses
- Intention (-макмын) — a mental plan, not a physical start
- Present continuous (-ып жатат) — uses the same auxiliary verb жат
- Vowel harmony — choosing the right vowel in the suffix
- Sound assimilation — choosing г or к in the purposive suffix
- Question suffix — how questions are formed