The Kazan period in Urmançe’s life marked a significant step forward in the art and culture of Tatarstan. He melded the essence of Tatar folk art and miniatures into his work, bringing a fresh perspective to the canvas. And in the late 1970s, he reached the pinnacle of his craft with works like “Tatarstan” (1976, 1985) and “Hay Market” (1975), the cycle of paintings "Memories" (1978-1979) that includes "At the Foot of the Ural Mountains" and "Bathing Horses".

“Ağa Bazar, Bolğar səhəreneñ
bistəse” (1970)

Baqi Urmançe

“Peçən bazarı” (1975)

Baqi Urmançe

“Tatarstan triptixı” (1976)

Baqi Urmançe

Urmançe's skill in the field of calligraphy is reflected in his paintings on paper (1989). Having grown up in a mullah's family, where his environment fostered his interest in Arabic calligraphy, the artist greatly respected the centuries-old tradition of the Tatar people. He ignored Soviet ideology and revived this art, giving impetus to the development of the work of other artists.
___________
Based on the Tatarica article

“Allah cəmilen yöxibbel cəmal” (1989)

Baqi Urmançe

Navigation GRAMMAR 🧭

• Spelling rules

🐣 #tt_newbie

• The alphabet
• Vowel harmony
• Consonant harmony
• Conjunctions I
• Formation of the Plural
• Interrogative pronouns
• Present Tense
• Word order
• Infinitive and hobbies
• Negative suffix
• Particles
• I want

📚 #tt_beginner

• Possessive pronouns and suffixes
• Independent possessive pronouns
• Genitive
• Dative
• Locative
• Ablative
• Accusative
• Reflexive verbs
• Each and every: generalizing pronouns
• Reciprocity
• Relative pronouns
• Indefinite pronouns
• Indefinite pronouns II
• Demonstrative pronouns
• When / while
• Before / after
• I can do it… can’t I?
• Imperative
• Imperative ~ Audio Lesson
• Past Tense I (definite)
• Past Tense II (indefinite)
• More uses of Infinitive
• Unstable Vowels
• Never have I ever
• Let’s do this!

🧐 #tt_intermediate

• Me, myself and I: The word Üz
• Postpositions (Nominative and Genitive)
• Postpositions (Dative)
• Postpositions (Ablative)
• Conjunctions II
• Factitive verbs
• Read this through!

🚀 #tt_advanced

• Imperfect or continuous past
• Passive Verbs
• Past Perfect (Pluperfect)
• Present Participles
• Past Participles
• The Habitual Past
• Compound tenses: Past Tense II + bulu
• Comparison of 3 Tenses
• Modes of action
• Conditionals
• Expressing desire
_________________________

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#tt_newbie
Conjunctions
Patreon exclusive test

🔗 Copulative Conjunctions

həm – and
da, də, ta, tə – too / and
belən – with / and
tağın – again
xətta – even

Hawa şaqtıy salqın həm bolıtlı. (Şərif Qamal, “Akçarlaqlar”)
The weather is rather cold and cloudy.

Anıñ atası da, anası da yuq.
He has neither a father nor a mother.

Ber awılda ber qart belən ber qarçıq bulğan. (Tatar xalıq əkiyətləre, “Qart belən tölke”)
In a village, there was an old man and an old woman.

🔗 Adversative Conjunctions

ləkin – but
əmma – but
ə – but, yet, while
yuqsa, yuğisә – otherwise, or else
tügel – not

Anı kürergə dip berniçə mərtəbə şəhər baqçasına çıqtım, əmma ul yuq ide.
(Şərif Qamal, “İke yaxşı”)
I went out to the city park several times to see her, but she was not there.

Ul minem monda ikənemne belmi torğandır, yuqsa kilep citər ide. (Safa Sabirov, “Xatlar yazam sağınıp”)
She probably does not know that I am here, otherwise, she would come.

🔗 Disjunctive Conjunctions

yəki – or
yə – or
yəisə – or
mı ... mı / me ... me (yes-no question suffix)

...berər gazetada yəki jurnalda eşlider. (Waqif Nurullin, “Əgər sin bulmasañ”)
...she is working with some newspaper or journal.

