Kyrgyz has a special tense for actions you are not 100% sure about. It translates as "will probably do," "might happen," or "is unlikely to happen."
In everyday spoken language it comes up less often, but it is the backbone of literary Kyrgyz, poetry, and journalism. It also underlies some of the most important set expressions in the language.
🧠 The Logic
This tense is a marker of probability and conjecture. The speaker signals that they are not fully certain the action will happen.
When to use:
- Supposition: Ал келер — He will probably come
- Literary style: Келер жылы биз жолугушарбыз — Next year we will meet
- Fixed expressions: Болор иш болду — What was meant to happen has happened
When NOT to use:
- Certainty about the future → use the present-future tense
- Intention → use the going-to future (-мак/-мек)
💡 English analogy: Similar to might / would / probably will: "He might come" = «Ал келер».
🧮 The Formula
Formula: Stem + -ар-ер-ор-өр + personal ending
Step 1: Add the suffix
According to vowel harmony:
| Vowel group | Suffix | Example |
|---|---|---|
| а, я, ы | -ар | бар → барар |
| э, е, и | -ер | кел → келер, иште → иштер |
| о, ё, у, ю | -ор | бол → болор |
| ө, ү | -өр | көр → көрөр |
If the stem ends in a vowel — just add -р:
- иште → иштер, оку → окур
⚠️ Important: Consonant voicing! If the stem ends in a voiceless п or к, they become voiced before the suffix vowel:
- тап → табар (п → б)
- ук → угар (к → г)
Step 2: Personal endings
| Person | Form (бар) | Form (көр) | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| мен | барармын | көрөрмүн | I will probably go / see |
барармынбарstemарprobable futureмынI→ I will probably go
| сен | барарсың | көрөрсүң | you will probably go / see | | сиз | барарсыз | көрөрсүз | you (formal) will probably go / see | | ал | барар | көрөр | he/she will probably go / see | | биз | барарбыз | көрөрбүз | we will probably go / see | | силер | барарсыңар | көрөрсүңөр | you (plural) will probably go / see | | сиздер | барарсыздар | көрөрсүздөр | you (formal plural) will probably go / see | | алар | барышар | көрүшөр | they will probably go / see |
⚠️ Note: The «алар» form is built through the cooperative voice: stem + -ышар-ишер-ушар-үшөр. See cooperative voice for more detail.
Negative form
This tense has a unique negative! Instead of the standard negative affix, the tense itself changes its suffix to -бас-бес-бос-бөс (after vowels and voiced consonants) or -пас-пес-пос-пөс (after voiceless consonants).
Formula: Stem + -бас-пас + personal ending
| Person | Form (бар) | Form (көр) | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| мен | барбасмын | көрбөсмүн | I'm unlikely to go / see |
көрбөсмүнкөрstemбөсnegative probable futureмүнI→ I'm unlikely to see
| сен | барбассың | көрбөссүң | you're unlikely to go / see | | сиз | барбассыз | көрбөссүз | you (formal) are unlikely to go / see | | ал | барбас | көрбөс | he/she is unlikely to go / see | | биз | барбаспыз | көрбөспүз | we're unlikely to go / see | | силер | барбассыңар | көрбөссүңөр | you (plural) are unlikely to go / see | | сиздер | барбассыздар | көрбөссүздөр | you (formal plural) are unlikely to go / see | | алар | барышпас | көрүшпөс | they are unlikely to go / see |
💡 Tip: Notice that in the third person «ал» you get a short, emphatic «Ал келбес» — He won't come. For «биз», the ending -быз shifts to -пыз after the voiceless с.
Question form
The question suffix -бы-би-бу-бү is added to the full form.
Formula: Full form + -бы-би-бу-бү
| Person | Form (бар) | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| мен | барармынбы | will I go? |
| сен | барарсыңбы | will you go? |
| сиз | барарсызбы | will you (formal) go? |
| ал | барарбы | will he/she go? |
| биз | барарбызбы | will we go? |
| силер | барарсыңарбы | will you (plural) go? |
| сиздер | барарсыздарбы | will you (formal plural) go? |
| алар | барышарбы | will they go? |
⚠️ Important details
1. Fixed expressions with -ар/-бас
The suffix -ар often turns a verb into a participle (answering "which kind of?"). You will encounter these forms constantly:
| Kyrgyz | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Келер жылы | Next / the coming year | Heard before every New Year |
| Болор иш болду. | What was meant to happen has happened. | A well-known proverb |
| Билбес адам | A person who doesn't know | Participle from бил- |
| Көрөр көзүм | My seeing eye | A tender term of endearment for someone close |
2. How people actually express this in everyday speech
In everyday conversation, probability is more often expressed in other ways:
Option 1: Conditional + керек
The most common way to say "probably." Verb in the conditional form (-са) + the word керек:
- Ал келсе керек. — He'll probably come.
- Жамгыр жааса керек. — It looks like it might rain.
Option 2: The word балким
Regular present-future tense + the word балким (maybe):
- Балким, мен барам. — Maybe I'll go.
- Балким, ал келбейт. — Maybe he won't come.
💡 Examples
Suppositions
| Kyrgyz | Translation |
|---|---|
| Ал эртең келер. | He'll probably come tomorrow. |
| Биз жеңишке жетишербиз. | We'll probably achieve victory. |
| Бул иш оңой болор. | This work will probably be easy. |
Doubts / "unlikely"
| Kyrgyz | Translation |
|---|---|
| Ал келбес. | He probably won't come. |
| Биз жетишпеспиз. | We probably won't make it in time. |
| Мен аны көрбөсмүн. | I probably won't see him. |
Literary style
| Kyrgyz | Translation |
|---|---|
| Келер жылы биз жолугушарбыз. | Next year we will meet. |
| Ал күндөр кайра келер. | Those days will return. |
| Адам өмүрү өтөр, эмгек калар. | A person's life will pass, but their work will remain. |
— Ал эртең келерби? — Will he come tomorrow? — Келсе керек. — Probably yes.
— Жамгыр жаарбы? — Will it rain? — Жаабас. — Unlikely.
See also:
- Introduction to verbs — the foundation for understanding tenses
- Conditional mood (-са) — used with «керек» to express probability
- Present-future tense — used with «балким»
- Vowel harmony — choosing the right vowel in the suffix
- Sound assimilation — choosing б or п in the negative
- Question suffix — how questions are formed