In English, we use the same past tense for "I went to the store yesterday" and "I've been to Paris (at some point in my life)." In Kyrgyz, these are two different tenses! The first is the definite past (-ды/-ти), and the second is Жалпы өткөн чак (the indefinite past), which is what this article is about.
This form is used in three main situations:
- Life experience: "I've (ever) been to Osh," "I've read this book (I know what it's about)"
- Result that matters now: "He left for Bishkek" (and is still there — that's his current status)
- Remote past: "As kids we played in this courtyard" (that was a long time ago)
🧠 The Logic
Жалпы өткөн чак is the tense of experience and result. The speaker is not claiming to have witnessed the action with their own eyes — they are stating a fact that has relevance in the present.
When to use:
- Life experience: Мен Ошко барганмын — I've been to Osh (at some point in my life)
- Result relevant now: Ал Бишкекке кеткен — He's gone to Bishkek (and is there now)
- Remote past: Биз бул үйдө жашаганбыз — We lived in this house (long ago)
When NOT to use:
- A concrete fact you personally witnessed → use the definite past (-ды/-ти)
- Habitual actions in the past → use the habitual past (-чу)
💡 English analogy: This is similar to the Present Perfect (I have been, I have seen) — experience and result, not a specific moment.
🧮 The Formula
Formula: Stem + -ган/-кан participle + personal ending
We take the verb, turn it into a participle (by adding -ган/-кан), and attach personal endings.
Step 1: Add -ган / -кан
According to vowel harmony and assimilation:
| Last letter of stem | Suffix | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Vowel or voiced consonant | -ган-ген-гон-гөн | бар → барган, иште → иштеген, бол → болгон, көр → көргөн |
| Voiceless consonant | -кан-кен-кон-көн | тап → тапкан, чеч → чечкен, ук → уккан, күт → күткөн |
Step 2: Personal endings
This tense uses the standard personal endings. For «ал» (he/she) there is no ending — the participle барган alone already means "he went."
| Person | Form (бар) | Form (ич) | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| мен | барганмын | ичкенмин | I went / I drank |
| сен | баргансың | ичкенсиң | you went / you drank |
| сиз | баргансыз | ичкенсиз | you (formal) went / drank |
| ал | барган | ичкен | he/she went / drank |
| биз | барганбыз | ичкенбиз | we went / we drank |
| силер | баргансыңар | ичкенсиңер | you (plural) went / drank |
| сиздер | баргансыздар | ичкенсиздер | you (formal plural) went / drank |
| алар | барышкан | ичишкен | they went / they drank |
барганмынбарrootганparticipleмынI→ I went (at some point)
⚠️ Note: The «алар» form is built using the cooperative voice: stem + -ышкан-ишкен-ушкан-үшкөн. See cooperative voice for more detail.
Negative form
In this tense, negation is formed not with a suffix but with the auxiliary word эмес (is not). All personal endings are attached to эмес.
Formula: Participle + эмес + personal ending
| Person | Form (бар) | Form (ич) | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| мен | барган эмесмин | ичкен эмесмин | I didn't go / I didn't drink |
| сен | барган эмессиң | ичкен эмессиң | you didn't go / didn't drink |
| сиз | барган эмессиз | ичкен эмессиз | you (formal) didn't go / drink |
| ал | барган эмес | ичкен эмес | he/she didn't go / drink |
| биз | барган эмеспиз | ичкен эмеспиз | we didn't go / didn't drink |
| силер | барган эмессиңер | ичкен эмессиңер | you (plural) didn't go / drink |
| сиздер | барган эмессиздер | ичкен эмессиздер | you (formal plural) didn't go / drink |
| алар | барышкан эмес | ичишкен эмес | they didn't go / didn't drink |
💡 Tip: Notice that the personal endings on эмес do not depend on the verb's vowel group. The word «эмес» contains the vowel е, so the endings always come from the э/е/и group: эмесмин, эмессиң, эмеспиз.
Question form
To ask a question, attach the question suffix -бы-би-бу-бү to the end of the full form.
Formula: Full form + -бы-би-бу-бү
| Person | Form (бар) | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| мен | барганмынбы | did I go? |
| сен | баргансыңбы | did you go? |
| сиз | баргансызбы | did you (formal) go? |
| ал | барганбы | did he/she go? |
| биз | барганбызбы | did we go? |
| силер | баргансыңарбы | did you (plural) go? |
| сиздер | баргансыздарбы | did you (formal plural) go? |
| алар | барышканбы | did they go? |
💡 For negative questions, the suffix is added to эмес: «Сен барган эмессиңби?» — Didn't you go?
⚠️ Key distinctions: -ДЫ vs -ГАН
How do you know when to say «Мен көрдүм» versus «Мен көргөнмүн»?
| Definite past (-ды) | Indefinite past (-ган) |
|---|---|
| A concrete fact with a time. You know exactly when it happened (yesterday, an hour ago). | Experience or result. It doesn't matter when it happened. What matters is that it happened at all. |
| Мен кечээ кино көрдүм. (I watched a movie yesterday). | Мен бул кинону көргөнмүн. (I've seen this movie / I know the plot). |
| Ал Бишкекке кетти. (He just left for Bishkek). | Ал Бишкекке кеткен. (He has gone to Bishkek and lives there now). |
| Биз тамак жедик. (We ate — just now, specifically). | Биз бул тамакты жегенбиз. (We've tried this dish — as an experience). |
💡 Examples
Life experience
| Kyrgyz | Translation |
|---|---|
| Мен Ошко барганмын. | I've been to Osh. |
| Сен бул китепти окугансың. | You've read this book. |
| Ал көп өлкөлөрдү көргөн. | He has seen many countries. |
| Биз тоодо жүргөнбүз. | We've been to the mountains. |
Result relevant now
| Kyrgyz | Translation |
|---|---|
| Ал Бишкекке кеткен. | He's gone to Bishkek (and is there now). |
| Мен унутуп калганмын. | I've forgotten (my current state is "having forgotten"). |
| Сиз буга макулдук бергенсиз. | You gave your consent to this (and it still stands). |
Remote past
| Kyrgyz | Translation |
|---|---|
| Мен бул жерде мурун жашаганмын. | I used to live here. |
| Биз бала кезде ушул короодо ойногонбуз. | As kids we played in this courtyard. |
| Алар мурда мал баккан. | They used to keep livestock. |
— Сен Ошко баргансыңбы? — Have you ever been to Osh? — Ооба, эки жолу барганмын. — Yes, I've been twice.
— Бул тамакты жегенсизби? — Have you tried this dish? — Жок, жеген эмесмин. — No, I haven't.
See also:
- Introduction to verbs — the foundation for understanding tenses
- Participle -ган / -кан — the form this tense is built on
- Definite past tense (-ды) — a close but different past
- Vowel harmony — choosing the right vowel in the suffix
- Sound assimilation — choosing г or к in the suffix
- Question suffix — how questions are formed