Zurlarğa 25-30 tiyen tülilər ide, bezneñ işe malaylarğa 15me, 20 tiyenme eləkte. (Ğomər Bəşirov, “Tormış suqmaqları”)
They were paying the grown-ups 25 or 30 kopecks; boys like us got either 15 or 20 kopecks.

🔗 Subordinating Conjunctions

yağni – that is
dimək – that means
çönki – because
suña kürə – that’s why, because of that
əgər (də) – if

Rawil irtəgəsen, yağni şimbə könne Ağaçbaşka üze kilergə, Bulat belən söyləşep qararğa buldı. (Barlas Kamalov, “Ömeteñ özelməsen”)
Rawil decided to go to Aghachbash the next day, namely Saturday, to try to talk with Bulat.

Min ul könne bik yaxşı xəterlim, çönki irtəgesen Klaranıñ tuğan köne uzdırılaçaq ide. (Atilla Rasix, “Urlanğan xəzinə”)
I remember that day very well because on the next day Klara’s birthday was to be celebrated.

Añardan atalarına da, miña da hiçber xəbər yuq, şuña kürə anıñ qaya ikənen berkem də belmi ide. (Sadri Cələl, “İnde min aña rəncemim”)
Neither his father and family nor I had any news from him. Therefore, nobody knew where he was.

#tt_beginner
Accusative

🔷 The accusative is formed by the suffix -nı, -ne, -n:

🔹-nı, -ne is joined to stems ending in a vowel or a consonant
🔹-n is joined to stems with the possessive suffixes of the 3rd person singular and plural

🔷 The accusative designates the direct object of the action. The direct object may be determinate or indeterminate. When determinate, the direct object takes the accusative suffix; when indeterminate, it appears in its zero-form (i.e., without the accusative suffix). For example (compare):

Kitapnı uqıp çıqqan könne ük Soltan añarga xat yazarğa bulğan ide ... (Ğadel Qutuy, “Soltannıñ ber köne”)
Soltan had intended to write him a letter on the very day when he finished reading the book ...

Xatnı yazıp beterep, Soltan yoqlarğa yattı.
Having finished the letter, Soltan lay down to sleep.

🔷 The direct object is determinate and, consequently, takes the accusative suffix when:

• It is pointed out as a particular object as distinct from others of the same kind (in English by the definite article “the”). It may also be preceded by a demonstrative pronoun or relational adjective:

Miñnisa min birgən almanı şunduq aşıy da başladı. (Ğomər Bəşirov, “Tuğan yağım - yəşel bişek”)
Miñnisa immediately began to eat the apple which I had given her.

Patşa bu yegetne üzeneñ sarayında xezmət itərgə qaldıra. (Tatar xalıq əkiyətləre, “Patşa belən soldat”)
The king kept this guy to serve in his palace.

awıldağı keşelərne isemnəre belən belü – to know the people in the village by their names

• It is determined by an ordinal number:

Bikə berençe balıqnı totqaç, Yabalaq qart üz yanına Albuğanı çaqırdı. (Nurixan Fəttax, “Sızğıra torğan uqlar”)
After she caught the first fish, the old man Yabalaq called Albuğa to his side.

• It is determined by a cardinal number, a generalizing pronoun, an indefinite pronoun, an interrogative pronoun, or by “küp”, but in each case determined in a specific way:

Cide diñgezne ütkəç, sigezençe diñgez başlana, ... (Tatar xalıq əkiyətləre, “Öç kügərçen”)
After one crosses the seven seas, the eighth sea begins, …

Nindi yaxşı bülməne ərəm itep toralar bit! (Kərim Əmiri, “Peçən bazarı”)
What a good room they are wasting! (Reference is to a specific room that could bring them income if they rented it out.)

• It is a proper name (name of a person, geographical name, etc.):

Min Zöhrəne kinoğa çaqırırğa dip kenə kergən idem. (Əmirxan Yeniki, “Yörək sere”)
I thought I’d just come in to invite Zöhrə to the movies.

❌ The accusative suffix is not attached to the direct object when:
• It is indeterminate:

Kələpüş, qalfaq, bürek şikelle nərsələr alasızmı? (Ğaliasğar Kamal, “Bezneñ şəhərneñ serləre”)
Are you buying stuff like scullcaps, qalfaqs, caps?

• It is determined by a numeral in a general way:

Kötəm, biş minut kötəm, un minut kötəm, ... (Əmirxan Yeniki, “Yörək sere”)
I wait, I wait five minutes, I wait ten minutes, …

• By its meaning it is closely connected with the verb:
ağaç yaru – to chop wood)
may yazu – to make butter, to butter
qul çabu – to applaud

A: Səlam, Fərit! Sineñ tatar telen öyrəngəneñne işettem. Niçek bara?
B: Səlam, Әminә! Əye, min inde anı berniçə ay öyrənəm. Şaqtıy awır, ləkin qızıq.
A: Şəp! Bik matur söyləşəseñ. Sine tatar telen öyrənergə nərsə ilhamlandırdı?
B: Minem əbi tatar, həm min mirasımnı yaxşıraq belergə telədem.
A: Bu iskitkeç səbəp. Sineñ yaratqan tatar süzləreñ yəki ğibarələreñ barmı?
B: Əlbəttə! Min "kübələk" süzeneñ yañğırawın yaratam.
A: Çınnan da matur. Sineñ Tatarstanğa barırğa niyәteñ barmı?
B: Əye, min kiləse yıl Tatarstanğa səyəxət itәrgә planlaştıram. Cirle xalıq belən praktika yasar öçen bik yaxşı mömkinlek bulır ide.
A: Şəp macara bulır kebek yañgırıy, Fərit. Siña tatar tele belən uñışlar telim!
B: Rəxmət, Әminә!
________________
A: Hello, Fərit! I heard you've been learning Tatar. How's it going?
B: Hi, Әminә! Yes, I've been learning it for a few months now. It's quite challenging but also fascinating.
A: That's great to hear! You speak really well. What motivated you to learn Tatar?
B: Well, my grandmother is Tatar, and I wanted to get to know my heritage better.
A: That's a wonderful reason. Do you have any favorite Tatar words or phrases?
B: Absolutely! I love the sound of "kübələk".
A: That does sound lovely. Do you have any plans to visit Tatarstan?
B: Yes, I'm planning to visit Tatarstan next year. It would be a great opportunity to practice with locals.
A: That sounds like an exciting adventure, Fərit. I wish you the best of luck with your Tatar language journey!
B: Thank you, Әminә!

#tt_intermediate
Conjunctions II

🔗 Copulative Conjunctions

ni... ni – neither... nor, either ... or

Sin ni kilmədeñ, ni yazmadıñ, ni xəbər itmədeñ. – You neither came, nor did you write, nor did you send news.

şulay uq – also, as well as:

Elek Bolğarlar […] Azov buyında, şulay uq İdel həm Don yılğalarınıñ tübənge ağımnarı arasındağı cirlərdə yəşəgənnər. ("Tatarstan ASSR tarixı, IX-XIII ğasırlarda İdel buyındağı Bolğar dəwləte")
Earlier the Bolghars lived [...] along (the Sea of) Azov as well as on the territories between the Lower Volga and the Lower Don.

🔗 Adversative Conjunctions

tik – only, but

Yıllar ütə tordı, tik yeget küñelendəge sorawlar cawap tapmadılar. (Ayaz Ğiləcev, "Berəw")
The years passed, but the questions in the young man's heart found no answer.

fəqət – only, but

Alarnıñ kübrəge həlәk buldılar, fəqət berniçəse genə köymələrenə kerep ölgerep [...] üz iptəşləre yanına sızdılar. (Fatix Əmirxan, "Balalar atawı")
Most of them perished, and only a few managed to get into their boats [...] and escape to their companions.

barı (tik) – only, just

Küpmeder waqıt uzdı. Balalar inde yılamıylar, barı ara-tirə üksep-üksep kenə quyalar ide. (Afzal Şamov, "Yaznı kötkəndə")
Some time passed. The children were not crying anymore, only sobbing now and then convulsively.

şulay da – nevertheless, still

Az sibələde, şulay da yaxşı buldı, ... (Ğalimcan İbrahimov, "Təbiğət balaları")
It drizzled a little, nevertheless it was good, …

bəlki – maybe

Bəyrəm sağınunı basmıy, bəlki köçəytə genə. (Mirğaziyan Yunıs, "Bəyrəm")
The feast does not alleviate the missing but only makes it stronger.

xəlbuki – however

[...] Bədiğə xanımda uqımağan ber keşene oçrattım dip toradır idem, xəlbuki ul keşe də anıñ şəkerte bulıp çıqtı. (Şərif Kamal, "Nıqlı adımnar")
I thought that I had met a person [...] who did not study with Mrs Bədiğə, however, that person too turned out to have been her student.

🔗 Disjunctive Conjunctions

yəki... yəki / yə... yə – either... or

Yəki xəzer, yəki ber waqıtta da!
It’s either now or never!

əllə... əllə – either... or

Tərəzə pıyalaları yüweş, əllə qar, əllə yañğır yawa. (Ğabdraxman Əpsələmov, "Aq çəçəklər")
The window panes are wet, it must be either snowing or raining.

ber... ber... / əle... əle... – first... then...

Kük yözennən, aynı ber qaplap, ber açıp, bolıtlar yözə. (Zöfər Fətxetdinov, "Açılğan serlər")
Clouds are drifting over the sky, first covering, then revealing the moon.

🔗 Subordinating Conjunctions

hərxəldə – anyway, in any case

Ayı-yılı xəterdə qalmağan, hərxəldə suğıştan soñğı awır zamanda. (Məxmüt Xəsənov, "Yazğı acağan")
The month and year I do not remember; anyway, it was during the difficult post-war time.

bigrək tə – particularly

Yaznıñ salqınçaraq, xuş isle tönnəre, bigrək tə, ul tönnərneñ şundıy xuş isle buluçılığı Xəyətneñ yörəgendə üzenə belemsez ber toyğı uyata ide. (Fatix Əmirxan, "Xəyət")
The somewhat chilly, fragrant spring nights, particularly those nights being so fragrant aroused in Xəyət's heart a feeling unknown to her.

şunlıqtan / şuña kürә / şul səbəple / şul səbəptən – therefore, for that reason

Bez ul könne qırda eşli idek, şunlıqtan min Ğabdullanı ozata da almıy qaldım. (Zəkiyə Rəsuleva, "Tuqay ezlərennən")
That day, we were working in the field, so I could not even see Ğabdulla off.

ki – that

Clauses of result; the main clause often contains such adverbs as şulqədər, şulxətle, etc.:

Ul şulxətle susağan ki, aña ber köl suwı da az bulır tösle ide. (Dawıt Yultıy, "Timerkəy fəlsəfəse")
He was so thirsty that even a lake full of water seemed likely to be too little for him.

Clauses corresponding to English noun clauses used as the direct object of a transitive verb:

Əgər də inde qarar çığaru bezneñ ixtiyarda bulsa, ışanam ki, bez alarnı ayırır idek. (Əmirxan Yeniki, “Yəşlek xatası”)
Now, if making a (court) decision were left to our discretion, I believe that we would grant them a divorce.

Clauses corresponding to English noun clauses used as subject:

Bilgele ki, awıl xucalığında maşinalaştıru zur əhəmiyətkə iyə. (M.Z. Zəkiev, "Xəzerge tatar ədəbi tele")
It is well known that mechanization in agriculture is of great importance.

güyə – as if, like

Su öste közge kebek şop-şoma, tıp-tınıç, güyə ul yuwaş, kündəm. (Ğabdraxman Əpsələmov, "Aq çəçəklər")
The water surface is completely smooth like a mirror, completely calm as though it were gentle, and obedient.

əyterseñ lә – as if, as though

Bu çoqırlar üzləre zur ğına, əyterseñ lə, monda qayçandır küllər bulğan da, xəzer alarnıñ suwı kipkən, əyterseñ lə, ul waqıtlarğa inde çiksez küp yıllar uzğan... (Atilla Rasix, "Urlanğan xəzinə")
These ravines themselves are rather large, as though at some point there were lakes here, and now their water has dried up, as though since those times many years have passed.

gərçə – although

Gərçə anda tumasam da, min beraz torğan idem. (Ğabdulla Tuqay, “Şürəle”)
Although I was not born there, I lived there for a little while.

#tt_advanced
Bashkortostan Tatar dialects

The Republic of Bashkortostan is the homeland of more than a million Tatars. This makes up a fourth of the republic's population.

Numerous studies by both pre-revolutionary and post-revolutionary scientists, the results of the “Atlas of Tatar Folk Dialects” (Kazan, 2015), and research using the method of language geography, showed that the following Tatar dialects are widespread in Bashkortostan, related to the two main dialects of the Tatar language: Bələbəy, Central, Yañawıl sub-dialects of the Minzələ dialect, Baqalı subdialect of the Tübən Kama-Kerəşen dialect, Böre, Zlatoust, Qormantaw, Tipkəy, Turbaslı, Uçalı dialects of the middle dialect and Bayqıbaş, Sterlitamak dialects of the Western (Mişər) dialect.

All this variety of dialects and subdialects means that there are a lot of different regional words and grammatical constructions used in different parts of Bashkortostan, but I have tried to sum them up into this list of curious features used in most of them.

💙 Phonetically, the following features are common to all considered dialects of the studied area:

🗣️ [u], [ü] > [о], [ö] or [ı], [е]:
topsa (lit. tupsa) – threshold
közətü (lit. küzətü) – to watch, to track
namıs (lit. namus) – honor, conscience

🗣️ [ı], [o], [u] > [i] before [y]:
biyaq (lit. bu yaq) – this side
biyil (lit. bıyıl) – this year
biyaw (lit. buyaw) – paint

🗣️ Instead of [ı] or [i], the use of diphthongs [ay]/[əy]:
anday (lit. andıy) – such, like that
pesəy (lit. pesi) – cat

🗣️ [c] > [y]: yılı (lit. cılı) – warm

🗣️ Skipping [h] at the beginning of a word:
awa (lit. hawa) – air, weather
önər (lit. hönər) – profession

🤍 Grammatical features:

📝 Affix -qay / -kəy has a very broad use and meaning:
• diminutive: bozawqay – baby calf

• no diminutive meaning:
nərsəkəy / nəstəkəy, nəməkəy – what
xəterkəy – memory

• expressing being unsure: ber xatınqay – some woman

• expressing similarity: ataqay balası – dad’s child, child similar to his or her dad

• word formation: səpəkəy / çəbəkəy itü (lit. qul çabu) – to apploud
sulaqay (lit. sulağay) – left-handed
sənsəkəy barmaq (lit. çənti barmaq) – little finger

📝 Using nominative (baş kileş) instead of dative (yünəleş):
Ufa kitkən (lit. Ufağa kitkən) – went to Ufa

📝 Using miñə / siñə (lit. miña / siña) or in some dialects miyə / siyə.

📝 Using collective numerals instead of cardinal ones when attaching possessive affixes:
berəwse (lit. berse) – one of them, ikəwse (lit. ikese) – two of them
Berəwse qaytmasa da qıyın – It is hard even if one of them doesn’t come back

📝 Using anaw(ı) instead of the literary ənə ul (that one), manaw(ı) instead of menə ul (this one)

📝 In the present tense of the indicative mood, the affix -ıy/-i of the literary language corresponds to -ay/-əy:
qaray (lit. qarıy) – looks
söyləy (lit. söyli) – tells
tuqtamay (lit. tuqtamıy) – doesn’t stop
eşləməy (lit. eşləmi) – doesn’t work
kilməyem (lit. kilmim) – I don’t come

📝 More frequent use of -ıñqıra/-eñkerə, meaning an incomplete, repeating or an intensified action, than in the literary language:
qoymaq açıñqırağan – pancake dough turned sour

📝 Using -sığız/-segez instead of the literary -sız/-sez:
barasığız (lit. barasız) – you go

📝 Adding plural suffixes to nominal predicates:
Üzləre qaydalar (lit. qayda) ikən? – Where are they (themselves)?
Alar sezdələrme (lit. sezdəme)? – Are they at your place?

📝 Deviations in the use of voices:
uquwın bette (lit. beterde) – finished studying
yazışıp (lit. yazıp) utıram – I’m doing some writing

💚 Lexical features common to different dialects in Bashkortstan:

📚 qartinəy / qartəni / nənəy (lit. dəw əni / əbi) – grandmother
qartatay / qartəti (lit. dəw əti / babay) – grandfather
inə / inəkəy (lit. əni) – mother

📚 pıyma / pima (lit. kiyez itek) – felt boots
başay / başantay / başaltay (lit. yon oyıqbaş) – woolen socks

📚 muyıl (lit. şomırt) – bird cherry
qarağat (lit. qara qarlığan) – black currant

📚 möyöş (lit. poçmaq) – corner
toq / toqçay / toqsay – bag
qaysılay (lit. niçek) – how
nəmə(kəy), nərsəkəy (lit. nərsə) – what
berəy (lit. berər) – some
əzrək torğaç (lit. berazdan) – later
təwdə / iñ təwdə – first, at the beginning
irtəgə soñğa (lit. berseköngə) – a day after tomorrow
azaq / adaq – after

_________________
Based on Bulatova M.R. Tatar dialects of Bashkortostan. Aerial aspect. 2021, Kazan.

#tt_culture
A Short Outline of the Tatar Language Development: Part I

Like other Turkic languages, the Tatar language originates in ancient Turkic, with written linguistic records dating back to the 5th century. Over time, it underwent significant linguistic changes. As a result of the interaction between Bolghar and Qypchaq tribal languages and through a long and complex linguistic process, the modern Tatar language we know today emerged. This linguistic evolution can be divided into several key periods.

13th and 14th Centuries: The Birth of Literary Tatar
Before the 13th century, written materials in the Volga-Kama region (the State of Bolghar) were lost due to historical upheavals.

The earliest known literary work in Tatar is the epic poem "Qıssa-i Yosıf," created by the poet Qol Ğali between 1212 and 1233. Qol Ğali is credited with laying the foundation for Bolghar-Tatar poetry. Despite being written over 750 years ago, "Qıssa-i Yosıf" continues to maintain its popularity among Tatars, who commonly refer to it as 'Yosıf Kitabı' (The Book of Joseph). The language used in this epic is primarily Bolghar-Qypchaq, enriched with Oghuz elements. It is occasionally described as the language of the Western region of the Golden Horde or Volga Turkic.

Other literary examples from this period include "Məxəbbətnamə" by Xarəzmi, the epic poem "Cömcömə soltan" by Xisam Katib, and "Nəhcel-Fəradis" by Məxmüd bine Ğali.

While written records began to appear, much of the Tatar language's literary expression remained in the oral tradition, with storytelling, poetry, and folklore playing a crucial role in preserving the language.

15th to 17th Centuries: The Formation of a Common Language
During the 15th century, especially during the Khanate of Kazan (1436-1552), a common popular language developed alongside a uniform literary language.
Poetry and prose continued to be important forms of literary expression. Significant literary works from this period include the Tatar national epic "İdegəy," which depicts events and heroic deeds in the late 14th century, and works like "Töxfəyi mərdan" (1539) and "Nuri sodur" (1542) by Möxəmmədyar.

Tatar literature continued to be primarily written in the Arabic script during this period, reflecting the Islamic influence. The Tatar-speaking population was spread across a vast area, leading to the development of regional dialects. However, efforts were made to create a common literary language that would unite Tatars from various regions. The Old Tatar language, as used in the Khanate of Kazan, was also spoken in the Khanate of Astrakhan, by the Mishars, Bashkirs, and parts of the Kazakh and Kyrghyz people.

It should be mentioned that during the existence of the Kazan Khanate (1438-1552) Russian forces invaded Kazan at least ten times, but supply difficulties forced Ivan the Terrible to withdraw. Russia annexed land west of Volga, which further weakened the khanate. In 1552, the Khanate of Kazan fell. After that, an uprising started in the region, lasting several years until its final suppression in 1556. The Tsar responded with a policy of ethnic cleansing in the occupied lands, and christianization and russification of Tatars and other indigenous people.

18th Century and First Half of the 19th Century: The Evolution of the Literary Language
The old literary language, which had initially formed based on the spoken language, continued its traditions but became heavily influenced by Arabic and Persian elements.

By the early 19th century, the literary language had diverged significantly from the vernacular, making it not understandable for a less educated segment of the population and less effective for general communication.

Forward-thinking educators and scholars, such as Ğəbderəxim Utız İməni, Əbelmənix, Ğəbdelcabbar Qandalıy, and Qayum Nasıyri, made efforts to bridge the gap between the literary and spoken language, aiming for a more accessible form of communication.